HEWSON HAPPY TO PLAY WITH WORLD’S BEST IN FIRST U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN BERTH

While she doesn’t play a lot of tournament golf in the United States, Alice Hewson tries to visit the country as much as she can while competing on the Ladies European Tour (LET). She has two cats, Clyde and Figaro, that live stateside as well as a fiancé, Stephen, whom she’s hoping to marry sometime next year, date to be determined based on the 2024 LET schedule.

But this trip across the pond isn’t her typical week-long stopover in between tournaments in Europe or an extended vacation to spend quality time with her future husband. This one is all business as Hewson prepares to tee it up in her very first U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Golf fans on the other side of the Atlantic might remember Hewson from the Hanwha LIFEPLUS International Crown earlier this season that was held at TPC Harding Park, site of the 2020 PGA Championship won by Collin Morikawa.

She and Liz Young were last-minute additions to the England Team, flying into San Francisco from the United Kingdom on the shortest of notices, and the dynamic duo earned their country’s lone point on Saturday, defeating Ruixin Liu and Yu Liu of the People’s Republic of China, 1 up, after Hewson got up and down for birdie on the par-5 18th hole.

Hewson’s grin stretched from ear-to-ear long after she and her partner shook hands and traded hugs, and a few months on from that moment, it’s something that the 25-year-old will never forget.

“It was an absolute honour to end up going to the International Crown,” said Hewson, who had only represented England as an amateur until that week in May. “It was just an incredible experience to be a part of that team and represent my country as a professional golfer. That was my first opportunity to do that and it was such an amazing experience. We had a great time with the team.”

Now, Hewson is preparing to play in the U.S. for the second time this season at another iconic venue: Pebble Beach. Historically, the course has played host to numerous USGA championships and PGA Tour events as well as two LPGA Tour tournaments in 1950 and 1951, when the Association was merely a toddler. But it’s the first time a women’s event of this magnitude will be held here, and being a part of that history isn’t lost on Hewson. And the irony of getting to play two of the most well-known courses in the country isn’t either.

“To be playing in my first U.S. Open is really exciting. I’m looking forward to having that new opportunity and…