Championships - Curtis Cup 2008
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GB & I Team
01.06.2008
USA wins the 35th Curtis Cup at St Andrews
United States won the 35th Curtis Cup competition for the 26th time in the history of the biennial transatlantic women’s amateur golf international contest.In a historic match – the first to be staged over the Old Course, St Andrews and the first to be played over three days – the Americans triumphed easily in the end by a 13 points to seven margin.
Skipper Carol Semple Thompson’s team started the final day with a three-point lead (7 ½-4 1/2) with the home captain Mary McKenna still cherishing hopes that the Great Britain & Ireland team, which had been hanging on to the Americans’ coat-tails over the first two days, would come good in the eight singles climax to the match.
After two warm almost summer-like days, the Sunday weather certainly turned in favour of the home team … much colder, windier and occasionally wet.
But the writing was soon on the scoreboard, if not on the wall, for hopes of a seven Great Britain & Ireland victory in the series which began at Wentworth in 1932.
The Brits were soon trailing in the top four singles and things did not get much better although, to be fair, the home tail did wag with wins by Florentyna Parker (Royal Birkdale) by 6 and 4 over Meghan Bolger and by home-course girl Krystle Caithness (St Regulus) by 2 and 1 over Mina Harigae.
And Scottish champion Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) gained a creditable half with Jennie Lee.
Another Scot, Sally Watson (Elie & Earslferry), came back from two down against Irish-born Alison Walshe in the final singles to be all square with five holes to play. But she lost the 16th and went down by one hole.
Watson, only 16, and 19-year-old Caithness were the top points producers for Great Britain with three points each. Watson played in every session of play while Caithness, home for the summer from Georgia University, and playing over her home course, won all three ties in which she was played.
For the Americans, Stacy Lewis was the MVP with five wins out of five.
Galway-born Alison Walshe, whose family emigrated to Boston when she was a youngster, was the second most successful player in the American squad she won all four of her ties.
Carly Booth (Comrie), at 15 the youngest GB&I player ever to be chosen for a Curtis Cup match – this was the youngest-ever GB&I team, had a nightmare last day. She went down by 6 and 5 to Tiffany Joh despite winning the first two holes.
“I just couldn’t buy a putt of any length today,” said Carly. “But I have great memories from my first Curtis Cup and I’m sure there will be more.”
Breanne Loucks (Wrexham), winner of all three of her Curtis Cup ties at Bandon Dunes two years ago, could win only one of four outings over the Old Course. Given the honour of playing in the lead-off singles tie, the Welsh girl lost by 3 and 1 to former US amateur champion, and still only 16, Kimberly Kim from Hawaii.
Jodi Ewart (Catterick), who plays on the US college circuit as a student at Texas A&M University, was drawn to play the top-ranked American player, Amanda Blumenherst and did well to take her to the 17th green before going down 2 and 1.
Liz Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor), at 25 the oldest player in the home team, went down by 3 and 2 to Stacy Lewis, the No 2 ranked US college player, by 3 and 2.
The Sunday attendance was 4,800, not a bad figure considering the inclement weather, which gave a three-day total of 13,600.
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