Curtis Cup
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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" (in political terms the United Kingdom and Republic of 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 (and neither 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.
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[edit] 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]
[edit] 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 will change 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. [2]
[edit] Results
| Year | Venue | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Captains | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Nairn Golf Club (near Inverness, Scotland) |
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| 2010 | Essex County Club (Manchester, Massachusetts) |
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| 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 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 Country 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 |
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Associated Press. "NCAA stars help U.S. win Curtis Cup at St. Andrews", PGA Tour, 2008-06-01. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
