The 42nd Curtis Cup Match, a biennial event between top women amateurs from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland, gets underway on Friday at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.
GOLF Channel and Peacock will provide daily coverage beginning with Thursday's Opening Ceremonies (see below for full schedule).
This marks the second time the Curtis Cup Match has been held at the historic Merion Golf Club. Merion was the site of the 1954 Curtis Cup Match won by the USA, 6-3. The 1954 USA Team included Barbara Romack, who would win the U.S. Women's Amateur later that fall, 1953 U.S. Women's Amateur champion Mary Lena Faulk, Polly Riley, Patricia Lesser and future five-time U.S. Senior Women's Amateur champion Carolyn Cudone.
It was just nine months ago at Conwy Farms in Wales the United States scored a decisive convincing 12½-7½ victory over GB&I. USA leads the series 30-8-3
The USA Team returns five players from that winning effort, with Amari Avery, Megha Ganne and Latanna Stone added as newcomers to this year's roster. Six of USA's eight players are in the top-20 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), including world No. 1 Rose Zhang, No. 4 Rachel Heck, No. 11 Rachel Kuehn, No. 15 Avery, No. 17 Ganne and No. 19 Emilia Migliaccio.
Six players return to the GB&I team, which last year got off to a solid start at Conwy Golf Club in Wales and were leading after the opening three sessions before the USA rallied for the victory. Caley McGinty (No. 10) and Hannah Darling (No. 14) are GB&I's highest-ranked players.
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The Teams
United States
Amari Avery (18, Riverside, Calif.)
Jensen Castle (21, of West Columbia, S.C.)
Megha Ganne (18, of Holmdel, N.J.)
Rachel Heck (20, Memphis, Tenn.)
Rachel Kuehn (20, of Asheville, N.C.)
Emilia Migliaccio (22, Cary, N.C.)
Latanna Stone (21, Riverview, Fla.)
Rose Zhang (19, Irvine, Calif.)
Reserves
Anna Davis (16, Spring Valley, Calif.)
Brooke Seay (21, of San Diego, Calif.)
Captain
Sarah Ingram, Nashville, Tenn.
Great Britain & Ireland
Hannah Darling (18, Broomieknowe, Scotland)
Louise Duncan (22, West Kilbride, Scotland)
Annabell Fuller (19, Roehampton, England)
Charlotte Heath (20, Huddersfield, England)
Caley McGinty (21, Knowle, England)
Emily Price (22, Ludlow, England)
Lauren Walsh (21, Castlewarden, Ireland)
Amelia Williamson (21, Sheringham, England)
Reserves
Lottie Woad (18, Farnham, England)
Beth Coulter (18, Kirkistown Castle, Ireland)
Captain
Elaine Ratcliffe, Essendon Country Club, England
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Format and Scoring
The Curtis Cup consists of six foursomes (alternate-shot) matches, six four-ball matches and eight singles matches over three days of competition. One point is awarded for each victory, while each team receives a half-point for a tied match. The USA needs 10 points to retain the Cup, while GB&I needs 10.5 points to reclaim it.
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Looking back on last year
In the most recent edition of the competition, in 2021, the U.S. rallied from a three-point deficit after Day 1 to defeat Great Britain and Ireland, 12 1/2 - 7 1/2, at Conwy Golf Club in Wales. The Americans retained the cup following their dominant 17-3 performance in 2018 at Quaker Ridge. The biennial competition was postponed one year due to COVID-19 and is back on track for even-numbered years. Zhang led the U.S. with a 4-0-1 mark in Wales.
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The History
Officially named “The Women’s International Cup,” the prize for the Curtis Cup was officially presented in 1932 by Harriot and Margaret Curtis, sisters who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur four times between them. The cup, a silver bowl of Paul Revere design, is inscribed: “To stimulate friendly rivalry among the women golfers of many lands.” The cup was first presented in 1927 to give momentum to the competition, but play didn’t begin until 1932, largely because of financial reasons.
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Schedule of Events
Thursday, June 9 -- Opening Ceremony
Friday, June 10 -- Three morning four-ball and three afternoon foursomes matches
Saturday, June 11 -- Three morning four-ball; three afternoon foursomes matches
Sunday, June 12 -- Eight singles matches; Closing ceremony
TV Schedule (All times Eastern)
Thursday, June 9 -- GOLF Channel, 6:05-7:00 p.m.
Friday, June 10 -- GOLF Channel, 9:00 a.m.-12 noon; Peacock, 2-5:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 11 -- Peacock, 10-11:00 a.m.; 4-5:00 p.m.; GOLF Channel, 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.; 5-7:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 12 -- Peacock, 2-5:00 p.m.; GOLF Channel, 5-7:00 p.m.
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Future Sites
2024: Sunningdale Golf Club, Berkshire, England
2026: Bel-Air Country Club, Los Angeles, Calif.
2030: National Golf Links of America, Southampton, NY
2038: Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Bandon, Ore.
USGA contributed to this report