GB&I seals historic Curtis Cup victory

Singles comeback secures long-awaited victory in transatlantic contest

Comeback: GB&I’s amateur ladies endured a difficult start at Nairn but fought back for a 10.5-9.5 win

Great Britain and Ireland have regained the Curtis Cup for the first time in eight encounters against the USA with a 10½-9½ victory at Nairn Golf Club.

Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow clinched the vital point with her defeat of Amy Anderson to complete a dramatic turnaround, which looked doubtful after the opening round of matches on Friday.

The USA opened their account with a whitewash of team GB&I in Friday’s foursomes, and it looked likely they would go on to extend a seven match winning streak that stretches back to the Minikahda Club in 1998.

Pressure quickly mounted on team GB&I and captain Tegwen Matthews with some commenting, especially through social networking site Twitter, that it would be possible for America to clinch yet another victory in the match without hitting a ball on Sunday.

However, a slight improvement to win two of the fourball matches on the same day, before taking three-and-a-half points on Saturday – including a vital two-up win for Scotland’s only team member Pamela Pretswell and partner Meadow – saw the US lead cut to one point heading into Sunday.

This meant that GB&I would have to take at least five points from eight in the singles session to clinch victory, a daunting task given the US’ dominance in this format of the game.

In 80 years of the tournament between the best female amateur charges from Great Britain and Ireland and the USA, this year’s hosts had only come out on top five times.

Adding to the task in hand was the statistic that America had only lost once on the 24 occasions they had taken a lead into the final day.

England’s Kelly Tidy recorded the first win of the final day, levelling the scores at 6½- 6½, a victory that seemed to inspire momentum in the rest of the team, resulting in victories for Holly Clyburn, also of England, and Wales’ Amy Boulden.

Charlie Hull then lived up to her world No.4 status, the highest ranking of either side, by dispatching Lindy Duncan, leaving the result of the match hanging in the balance with only one tie still on the course.

Seemingly impervious to the enormity of the pressure upon her shoulders, Meadow, who, ironically, has been living in the USA for the past five years, closed out a comfortable 4&2 personal triumph, sparking scenes of jubilance in the GB&I camp.

This first success since 1996 means Europe or Great Britain and Ireland now holds all four major team trophies that they compete for with the USA.

As well as the Curtis Cup, the Ryder, Solheim and Walker Cups are currently stationed on this side of the Atlantic – the first time in the history of golf.

Delighted at closing out a somewhat unexpected victory on the shores of the Moray Firth, given the events of the opening day, GB&I captain Tegwen Matthews said: “It was very special to have captured golfing history.

“I had joked to the team about all the pressure they were under, given that it would mean holding all four of the main team trophies.

“It’s fabulous we have won because I was just as competitive as my players in wanting to achieve that goal.”

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered