Stockett Brings Strong USGA Ties to Women’s Mid-Am Debut

The USGA accepted 491 entries for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur, the most entries since 2007, and among the 132 players who advanced to this week’s championship proper are 10 golfers who earned a spot in their first year of eligibility, at age 25.

“I decided I wanted to go ahead and start working after college, but with the thought in the back of my mind that I still wanted to play amateur golf at a very high level,” said Blair Stockett, 25, of Jackson, Miss. “Golf has given me some amazing opportunities and it’s something that I’ve had so much fun doing. I really wanted to keep that door open, but also pursue a career in accounting.”

Although she is competing in her first U.S. Women’s Mid-Am at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Mass., Stockett is no stranger to USGA championships, having competed in the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Westchester (N.Y.) Country Club, where she missed the playoff for the match-play bracket by one shot. The three-time Academic All-American at Mississippi State University also has interesting ties to a couple of USGA champions.

In 2019, the U.S. Women’s Amateur was contested at Old Waverly Golf Club, the home course for Mississippi State’s golf programs. Although Stockett missed qualifying for the championship, she was involved as the caddie for Lucy Li, the 2018 USA Curtis Cupper who first gained notoriety when she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at age 11 in 2014. Li, currently a member of the LPGA Tour, lost in the quarterfinals to another current LPGA standout and past USA Curtis Cupper, Andrea Lee, but Stockett stuck around for the 36-hole final between Gabriela Ruffels, of Australia and Stanford University star Albane Valenzuela, of Switzerland, the runner-up in 2017.

“I played a lot of golf during college with Gabi,” said Stockett of Ruffels, a standout at  at the University of Southern California. “I was walking with her mom during the morning round, and she mentioned that Gabi’s caddie [USC head coach Justin Silverstein] had a recent death in the family and would have to catch a flight later that afternoon. She said Gabi might have to carry her own bag.”

Noting the sweltering conditions, Stockett offered to find a backup caddie for Ruffels, and during the lunch break, Ruffels asked Stockett herself to fill in if needed. With Ruffels 1 down on the 33rd tee, Silverstein departed, and Stockett took the bag. Ruffels proceeded to birdie three of the last four holes to edge Valenzuela, 1 up. Both finalists  now compete on the LPGA Tour, the latter just being named to Europe’s 2024 Solheim Cup Team.

“We were able to flip it and she won,” said Stockett, who was entering her junior year at MSU at the time. “She made a two-putt birdie on the 15th, knocked it close and made birdie on 17 and then on the last hole, Albane knocked it inside of Gabi, but Gabi made her [downhill] putt and was able to clinch it. It was a great match.”

During post-match interviews, Ruffels credited Stockett’s arrival for shifting her energy down the stretch. “Blair was great,” said the first Aussie champion of the Women’s Amateur, who would go on to make the final in her 2020 title defense, losing to future two-time USGA champion Rose Zhang in 39 holes at Woodmont Country Club, in Rockville, Md. “She made me so comfortable.”

Stockett also has a major champion in her family. Mary Mills, 84, who grew up in Laurel, Miss., captured the 1963 U.S. Women’s Open as well as two LPGA Championships (now the KPMG Women’s PGA) among nine victories in a 20-year LPGA Tour career.

“Mary is my grandmother’s first cousin,” said Stockett. “Her experience has been invaluable to me, especially when I was in college. We’ve talked on numerous occasions before a big tournament, and she has guided me with lots of great tips and wisdom from being in that position before and excelling at the highest level.”

The USGA ties continue with Stockett’s swing coach. VJ Trolio is a renowned instructor at Old Waverly whose son, Cohen Trolio, reached the 2019 U.S. Amateur semifinals, losing to fellow Mississippian and eventual champion Andy Ogletree at Pinehurst No. 2. Cohen also advanced to the 2021 U.S. Junior Amateur final at The Country Club of North Carolina, where he lost to current two-time PGA Tour winner and 2023 U.S. Amateur champion Nick Dunlap. Cohen played three years at LSU before recently transferring to the University of Mississippi.

“Cohen and I grew up playing together, along with [2024 U.S. Open qualifier] Wells Williams,” said Stockett. “My cousin, [2016 Drive, Chip & Putt Girls’ 7-9 champion] Emerson Blair, grew up in a house by the 18th hole at Old Waverly and when I was at Mississippi State, we would play together every week with our grandfather. It’s a great community there, and one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Mississippi State.”

Stockett completed her career at Mississippi State in 2022 with 34 par-or-better rounds, third-most in program history, and the fifth-best stroke average (74.6) in program history. She now works as an audit associate at KPMG in her hometown of Jackson.

“My first exposure to KPMG was through seeing their brand with professional golfers I follow, like Stacy Lewis,” said Stockett. “It’s great to work for a company that understands golf and supports women’s golf at a high level. I was an intern with them when I qualified for the Women’s Amateur in 2021, and they were so supportive; they understood the goals that I wanted to achieve on and off the golf course.”

Qualifying for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur has been a goal since the three-time Mississippi Women’s Amateur champion graduated from college.

“The USGA gives these great opportunities to women,” said Stockett. “The chance to play on a great golf course like Brae Burn, it’s not something that you ever want to pass up. It’s also nice to know that, for most of the people playing, golf is not their whole life anymore; they have other priorities at this stage in life. That makes it a little less intimidating.”

Certainly not as intimidating as stepping into the midst of a hotly contested Women’s Amateur final.

“That was a great experience, and I can’t claim I helped Gabi a lot, although I did give her the read for the putt on 18,” said Stockett with a laugh. “It’s always good to be in the right place at the right time.”

Mission accomplished, both in 2019 and in 2024.

Ron Driscoll is the senior editor of Golf Journal. Email him at v-rdriscoll@usga.org.