Curtis Cup gets underway at Nairn
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
SIXTEEN of the world’s best amateur women golfers drawn from Great Britain and Ireland, and the United States of America go head to head over Nairn Golf Club’s links as they do battle in the 37th Curtis Cup.
Commencing today and finishing on Sunday, the event is a standout one on this year’s North golfing calendar.
Since the biennial match became an official contest in 1932, it is only the sixth time it has been played over a Scottish course and America, with its greater numbers to choose from, have been dominant throughout.
The United States currently lead by 29 wins to Great Britain and Ireland’s eight, and only at Muirfield in 1952 did they triumph on home soil.
Nairn, however, has not been a happy hunting ground for America and the Great Britain and Ireland team will be hoping to emulate the men’s home Walker Cup triumph of 1999 at the same venue.
Despite this, the task facing captain Tegwen Matthews and her team would appear a difficult one.
Great Britain and Ireland’s hat-trick of successive wins between 1992 and 1996 are a fading memory.
The Curtis Cup has been in America’s grip ever since 1998, but Matthews is confident the eight players she has assembled are the best available to her.
They are Scotland’s Pamela Pretswell, Ireland duo Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow, Amy Boulden, of Wales, and English quartet Holly Clyburn, Charley Hull, Bronte Law and Kelly Tidy.
Matthews gameplan over the forthcoming three days is a simple one — go on the offensive. He hope, however, is that the tactic is an effective one.
"Over the years, Great Britain and Ireland teams have been very good at fighting back after letting the Americans get too far in front of us to be caught," she said.
"This time, I want it to be the Americans who are playing catch-up golf. I am hammering home to our girls that they have got to start fast, win holes and put the pressure on their opponents.
"My message to the Great Britain and Ireland team has been that this is not stroke play where you can start slowly and pick up your momentum later on, even the next day.
"This is match play. A completely different mindset is called for, so it is essential that we make good starts in all our matches."
In the absence of Nairn Dunbar’s Kelsey MacDonald, who was disappointed at being named only a reserve, the only Scottish representation comes from Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), who is making her second Curtis Cup appearance after playing in the defeat two years ago in Massachusetts. Also getting a second chance is Clyburn and Maguire.
A lot of focus will also be on 16-year-old Hull (Woburn). She was the world’s sixth ranking amateur when she was dropped from selection after turning down a squad practice weekend at Nairn in March electing instead to accept an invitation to play in an American Pro Tour event.
The Ladies Golf Union took severe criticism for their stand, but eventually gave in to pressure heaped on them by leading Scottish professional Catriona Matthew and Ryder Cup player Ian Poulter, reversing their decision and including the English and Welsh Women’s Open Stroke Play title holder in the final squad.
After spending several days practising on the Murcar golf course in Aberdeen, the Great Britain and Ireland team arrived in Nairn last weekend to undergo their final preparations before play officially begins this morning.
The Americans, captained by Patricia Cornett, have also been getting themselves accustomed to the course and much will be expected of Austion Ernst, Lindy Duncan, Brooke Pancake and Tiffany Lua, all currently inside the top 30 amateur women’s players the world. The rest of the squad includes Erica Popson, Amy Anderson, Emily Tubert and Lisa McCloskey.
