Martin Dempster: Elaine Farquharson-Black's leadership proves key

While the absence of a Scottish player may have been disappointing on this occasion, the 39th Curtis Cup will be memorable nonetheless thanks to Elaine Farquharson-Black after the Aberdeen lawyer led Great Britain & Ireland to an 11.5-8.5 victory over the United States at Dun Laoghaire on Sunday.

Bronte Law holds the Curtis Cup with her captain Elaine Farquharson-Black. Picture: Getty

After being team-mates on a winning team in the same event at Prairie Dunes in 1992, Farquharson-Black and Catriona Matthew saw their careers head in different directions. While Matthew became a major winner and global star, Farquharson-Black stayed in the amateur ranks and became successful in a non-golfing profession.

Her passion for the game never diminished, though, and after cutting her teeth as a skipper with Scottish teams, she has now joined an elite band of women to taste success as a Curtis Cup captain. Don’t for one second underestimate that achievement and well done to Farquharson-Black for adopting a style of captaincy that focused on her players feeling relaxed and making sure that “enjoyment” was the biggest thing she wanted them to get out of the event. It’s a pity that she’ll have to wait until next March probably but Farquharson-Black has already secured one of the 2016 Scottish Golf Awards. How proud must dad Colin, a golf nut, be feeling right now!