Golf Curtis Cup: US captain taken to hospital

By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Published on 09/06/2012 02:26

PAT Cornett, captain of the American side playing in the 37th Curtis Cup at Nairn, was due to be back at the helm this morning despite suffering a broken ankle yesterday in a golf buggy accident.

The 56-year-old Californian, a medical doctor herself, was taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness after the incident, which happened at the start of the afternoon session on the event’s opening day.

Cornett was a passenger in the buggy when her right leg caught part of the small grandstand at the side of the first tee.

She left the course immediately, with Carol Semple-Thompson, a two-time former Curtis Cup skipper, stepping in as acting captain in her absence. After having the ankle put in a cast, Cornett returned to the team hotel in Nairn last night and was set to resume her duties today.

Her own mishap came just hours after her husband, Mike, who is over in Scotland as a supporter, had been taken into another local hospital with a skin infection.

“I think Pat knew something serious had happened straight away,” said Martha Lang, chairman of the USGA women’s golf committee last night.

Semple-Thompson added: “It was so unfortunate for Pat – I have never seen anything like this happen in all the time I’ve been involved with the Curtis Cup.”

Cornett, a two-time Curtis Cup player who is captaining the Americans for the first time, had watched her side record a 3-0 whitewash in the morning foursomes but, in her absence, Great Britain & Ireland fought back in the afternoon to trail 4-2 at the end of the first day.

“Pat is in good spirits and is ready to resume her captaincy in the morning,” said Lang. “Carol was kind enough to be interim captain.”

The Americans led in all three of the afternoon matches at one point before seeing GB&I fight back in the bottom two.

“We’re happy with 4-2 but it could have been better,” said Semple-Thompson, who led the Americans to victory at St Andrews four years ago. “The GB&I players should be proud of the way they came back this afternoon. It shows the two teams are well matched and I think they will be again tomorrow.”