GB&I Wins The 43rd Curtis Cup
The Americans stage a valiant rally but come up one point short at Sunningdale.
Catriona Matthew penciled in her best three players to open Sunday singles and essentially close out the 43rd Curtis Cup before much of America enjoyed a cup of Sunday morning coffee. We should have known better, with this being a Cup event on a grand course and no player appearing to be a drag on their respective rosters.
Sure enough, Matthew’s star trio opened Sunday singles with two losses, headlined by USA’s Asterisk Talley cruising to a 3&2 win over Lottie Woad in the opener. With that shocker, only interrupted by sensational Sara Byrne closing out her unforgettable three days by defeating Catherine Park 3&2, the final day thriller would come down to the final matches.
A sunny and warm Sunningdale day eventually saw Great Britain and Ireland hold on for a one-point difference and first win for the home side since 2016. The team was boosted by a Curtis Cup record crowd of 16,680 for the matches. They witnessed the 10½-9½ victory on an artfully presented Old Course that undoubtedly contributed to the above-average number of tight back-and-forth contests. The crowds and their furry four-legged friends—who are an added component in Sunningdale’s overwhelming charm—also witnessed history in another regard: Matthew is the first professional golfer to Captain the event, bringing her experience (and army of physios!) as a two-time Solheim Cup-winning leader.
However, the Scot reserved all credit for the players.
“They're a fantastic team, I'm so proud of them,” Matthew said. “They really dug in every day and in every session. It didn't look as though it was perhaps going our way today but they really toughed it out. It's just been a fantastic experience for me getting to know them and they were great.”
She’s not exaggerating the outcome out of classy deference to the Americans. The match tide appeared to turn after early setbacks cut GB&I’s overnight two-point lead to one. Several Americans led or were tied on the bottom end of the eight-player singles session, anchored by three-time Curtis Cupper Rachel Kuehn. But Ireland’s Sara Byrne, Patience Rhodes from England and Scotland’s Lorna McClymont were all victorious, while it was Rhodes’ sister, Mimi, who secured a vital half-point against The Women’s Amateur winner Melanie Green.
That match saw one of the few moments of less savory sportsmanship when Green seemed bothered not to have been given a short putt. If nothing else, the moment proved her American citizenship.
“My hat's off to the Americans as well,” said Matthew. “There was some fantastic golf on all three days and it just made it a spectacle for women's golf. The golf this week really was quite amazing. I think the future of women's golf is in good hands.”
For all of the clutch play Sunday, the opening win by Asterisk Talley might have been the performance of the week. The 15-year-old made five birdies and eagled the par 5 10th, putting away world number one amateur and Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Lottie Woad who was fresh off her T10 at the AIG Women’s Open.
It was her first defeat in the week’s five matches for Woad.
“It was really fun out there today,” Talley said. “I played some great golf. I was just excited to get out there with Lottie and play my best. We (the USA team) had a lot of fun. I felt like we really bonded throughout the week. Even if we lost our matches we still had fun.”
Another standout performance featured Scotland’s McClymont facing off against 2023 US Women’s Amateur Champion Megan Schofill in the penultimate match.
The pair were all-square through eight before the Scot birdied four of the next five holes to take a commanding lead which, combined with the Rhodes comeback against Green, fended off a fantastic final day comeback effort by Meghan Stasi’s USA squad.