- Curtis Cup
-
The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match (not "Matches"). It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and the Ladies Golf Union and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland". The same two teams originally contested the Ryder Cup, but unlike that competition, the Curtis Cup has not widened the Great Britain and Ireland team to include all Europeans (nor has the analogous event for amateur men, the Walker Cup). Many women who have gone on to become stars of women's professional golf have played in the Curtis Cup.
Contents
History
The first Curtis Cup Match was played in 1932 at the Wentworth Club in England, and was won by the American team. The trophy, a silver bowl of Paul Revere design, was donated by Harriot Curtis (who had won the United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship in 1906) and her sister Margaret (who had won it in 1907, 1911, and 1912). The Curtis sisters had competed in the 1905 British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship, where an informal match had occurred between teams of American and British golfers, and they wanted to promote the international friendships in the world of women's golf. The cup is inscribed, "To stimulate friendly rivalry among the women golfers of many lands."
Discussions between various golf associations had been underway since 1924—the Curtis sisters had originally donated the trophy in 1927 to help these discussions along—but it was not until 1931 that the USGA and LGU agreed to co-sponsor the event. It was hoped that the French Golf Union would eventually participate, but that never occurred.[1]
The Curtis Cup Match is played every two years in even numbered years, alternating between the two sides of the Atlantic. Each team consists of eight golfers. In 2004, then fourteen year old Michelle Wie played for the U.S. becoming the youngest player in Curtis Cup history. She won both of her singles matches. The United States won the 2008 event, extending its overall lead to 26 wins to 6, with 3 ties. This match also saw a historic first, with Team USA's Stacy Lewis becoming the first player ever to go 5–0 in a single Curtis Cup Match.[1]
Format
The competition involves various match play matches between players selected from the two teams of 8, either singles, foursomes, or (starting in 2008) fourball. The winner of each match scores a point for their team, with ½ a point each for any match that is tied after 18 holes. If the entire Match is tied, the previously winning team retains the Cup.
A foursomes match is a competition between two teams of two golfers. The golfers on the same team take alternate shots throughout the match, with the same ball. Each hole is won by the team that completes the hole in the fewest shots. A fourball match is a competition between two teams of two golfers. All four golfers play their own ball throughout the round. Each hole is won by the team whose individual golfer had the lowest score. A singles match is a standard match play competition between two golfers.
The original format was a single day of competition, with three foursomes matches in the morning and six singles matches in the afternoon, for a total of nine points. In 1964, the format was changed to two days, with three foursomes and six singles matches each day, a total of 18 points. In 2008, the format changed to a three-day competition, with three foursomes and three fourball matches on each of the first two days, and eight singles matches on the final day.
Results
Year Venue Winning Team Score Losing Team Captains 2012 Nairn Golf Club
(near Inverness, Scotland)2010 Essex County Club
(Manchester, Massachusetts)United States
12½ 7½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Noreen Mohler
Mary McKenna
2008 St Andrews Links
(St Andrews, Fife, Scotland)United States
13 7 Great Britain &
Ireland
Carol Semple Thompson
Mary McKenna
2006 Bandon Dunes Golf Resort
(Bandon, Oregon)United States
11½ 6½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Carol Semple Thompson
Ada O'Sullivan
2004 Formby Golf Club
(Merseyside, England)United States
10 8 Great Britain &
Ireland
Martha Kirouac
Ada O'Sullivan
2002 Fox Chapel Golf Club
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)United States
11 7 Great Britain &
Ireland
Mary Budke
Pam Benka
2000 Ganton Golf Club
(Ganton, England)United States
10 8 Great Britain &
Ireland
Jane Bastanchury-Booth
Claire Dowling
1998 The Minikahda Club
(Minneapolis, Minnesota)United States
10 8 Great Britain &
Ireland
Barbara McIntire
Ita Butler
1996 Killarney Golf & Fishing Club
(Killarney, Ireland)Great Britain &
Ireland
11½ 6½ United States
Martha Lang
Ita Butler
1994 The Honors Course
(Chattanooga, Tennessee)Great Britain &
Ireland
9 9 United States
Lancy Smith
Elizabeth Boatman
1992 Royal Liverpool Golf Club
(Hoylake, England)Great Britain &
Ireland
10 8 United States
Judy Oliver
Elizabeth Boatman
1990 Somerset Hills Country Club
(Bernardsville, New Jersey)United States
14 4 Great Britain &
Ireland
Leslie Shannon
Jill Thornhill
1988 Royal St George's Golf Club
(Sandwich, Kent, England)Great Britain &
Ireland
11 7 United States
Judy Bell
Diane Bailey
1986 Prairie Dunes Country Club
(Hutchinson, Kansas)Great Britain &
Ireland
13 5 United States
Judy Bell
Diane Bailey
1984 Muirfield
(Scotland)United States
9½ 8½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Phyllis Preuss
Diane Bailey
1982 Denver Country Club
(Denver, Colorado)United States
14½ 3½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Betty Probasco
Marie O'Donnell
1980 St Pierre Golf & Country Club
(Chepstow, Wales)United States
13 5 Great Britain &
Ireland
Nancy Roth Syms
Carol Comboy
1978 Apawamis Club
(Rye, New York)United States
12 6 Great Britain &
Ireland
Helen Sigel Wilson
Carol Comboy
1976 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club
(Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England)United States
11½ 6½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Barbara McIntire
Belle Robertson
1974 San Francisco Golf Club
(San Francisco, California)United States
13 5 Great Britain &
Ireland
Sis Choate
Belle Robertson
1972 Western Gailes Golf Club
(Ayrshire, Scotland)United States
10 8 Great Britain &
Ireland
Jean Ashley Crawford
Frances Stephens
1970 Brae Burn Country Club
(West Newton, Massachusetts)United States
11½ 6½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Carolyn Cudone
Jeanne Bisgood
1968 Royal County Down Golf Club
(Newcastle, Northern Ireland)United States
10½ 7½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Evelynn Monsted
Zara Bolton
1966 The Homestead
(Hot Springs, Virginia)United States
13 5 Great Britain &
Ireland
Dorothy Germain Porter
Zara Bolton
1964 Royal Porthcawl Golf Club
(Porthcawl, South Wales)United States
10½ 7½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Helen Hawes
Elsie Corlett
1962 Broadmoor Golf Club
(Colorado Springs, Colorado)United States
8 1 Great Britain &
Ireland
Polly Riley
Frances Stephens
1960 Lindrick Golf Club
(Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England)United States
6½ 2½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Mildred Prunaret
Maureen Garrett
1958 Brae Burn Country Club
(West Newton, Massachusetts)Great Britain &
Ireland
4½ 4½ United States
Virginia Dennehy
Daisy Ferguson
1956 Prince's Golf Club
(Sandwich, Kent, England)Great Britain &
Ireland
5 4 United States
Edith Flippin
Zara Bolton
1954 Merion Golf Club
(Ardmore, Pennsylvania)United States
6 3 Great Britain &
Ireland
Edith Flippin
Baba Beck
1952 Muirfield
(Scotland)Great Britain &
Ireland
5 4 United States
Aniela Goldthwaite
Katherine Cairns
1950 Country Club of Buffalo
(Williamsville, New York)United States
7½ 1½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Glenna Collett Vare
Diana Fishwick Critchley
1948 Royal Birkdale Golf Club
(Southport, England)United States
6½ 2½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Glenna Collett Vare
Doris Chambers
1940–1946: Not played due to World War II 1938 Essex County Club
(Manchester, Massachusetts)United States
5½ 3½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Frances Stebbins
R. H. Wallace-Williamson
1936 King's Course
(Gleneagles, Scotland)United States
4½ 4½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Glenna Collett Vare
Doris Chambers
1934 Chevy Chase Club
(Chevy Chase, Maryland)United States
6½ 2½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Glenna Collett Vare
Doris Chambers
1932 Wentworth Club
(Wentworth, England)United States
5½ 3½ Great Britain &
Ireland
Marion Hollins
Joyce Wethered
Notes and references
- ^ Associated Press (2008-06-01). "NCAA stars help U.S. win Curtis Cup at St. Andrews". PGA Tour. http://www.pgatour.com/2008/r/06/01/curtiscup.ap/index.html. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
External links
Categories:- Curtis Cup
- Amateur golf tournaments
- Team golf tournaments
- Women's golf
- United States Golf Association championships
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