Championships - Curtis Cup 2008
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Curtis Cup on the Swilcen Bridge
29.05.2008
Spectacular Ceremony opens the 2008 Curtis Cup
A spectacular opening ceremony starts the 2008 Curtis Cup with local contributions from the The St Andrews Pipe Band and Madras College.CURTIS CUP OPENING TIES ON THURSDAY FOURSOMES
GB&I names first
8am Liz Bennett & Jodi Ewart v Stacy Lewis & Alison Walshe.
8.12 Sally Watson & Michele Thomson v Mina Harigae & Jennie Lee.
8.24 Breanne Loucks & Florentyna Parker v Amanda Blumenherst & Tiffany Joh.
FOUR-BALLS
Three ties at 12.45, 1pm and 1.15.
By COLIN FARQUHARSON
On paper the United States should be overwhelming favourites to win the
Curtis Cup for the 26th time in 35 contests over the next three days at
the Old Course St Andrews.
They have four of the top-ranked American college circuit players in
their team of eight and one has to go back to Killarney in 1996 to find
the last of Great Britain & Ireland’s six wins in the series.
But the respective skippers, America’s Carol Semple Thompson and the
home squad’s Mary McKenna, the two most experienced Curtis Cup players in the 76-year history of the biennial, transatlantic women’s amateur international contest don’t see it that way – in public anyway.
Mary, who played in one winning GB&I team in her nine matches between
1970 and 1986, thinks that there are two huge factors in favour of the
home players producing what would be an upset win, an upset in the eyes of the pundits.
“The Americans may have the better players on the US circuit. But that
is stroke-play in very American conditions, calling for very high shots
to holding greens. Here, they are being confronted by something totally
different,” said McKenna.
“The Old Course is the ultimate links venue. You have to play a
different style to succeed here. Not just bump and run shots but you’ve
got to cope with some of the biggest greens in the world. Thirty or 40
yard putts takes a bit of getting use to.
“The Scots in our team, in particular, are very familiar with playing
the Old Course in all sorts of winds.
“The other factor is that this is match-play. Match-play can be a great
leveller. Even the top US college players hardly play match-play. Here
again it’s a different game with which we are far more familiar than
our opponents.”
This is the first three-day contest in the series and Mary McKenna
scoffs at the home pessimists who say that more ties – everyone will
play in Sunday’s final sessions of eight singles – means that the
Americans will win by an even bigger margin than they usually do.
“I am making no predictions about the final division of the 20pts at
stake over the three days,” said Mary.
“I have said to my team that we’re going to take this on half-days at a
time and deal with the first three points in the morning session. Even
if the girls are focusing on winning each match, it’s almost as
important to get a halved match. All the points add up in the end.
“My girls have given it 100 per cent in the build-up. They’ve worked
very hard this week. They’ve been super. They really have and I just
hope for their sake that the weather stays like it has been today, warm
and not too windy.”
US captain Carol Semple Thompson, who has played in 12 Curtis Cup
matches – said she acknowledged that on paper her team had strength in depth but she did not think that stretching the format to three days
simplified the visitors’ task.
“We’ve had a lot of close matches over the last 10 years, even though
the United States ended up winning the Cup most times. The records
don’t show how close the ties have been. I don’t expect Great Britain &
Ireland to be weak opposition at all.”
European Young Masters girls champion Carly Booth from Comrie,
Perthshire, at 15 years the babe of the youngest-ever GB&I team
selected for a Curtis Cup match, will not play in the opening programme
of three foursomes ties.
The other Scot who will sit out the opening session is home course
player Krystle Caithness, a St Regulus club member, who flew home from
the final 72-hole event of the American women’s college circuit at the
weekend.
Sally Watson (Elie & Earsferry), only 16 but with an excellent
competitive record over the Old Course will partner the big-hitting
Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) who won the Scottish women’s amateur title at Lossiemouth a couple of weeks ago.
The all-England pairing of Liz Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) and American
college student Jodi Ewart (Catterick) will tee off in the opening
alternate-shot tie against Stacy Lewis and Irish-born Alison Walshe.
Sally Watson and Michele Thomson will go in next against Mina Harigae
and Jennie Lee.
The last morning tie will see Welsh girl Breanne Loucks (Wrexham), who
won three points out of three in the 2006 Curtis Cup defeat at Bandon
Dunes, Oregon two years ago, partner England’s Florentyna Parker (Royal Birkdale) against the top-ranked American college player, Amanda
Blumenherst and Tiffany Joh.
The team captains do not have to name their line-ups for the afternoon
four-ball ties until lunch-time.
CURTIS CUP OPENING TIES ON THURSDAY FOURSOMES
GB&I names first
8am Liz Bennett & Jodi Ewart v Stacy Lewis & Alison Walshe.
8.12 Sally Watson & Michele Thomson v Mina Harigae & Jennie Lee.
8.24 Breanne Loucks & Florentyna Parker v Amanda Blumenherst & Tiffany Joh.
FOUR-BALLS
Three ties at 12.45, 1pm and 1.15.
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