Nice Britain & Eire claimed a historic 10½-9½ victory over the USA within the forty third Curtis Cup after an exciting closing day at Sunningdale.
GB&I Captain Catriona Matthew, who famously led Europe to back-to-back Solheim Cup triumphs in 2019 and 2021, savoured one other well-known group success towards Meghan Stasi’s USA group.
The embellished Scot led GB&I to their first win within the Curtis Cup since 2016 and sealed solely a ninth triumph total within the historical past of the competition.
With the hosts main 7-5 in a single day, GB&I wanted 3.5 factors from the eight singles matches to triumph. Eire’s Sara Byrne, Endurance Rhodes from England and Scotland’s Lorna McClymont had been all victorious, with Rhodes’ sister, Mimi, securing the valuable half-point.
EBB & FLOW
On a tense closing day, which ebbed and flowed in wonderful sunshine over the Outdated Course on the Berkshire venue, the USA started the singles in dominant style helped by the group that includes 4 of the top-ten gamers within the novice rankings.
At one stage the guests had been forward in six matches, however GB&I staged a shocking fightback to show the tide and have fun in fashion as every member of Matthew’s group delivered at the very least a degree throughout the match.
A file crowd for a Curtis Cup loved the three-day match, totalling 16,680. Justin Rose, Charley Hull and Colin Montgomerie had been among the many onlookers this week as Sunningdale hosted the Curtis Cup for the primary time.
Asterisk Talley, aged solely 15, put the primary level on the board for the USA within the opening match, recording 5 birdies and an eagle on the tenth in an outstanding victory over Lottie Woad. It was a primary defeat in 5 matches this week for the world’s primary novice.
RHODES FAR FROM PATIENT!
Endurance Rhodes picked the proper day to ship her first level of the week, easing to a 6&5 win over Zoe Campos which ended with a wonderful tee shot from the English participant on the par-3 thirteenth.
Byrne secured a powerful 3&2 triumph towards Catherine Park – the Irishwoman taking her tally to three-and-a-half factors from 5 in an unbeaten show – earlier than Anna Davis replied with a 3&2 win over Hannah Darling.
With 4 ties left on the course, it was 9-7 to the hosts and delicately poised. Jasmine Koo closed the deficit to only a level after wrapping up a 4&3 success towards Beth Coulter, helped by back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th.
All eyes turned to McClymont, a two-time R&A Scholar Tour Collection Order of Benefit winner, in a pivotal assembly with 2023 US Girls’s Beginner Champion Megan Schofill within the penultimate match.
That battle was all-square by way of eight holes earlier than the Scot made the decisive transfer, birdieing 4 of the following 5 holes and successful three of them to take a commanding lead that she wouldn’t relinquish.
On the similar time, Mimi Rhodes mounted the gutsiest of comebacks towards Melanie Inexperienced, successful 8, 11, 13 and 14 to show a three-hole deficit right into a one-hole lead.
Rhodes then held agency down the stretch and jubilantly celebrated her key par putt at 17, earlier than the battling Inexperienced received 18 to keep away from particular person defeat.
McClymont’s success and the half-point for Mimi Rhodes meant convincing victories for Koo and three-time Curtis Cup participant Rachel Kuehn towards Aine Donegan weren’t sufficient for the USA.
JOYOUS SCENES
There have been joyous scenes on the ultimate inexperienced because the match between Inexperienced and Rhodes was accomplished, with the latter swamped by her ecstatic teammates.
Catriona Matthew, Captain of Nice Britain and Eire, stated: “They’re a unbelievable group. I’m so pleased with them. They actually dug in day by day and in each session. It didn’t look as if it was maybe going our manner at the moment however they actually toughed it out.
“It’s simply been a unbelievable expertise for me attending to know them they usually had been nice.
“My hat’s off to the Individuals as properly. There was some unbelievable golf on all three days and it simply made it a spectacle for girls’s golf. The golf this week actually was fairly wonderful. I believe the way forward for girls’s golf is in good arms.”
