-- USGA Photo
NAIRN, Scotland (June 8, 2012) -- Following
Friday morning’s foursomes (alternate-shot)
sweep by the United States of America, Great
Britain and Ireland battled back with two
afternoon four-ball (best-ball) victories, giving
the USA a 4-2 lead after the first day of the
2012 Curtis Cup Match at The Nairn Golf Club
in Nairn, Scotland.
Amy Anderson, 19, of Oxbow, N.D., leads the
USA with a 2-0 record, including a victorious
four-ball pairing with 2010 U.S. Women’s
Amateur Public Links champion Emily Tubert,
20, of Burbank, Calif., for the USA’s lone
afternoon point. The duo combined for seven
birdies during the 4-and-3 triumph over Pamela
Pretswell, 23, of Scotland, and Charley Hull,
16, of England. Pretswell is one of three GB&I
holdovers from the 2010 Match.
Anderson’s birdie on the par-4 15th sealed the
match for the Americans, following Pretswell’s
birdie attempt that circled the rim of the hole
and lipped out.
CURTIS CUP
PLAYER
PROFILES: MEET THE U.S. and GREAT
BRITAIN & IRELAND TEAMS
“We just wanted to keep the momentum [from
the morning] going,” said Anderson, the 2009
U.S. Girls’ Junior champion and a rising senior
at North Dakota State University. “Obviously
we played so well in the morning and we didn’t
want to see that go to waste.”
Anderson’s day was highlighted by a superb
birdie chip from off the green at the par-4 10th
hole to grab a 3-up lead, a shot which
received a hearty ovation from the decidedly
pro-GB&I gallery.
“There was a lot of putts going in and I
chipped one in, so it was a good game,” said
Anderson, who received Capital One Academic
All-American honors on Thursday. “It was a
happy day for me.”
In the morning’s foursomes round, Anderson
and Tiffany Lua, 21, of Rowland Heights, Calif.,
opened with a birdie at the par-4 first hole and
never trailed en route to a 2-and-1 victory
over Holly Clyburn, 20, and Bronte Law, 17,
both of England.
In the afternoon, Clyburn, one of three
returners from the 2010 GB&I Curtis Cup
squad, teamed with Kelly Tidy, 20, of England,
in a 2-and-1 four-ball victory over the USA’s
Brooke Pancake, 22, of Chattanooga, Tenn.,
and Erica Popson, 21, of Davenport, Fla.
Pancake and Popson carried a 1-up lead to the
inward nine. However, three bogeys in the
ensuing four holes threw the match into GB&I’s
favor, despite a bobble from Tidy at the par-4
12th.
“On the back nine, I just played really solid,
fairways and greens,” said Clyburn, a member
of the victorious GB&I Team at the 2011 Astor
Trophy. “[It was] crucial going down 12 on my
own because Kelly went out of bounds, so I
just got my form, walked on and it was good
enough at the end of the day.”
“The back nine is really tough, especially with
the wind, and we kind of lost momentum,” said
Pancake, who will make her professional debut
at next month’s U.S. Women’s Open. “They
took it and went with it. They made great par
saves and birdies and we just couldn’t get it
back.”
Lindy Duncan, 21, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.,
teamed with Lisa McCloskey, 20, of Houston,
Texas, for the morning’s quickest victory. The
duo took a 6-up lead by the turn against
Leona Maguire, 17, of Ireland, and Stephanie
Meadow, 20, of Northern Ireland, and held on
for a 5-and-4 victory.
The collegiate All-Americans were again paired
for the afternoon session, and they built a 2-
up lead after seven holes against Law and Amy
Boulden, 18, of Wales. However, consecutive
conceded holes at Nos. 8 and 9, and a bogey
at the ensuing par-5 10th, put the match
firmly in GB&I hands.
Only one match on Friday required the full 18
holes. Austin Ernst, 19, of Seneca, S.C., and
Pancake trailed for much of their morning
foursomes match against Tidy and Boulden.
But four GB&I bogeys between the 14th and
17th holes gave Ernst and Pancake a 1-up lead
heading to 18. Tidy’s birdie attempt to halve
the hole missed, and Pancake was able to
calmly tap home her par putt to claim the
match for the USA.
The day’s festivities were marred by an
unfortunate incident at the beginning of the
final four-ball match. USA Captain Pat Cornett
sustained a broken right ankle and was
transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Past USA Curtis Cup team member and captain
Carol Semple Thompson, in attendance as a
supporter, served as interim captain for the
afternoon’s matches.
“I was happy to step in for Pat, and I was
given the responsibility to be the one to give
advice,” said Semple Thompson, a veteran
player of 12 Curtis Cup Matches and a USA
captain in 2006 and 2008. “Of course, the
players are so good that they really didn't
need advice, nor did they want advice. So I
stayed out of their hair.”
Cornett has since been released from the
hospital and will resume her captain duties on
Saturday.
The Ladies Golf Union announced that 2,690
spectators braved the day’s blustery winds
and chilly temperatures to support the GB&I
and USA Teams.
The Curtis Cup continues Saturday with three
foursomes matches and three four-ball
matches. The Match concludes with eight
singles matches on Sunday.
A point is awarded for each victory and a half-
point goes to each side for a draw. The USA,
winners of the last seven contests in the
biennial series, needs 10 points to retain the
Cup, while GB&I needs 10.5 points to regain
the Cup.
The Curtis Cup Match is conducted by the
United States Golf Association and the Ladies
Golf Union.
View results for Curtis Cup