Note: The following appears in the Syracuse gameday football program
As if traveling over 4,000 miles away from home for college was not enough, senior golfer Alice Hewson has traveled worldwide representing her home country, herself and now Clemson on the international circuit.
“Playing for my country is an honor that I absolutely cherish. I take so much pride being able to wear the Saint George’s Cross or the Union Jack on my sleeve. I have been lucky enough to have been playing for the England ladies team since I was 16 and the junior team for two years before that.”
This past summer, Hewson participated in two international tournaments, the Curtis Cup in June and the European Ladies’ Amateur Team Championship in July.
The former, a competition between the United States and Great Britain/Ireland, took place at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in New York, and Hewson was one of only two returners on her home squad that had won the Curtis Cup in the 2016 iteration.
“Playing on an international stage is so much fun,” reflected Hewson. “The first tee at the Curtis Cup is pretty intimidating and is an experience like no other. Having played for England for a long time, I am relatively used to playing for an international team. However, none of these experiences can compare to the pressure of the Curtis Cup.“Women’s amateur golf isn’t covered live too much, so it is a very new experience playing on live TV and in front of a crowd that big. This pressure really brings out the best in people and you get to see some of the best golf of the year. It’s like the Ryder Cup…putts are going in from all over the green, making shots from the fairway and pulling off the near impossible.”
After the Curtis Cup, Hewson had a month to prepare for the European Ladies’ Amateur Team Championship, which was hosted by the Murhof Golf Club in Austria. In 2016, the English team won the tournament for the first time in over 20 years, and the Berkhamsted, United Kingdom native was the only member of the 2016 title team to return and represent England this year.
Hewson has not taken these international experiences, including the decision to come to the United States for college, for granted.“I have had some amazing experiences being able to travel and play for my country. I have been able to visit some countries that I otherwise probably wouldn’t have, and I have met a really diverse group of people. Traveling by myself has really made me grow up over the years and has developed my independency.“This has also come from going to university 4,000 miles away from home. I very quickly had to learn to plan and organize my time efficiently so that I could have clean clothes when I need them, learn to pay rent and build a credit score, for example.”
he knows that the life lessons she has gained from her world travels will benefit her as she takes steps to begin a professional career after she graduates with an accounting degree.
“Traveling with the teams have really prepared me for turning pro, where I really am out there all by myself. The team environment shows how difficult it can be traveling all by yourself, and having a team around you is really important to being successful and happy on tour.“Traveling with these teams has been an amazing experience overall…being able to compare myself to the best players in the world and seeing that I really can compete with them. As I am now in my last year before turning pro, it gives me a lot of confidence.”
