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.

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

1. ^ 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

• Official site