Curtis Cup: GB & Ireland stage late rally to stop rot

ALREADY 3-0 down from the morning session, it was shaping up to be a ‘Black Friday’ for Great Britain & Ireland on the opening day of the 37th Curtis Cup when, midway through the afternoon, the Americans also led in all three of the fourball jousts.

To only be trailing 4-2 at the end of play, therefore, was certainly heartening for the home camp heading into day two.

Bronte Law and Emily Boulden put the first GB&I point on the board just before 6pm, beating Lindy Duncan and Lisa McCloskey by 3 and 2. A sizeable home support was then handed further cause for optimism when Kelly Tidy and Holly Clyburn also completed a gutsy fightback, coming out on top by 2 and 1 in the end over Brooke Pancake and Erica Popson.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Americans are still in a strong position in their bid to win the biennial encounter for an eighth time on the trot, but the stuffing hasn’t been knocked completely out of the GB&I players. Dinner last night would have tasted a lot better than it could have done.

On a day when a blanket of haar rolled in and out from the Moray Firth, the Americans displayed magical short games. They also coped remarkably well in a 20mph wind that should really have suited the home contingent better. Ultimately, it took grit and determination in those bottom two matches to stop them suffering the most calamitous opening day in the event’s 80-year history.

Tegwen Matthews had talked about the importance of her team getting off to a “fast start” over the opening three holes. Her top pairing of Tidy, the English champion, and Boulden, the Welsh girl who won the Helen Holm Trophy at Troon in April, covered that stretch in level-par to be one up against Pancake and Austin Ernst, but it was the American pairings that came hurtling out of the blocks in the other two matches.

Up against English duo Clyburn and Law, Amy Anderson and Tiffany Lua started birdie-birdie. Behind them, Duncan and McCloskey went one better against Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow. The wind, admittedly, was helping on all of those holes, but it was impressive stuff nonetheless. In both cases, it left the GB&I pairings with mountains to climb.

Duncan and McCloskey were six up and out of sight at the turn, covering the front nine in two-under 34 compared to the 41 of their opponents. They went on to record a 5 and 4 victory, the result of which was that Irish duo Macguire and Meadow sat out of the afternoon session. In the middle match, Clyburn and Law could only muster one birdie as they went down 2 and 1, by which time the Americans had also turned the tide their way in the top encounter despite Ernst and Pancake finding themselves two down with five to play. Sadly for Tidy and Boulden, it was pars rather than birdies that saw their opponents eventually win on the last.

Boulden charged an approach putt 15 feet past the hole at the 14th then, after losing the 16th too, Tidy flew their second shot at the 17th into thick stuff at the back of the green, from where they were unable to get up and down. It was the first time the Americans had led in that match and it proved decisive after the 18th was halved in par-5s.

It was the worst start GB&I had made since the 1982 tussle at Broadmoor in Denver, where they were thumped 14.5-3.5. Another heavy defeat looked to be looming when the Americans led in all three of the afternoon encounters as the first of those went through the turn.

World No 4 Charley Hull, who had been controversially left out in the morning, and Pamela Pretswell, the sole Scot on duty, ran into an immovable force in the shape of Anderson and Emily Tubert in the top match. Tubert produced an exquistive chip from short of the green at the ninth to keep the Americans two up. Anderson then pitched in at the next. They went on to win 4 and 3, covering the 15 holes played in approximately six-under. At three-under, the GB&I pair weren’t too shabby themselves but always looked to be fighting a losing battle.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

After seven holes in the other two matches, Tidy and Clyburn were one down while Law and Boulden trailed by two holes. Then the fightback started. Tidy and Clyburn were back to square after the tenth, won the 12th and 13th with pars to quickly go two up, lost the 16th but closed the match out with a hole-winning par at the next.

Behind them, Law and Boulden sparked their fightback with a conceded birdie at the eighth, then won the tenth and 13th before slamming the door shut on Duncan and McCloskey at the 16th, where a par proved good enough into the teeth of the wind. By then, it had turned bitterly cold. But, as Matthews and her players came off the course, the cockles of their hearts had certainly been warmed.

Today, Hull and Pretswell are involved in the morning session, going out first against Anderson and Lua. Clyburn and Boulden have been paired together for the first time, with Maguire and Meadow being given the chance to make amends for their opening-day loss.

Given the effort the locals have put in to make this event a success, they deserve an exciting last-day singles showdown tomorrow.

Related topics: