(03-19-2021, 02:59 AM)fullmetal Wrote: The players who end up that successful don't tend to come from the college ranks, right? They just turn pro immediately?
That's correct. The only top player in women's tennis to have come from college that I'm aware of is Jen Brady.
The highest-ranked recent Stanford alum in tennis was Nicole Gibbs who got to 68 in 2016 - as far as I know. Kristie Ahn who is still playing pro was up to 93rd in 2020.
Golf is a little different, especially on the men's tour where virtually everyone played college golf. The women's tour is a bit more mixed due to a heavier mix of foreign players especially from Asia. None of our alumni have won an LPGA event since Hilary (Homeyer) Lunke won the US Women's Open in 2003. There are currently four alumni on tour - Valenzuela, Andrea Lee, Lauren Kim, and Mariah Stackhouse.