Recent history of the game
The 43rd The Curtis Cup is played on the Old Course at Sunningdale, a venue that Bobby Jones once wished he could take home.
Ahead of the three-day event, we look back at the last six encounters between the United States of America and Great Britain and Ireland, which included some absolute classics, while also profiling players who have now become some of the biggest names in the game.
2012 – Nairn
GB&I 10½, USA 9½
There is nothing quite like a brilliant comeback in match play, and that is exactly what happened in 2012 when Nairn hosted one of the biggest Curtis Cups in history.
The USA, which boasts well-known names such as Amy Anderson and Lindy Duncan, led the competition 4-0 and then 6-3 and was looking for its eighth consecutive Curtis Cup victory.
But Great Britain and Ireland, led by captain Tegwen Matthews, who took part in four consecutive editions of the 2018 FIFA World Cup France™ between 1974 and 1980, immediately bounced back.
Their team included players who would go on to enjoy notable success as professionals, including Charley Hull, Bronte Law, Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow, and a strong Saturday afternoon foursome turned the game on its head as they took two and a half of the three possible points.
That was the start of a super Sunday. The USA led 6½ – 5½ but quickly saw their lead disappear as GB&I won the first three games through Kelly Tidy, Amy Boulden and Holly Clyburn.
Lisa McCloskey, Tiffany Lua and Brooke Pancake scored important points for the USA, but Hull comfortably beat Duncan 5-3 before Meadow took the decisive point to secure GB&I’s first Curtis Cup victory since 1996 – by a margin of 10½ to 9½.
2014 – St. Louis
USA 13, GB&I 7
The United States had two years to reflect on that disappointment – and plan revenge – which it did with ruthless efficiency in 2014.
Back on home soil, the US team took on the Curtis Cup at St. Louis Country Club and Matthews again captained GB&I. She assembled a team with more familiar names as Law and Meadow were back, joining players such as Gemma Dryburgh and Georgia Hall, who won the AIG Women’s Open four years later.
The USA got off to a fast start, led by 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion Emma Talley, winning all four balls on the first morning.
Talley and playing partner Mariah Stackhouse beat Meadow and Hall 2&1 and from there the USA were on a roll. Two halved games in the afternoon foursomes put GB&I on the scoreboard but trailed 5-1 overnight, with Erynne Lee and Annie Park beating Eilidh Briggs and Gabriella Cowley 3&1.
Law and Annabel Dimmock secured GB&I’s first foursome win on Saturday, but the tireless Americans continued to rack up points. Allison Lee was in the thick of it when she and Kyung Kim beat Meadow and Hall 4&2 in the foursome, and then she and Ramsey defeated Thomas and Dryburgh 2&1 in the foursome.
The USA, led by Ellen Port, led 9½ to 2½ on Sunday, meaning GB&I had to win almost all eight points on offer to overtake them.
However, Talley – who was the first to be eliminated by Law – ensured that dream was shattered before it could become a reality, winning 4&3 to claim the trophy, with the decisive moment coming with a three-foot par putt on the 15th hole.
Hall, Dryburgh, Thomas and Meadow all won their singles matches, but the USA finished with a well-deserved 13-7 victory.