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BELLE ROBERTSON REPRESENTING WOMENS GOLF AT THE SCOTTISH WOMEN IN SPORT AWARDS

Past Curtis Cup Players
Lady Angela Bonallack, Eilidh Briggs, 2016 Kilmacolm Ladies Captain Susan Reid,
Belle Robertson, Julie Otto and Mo Richmond

We all know now that #GirlsDoSport - and that more opportunities are occuring ever day to encourage more and more women and girls to particpate. However at Scottish Women in Sport, we believe it is important in order to move forward and continue to accelerate change, we take time to recognise the many female pioneers in sport who have largely gone unnoticed.

Recording our sporting history is an important part of moving forward and yet there are still many pioneers who go unrecognised.

This year Scottish Women in Sport will induct some of our past and present 'Pioneers of Sport' into our Hall of Fame’ on Sunday 4th March at a ladies lunch in Glasgow. Belle Robertson will be representing Women's Golf.
This will be, in part, our contribution to International Women’s Day, #PressForProgress which is on Thursday 8th March.

You can sign up to join us on the day. A delicious afternoon tea with a glass of prosecco on arrival, an Inspirational speaker, the awards themselves will be followed by some music.

Come and join us and help us keep alive the memory of those who battled to get an opportunity to participate in sport and those who are currently leading the way.
CLICK HER TO GET A TICKET AND COME AND SUPPORT BELLE AND WOMEN'S GOLF

ELAINE FARQUHARSON-BLACK FIRST FEMALE CLUB VICE-CAPT APPOINTED IN DEESIDE GOLF CLUB (FOUNDED 1903) HISTORY

Great Britain and Ireland's Curtis Cup team captain Elaine Farquharson-Black, a partner in the Burness Paul law firm, is on course to become the first female overall captain of Deeside Golf Club.

The Bieldside-based course on the banks of the River Dee was founded in 1903.

At the club's annual meeting earlier this week, Andy Powell (pictured above with Elaine) was elected club captain and he chose Elaine to be his vice-captain.

She will become an historic female club captain of Deeside GC in 2020.

Elaine, a former Scottish girls and women's champion who played in two Curtis Cup matches against the United States and two Vagliano Trophy matches against the Continent of Europe was captain of the winning GB and I team in the 2016 Curtis Cup at Dun Laoghaire GC near Dublin.

She will lead the GB and I team of eight players in the defence of the trophy at Quaker Ridge Golf and Country Club, New York State in June. No GB and I team has won a Curtis Cup match in the United States since 1986 although the did halve the biennial match in America in 1994 to retain the trophy.

OLIVIA MEHAFFEY HAS A HOLE IN ONE

Olivia Mehaffey

Northern Ireland's Olivia Mehaffey had a hole in one on her way  to a three-under-par 68 and the first-round lead in the NorthropGrumman Regional Challenge college tournament at Palos Verde Golf Club, Palos Verdes Estates, California on Sunday.

The Curtis Cup player aced the 200yd second hole. She also birdied the third, fourth, seventh and ninth in an outward half of five-under 31.
She also birdied the 16th but bogeyed the fifth, eighth, 12th and 17th.
This was Olivia's 4th Hole in One

Olivia leads by one from three players: Kaitlyn Papp (Texas), Kristen Gillman (Alabama) and Gurleen Kaur (Baylor)

Other placings by British/Irish players:

73 Elizabeth Prior (UNLV) (T19)
74 Lisa Maguire (Duke) (T31)
75 Leona Maguire (Duke) (T39)
79 Fiona Liddell (Baylor) (T75)

PROVISIONAL GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND SQUAD FOR 2018 CURTIS CUP ANNOUNCED

14 December 2017, St Andrews, Scotland:

An initial Great Britain and Ireland squad of 14 players has been announced by The R&A ahead of next year’s Curtis Cup match being played at Quaker Ridge, New York.
The 40th Curtis Cup match will be played from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 June 2018 with GB&I attempting to retain the historic trophy after an 11½-8½ win over the United States at Dun Laoghaire in Ireland last year.

Elaine Farquharson-Black, who will captain GB&I in the Curtis Cup for the second time, said, “We have identified a talented group of golfers, including three members of the winning 2016 Curtis Cup team. Each player in the squad is in contention for selection to the team and we will be monitoring their performances and results closely over the coming months.
“We will also be closely following the performances of other players not named in this squad who still have the opportunity to play their way into our thinking before the final team selection is made in April.”

Leona Maguire, who is currently the number one woman golfer in the WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING™, leads a group from Ireland which also includes Paula Grant, a former R&A Foundation scholar, Olivia Mehaffey, a 2016 team member, and Annabel Wilson. Maguire won the 2017 Ladies British Amateur Championship at Pyle & Kenfig, while Mehaffey had wins at the Irish Women’s Open Stroke Play Championship and Welsh Ladies Open Stroke Play Championship in 2016.
Lily May Humphreys, who won the Girls British Open Amateur Championship at Enville earlier this year, features in a strong English contingent of eight players. Alice Hewson is in contention to make her second Curtis Cup appearance after playing in the winning GB&I side in 2016 and Sophie Lamb, who finished as leading amateur at the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns to win the Smyth Salver, is also included.

Scotland’s Shannon McWilliam and Connie Jaffrey make up the squad. A former Scottish Ladies Order of Merit winner in 2015, McWilliam finished runner-up in both the Helen Holm Championship and the Scottish Girls Open Championship this year. Jaffrey attends Kansas State University and has won three times in US collegiate golf, while also triumphing in the 2017 Scottish Ladies Amateur Championship.

The GB&I squad:
Emma Allen (20, Meon Valley, England)
Connie Jaffrey (21, Troon Ladies, Scotland)
Lianna Bailey (21, Kirby Muxloe, England)
Sophie Lamb (20, Clitheroe, England)
India Clyburn (21, Woodhall Spa, England)
Leona Maguire (23, Slieve Russell, Ireland)
Annabell Fuller (15, Roehampton, England)
Shannon McWilliam (18, Aboyne, Scotland)
Paula Grant (24, Lisburn, Ireland)
Olivia Mehaffey (20, Royal County Down Ladies, Ireland)
Alice Hewson (20, Berkhamsted, England)
Isobel Wardle (17, Prestbury, England)
Lily May Humphreys (15, Stoke by Nayland, England)
Annabel Wilson (16, Lurgan, Ireland)

The final eight player GB&I team will be announced on 26 April 2018 and will include the two golfers who are placed highest in the WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKING™ on 25 April 2018.

In addition, a further six players will be selected by The R&A Women’s Selection Committee. Up to four non-travelling reserves will also be announced.

FROSTY START FOR GB AND I PLAYERS AT QUAKER RIDGE

Curtis Cup captain Elaine Farquharson-Black reports on the GB and I squad's second day at Quaker Ridge Golf Club, New York State, venue for the June 2018 defence of the trophy against the United States:

"Frosty start, but lovely and sunny and warmer than yesterday."

All the players were well wrapped up on the range before they went out on the range.

GB AND I PLAYERS LIKE QUAKER RIDGE COURSE

Curtis Cup team captain Elaine Farquharson-Black reports after the six GB and I players' first round over the the Quaker Ridge Golf Club, New York State, course, which will be the venue for the match against the USA next June:

"The squad like the course. - It’s a par-70, with only two par-5 holes. It is quite straightforward from tee to green, but hitting the right parts of the green will be key as the greens are sloping and will be extremely fast in June. "It’s a Tillinghast design, the same designer as Somerset Hills. I think that sloping greens are his signature."

+The 1990 Curtis Cup match, in which Elaine played, was at Somerset Hills Golf Club, New Jersey. The very slick greens and undulating putting surfaces contributed to a scoreline of USA 14, GB and Ireland 4 that year.

POSSIBLE CURTIS CUP SQUAD AT QUAKER RIDGE VENUE

L to R - India Clyburn, Olivia Mehaffey, Sophie Lamb, Leona Maguire, Elaine Farquharson-Black (team captain) Helen Hewlett (Team Manager), Alice Hewson and Annabel Wilson

L to R Helen Hewlett (Team Manager), Alice Hewson, Annabel Wilson, India Clyburn, 

Olivia Mehaffey, Sophie Lamb, Leona Maguire, Elaine Farquharson-Black (Team Captain)

Curtis Cup Captain Elaine Farquharson-Black and team manager Helen Hewlett with the GB and I players chosen to make a trip to New York State to play the Quaker Ridge course over which the match against the United States will be played next June.

They had breakfast at Quaker Ridge Golf Club before they went out to play, so both pictures were taken inside the clubhouse

USA INVITE 12 FOR CURTIS CUP PRACTICE SESSION

17 Nov 2017
United States Golf Association NEWS RELEASE

FAR HILLS, New Jersey (November 17, 2017) - The USGA’s International Team Selection Committee has invited 12 players to participate in a practice session in advance of the 2018 Curtis Cup Match. The session for prospective players will take place Dec. 17-18 at Shoal Creek (Alabama), host site of the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open Championship.

A biennial competition, the 40th Curtis Cup Match will be contested June 8-10, 2018, at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, New York State. The Great Britain & Ireland Team defeated the USA Team, 11.5-8.5, in the 2016 Match at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club in Enniskerry, Ireland.

The following 12 players have accepted invitations to the practice session:

-Mariel Galdiano, 19, of Pearl City, Hawaii (University of California, Los Angeles)
-Kristen Gillman, 20, of Austin, Texas (University of Alabama)
-Rachel Heck, 16, of Memphis, Tenn.
-Cheyenne Knight, 20, of Aledo, Texas (University of Alabama)
-Jennifer Kupcho, 20, of Westminster, Colo. (Wake Forest University)
-Andrea Lee, 19, of Hermosa Beach, Calif. (Stanford University)
-Lucy Li, 15, of Redwood City, Calif.
-Haley Moore, 18, of Escondido, Calif. (University of Arizona)
-Robynn Ree, 20, of Redondo Beach, Calif. (University of Southern California)
-Sophie Schubert, 21, of Oak Ridge, Tenn. (University of Texas)
-Lauren Stephenson, 20, of Lexington, S.C. (University of Alabama)
-Lilia Vu, 20, of Fountain Valley, Calif. (University of California, Los Angeles)

Two U.S. Women’s Amateur champions – Schubert (2017) and Gillman (2015) – are among the players who have accepted invitations. Two USGA runners-up were also invited: Ree was co-runner-up in the inaugural 2015 U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball, and Lee was runner-up in the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior to three-time USGA champion Eun Jeong Seong.

Virginia Derby Grimes, an accomplished amateur player who won the 1998 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and was a member of three victorious USA Curtis Cup Teams (1998, 2000 and 2006), will serve as captain of the USA Team. She was also a member of Alabama’s winning team in the 1997 USGA Women’s State Team Championship and finished runner-up in the 2004 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur. A member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and a graduate of Auburn University, Derby Grimes served on the USGA Women’s Committee from 2003-2004.

"There are so many incredibly talented female golfers in the United States, and I’m very excited to bring 12 of the top amateurs together for this practice session, which will focus on the four-ball and foursomes formats used in the Curtis Cup Match,” said Derby Grimes, an Alabama resident.
“We are grateful to Shoal Creek for the opportunity to use their world-class facilities, and we look forward to conducting this session at the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open host site.”

Invitation to the Curtis Cup practice session does not guarantee selection to the USA Team that will compete in June. Players not invited will also be considered for inclusion on the team.

The Curtis Cup Match is contested by two teams of eight female amateur players, one from the United States of America and one from Great Britain and Ireland, which is comprised of England, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The USGA’s International Team Selection Committee selects the USA Team, while The R&A selects the GB&I Team.

Elaine Farquharson-Black will serve as GB&I captain. Farquharson-Black, a native of Scotland, represented GB&I in the 1990 and 1992 Curtis Cup Matches and captained the victorious 2016 team.

The USA Team, which leads the overall series, 28-8-3, last won in 2014 at St. Louis Country Club. The 1986 Match at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchison, Kan., is the only time the GB&I team has won in the United States.

ELAINE FARQUHARSON-BLACK TO CAPTAIN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND IN 2018 CURTIS CUP

Elaine receives the Curtis Cup from LGU president Diane Bailey after victory at Dun Laoghaire GC, Ireland June 2016

15 November 2017, St Andrews, Scotland: Elaine Farquharson-Black will captain Great Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup for the second time when the biennial encounter against the United States is played at Quaker Ridge from 8-10 June 2018.

Farquharson-Black, who played in the 1990 and 1992 matches, led GB&I to a 11½-8½ win over the United States when it was contested at Dun Laoghaire last year and will be looking to retain the trophy when the two sides face each other in New York next summer.
She will be assisted again by Helen Hewlett who will act as team manager for GB&I.
Elaine Farquharson-Black, Captain of Great Britain and Ireland, said, “I am very proud to have been selected to captain Great Britain and Ireland again and I am looking forward to the challenge of retaining the trophy after our memorable win at Dun Laoghaire last year.
“We will be working with a very talented group of golfers over the coming months before we select a team of eight players for what promises to be a thrilling match against the United States next summer.”

An invited group of six players will join Farquharson-Black on a visit to Quaker Ridge next week, including Alice Hewson, Leona Maguire and OIivia Mehaffey who all played in the winning GB&I team in 2016. India Clyburn, Sophie Lamb and Annabel Wilson will also join the trip to the east coast of the United States which will include opportunities for the players to practice on the course.
Next year’s match will mark the 40th staging of the Curtis Cup. It has been won 28 times by the United States and 8 times by GB&I with three matches having been tied (1936, 1958 and 1994).
After staging the Walker Cup in 1997, Quaker Ridge will become only the third course in the United States to have hosted both the Curtis Cup and Walker Cup following The Minikahda Club (1957 Walker Cup, 1998 Curtis Cup) and Marion Golf Club (1954 Curtis Cup , 2009 Walker Cup)

MARIA DUNNE BOOSTS VAGLIANO TROPHY TEAM SELECTION CLAIMS

Link to Curtis Cup player Maria Dunne winning Woodbrook tournament by four strokes .. important win with selection of the GB and I team for the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe (in Italy, June) being announced shortly

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE

2018 Curtis Cup Captain is named

Virginia Derby Grimes will captain 2018 USA Curtis cup team.

Preparations for the 2018 Curtis Cup are underway with Great Britain and Ireland’s rivals announcing their captain.

GB&I will look to retain the trophy after beating the United states 111/2-81/2 at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club in June last year.
The 40th Curtis Cup Match, a between top female amateur golfers from the GB&I and United States, will be contested June 8-10, 2018 at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, New York State/
Determined to regain the Curtis Cup on home soil, the USGA have confirmed that 1998 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur champion Virginia Derby Grimes has been named captain of the 2018 USA team.

Virginia Derby Grimes -- A member of the victorious 1998, 2000 and 2006 USA Curtis Cup Teams, Derby Grimes owns a 4-0-1 record in foursomes, which is tied for the second-best record in Match history. She is one of 10 women on either side to go undefeated while playing in at least four foursomes (alternate-shot) matches.
Derby Grimes won the 1998 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur with a 4-and-3 victory over Robin Weiss at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, and was runner-up to Corey Weworski in the 2004 championship. She was a member of Alabama’s winning team in the 1997 USGA Women’s State Team Championship and earned medalist honors in the 1995 and 1997 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championships.
“To captain the 2018 Curtis Cup Team and represent the United States and the USGA is both an honor and a privilege,” said Derby Grimes.
“Having the opportunity to play on three winning Curtis Cup Teams remains one of the most gratifying accomplishments of my career. My captains – Barbara McIntire in 1998, Jane Booth in 2000 and Carol Semple Thompson in 2006 – all made lasting impressions on me, and I hope I am able to continue that tradition by sharing my perspective and passion for this game that continues to teach me so much.”
The 2018 Curtis Cup
The 2018 Curtis Cup will be the second USGA championship conducted at Quaker Ridge, which hosted the 1997 Walker Cup Match, won by the USA. Founded in 1915, Quaker Ridge originally featured a nine-hole course designed by John Duncan Dunn. In 1916, A.W.
Tillinghast was commissioned to redesign seven holes and create 11 new holes. The course opened in its current configuration in 1918, and Robert Trent Jones (1965), Rees Jones (1993) and Gil Hanse (2009-12) have overseen modifications.

Elaine and the Deeside boys at Marcliffe function

Deeside Golf Club held a celebratory dinner at The Marcliffe @ Pitfodels hotel last night  to mark the 2016 capture of the Curtis Cup by honorary member and junior convener Elaine Farquharson-Black, the Aberdeen solicitor who captained the GB and I side to victory over the Americans at Dun Laughaire GC near Dublin last June.

Elaine is picture with the Curtis Cup and most of the Deeside juniors whose table was sponsored by The Marcliffe proprietor Stewart Spence.

Elaine's offspring Nicholas (third from left) and Michael (end right) are in picture.

Mary McKenna - One of the Ireland's greatest golfers

Maureen Madill interviews Irish Golfer legend Mary McKenna 

To keep up to date with the blog by Maureen Madill and her sister Patricia --  CLICK HERE

Curtis Cup Legend Mary McKenna is awarded for all her contributions to golf

Curtis Cup legend  Mary McKenna is presented with her award 

Many congratulations go to  Mary  McKenna who has just received the Jerry Dunworth Outstanding Contribution to Golf Award from Kyra Donworth at the IGTOA Awards night at the Grand Hotel Malahide. 

GB and I win  Curtis Cup ... but it wasn't easy!

Great Britain and Ireland have won the 39th Curtis Cup match by 11.5pt to 8.5 after a tension-packed final day at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club near Dublin.
Captain Elaine Farquharson-Black's team established an 8-4 lead over the first two days of foursomes and four-balls.
With eight points up for grabs in the concluding singles, the Americans, winners of the trophy in the USA two years ago, had their backs to the wall.
But, give them their due, they went down fighting and not before they had given the home supporters a nail-biting wait for the 2.5pt GB and I needed to be assured of scoring their eighth win in this biennial tournament.
After nine holes in the eight singles, the United States led in five matches and GB and I in only three.
Bailey Tardy and Monica Vaughn won the first two singles to finish. They beat Charlotte Thomas (4 and 3) and Rochelle Mortris (4 and 3) respectively.
It took a 3 and 2 win by Ireland's Leona Maguire - her fourth in five sessions of play - to turn the tide and give GB and I some breathing space, a 3pt overall lead at 9-6.
Olivia Mehaffey then halved the lead-off singles tie with the World's top ranked female amateur golfer, Hannah O'Sullivan.
In fact, Olivia was one up on the 18th tee but  lost the last hole.
Both players were one under par at the finish of an absorbing tie.
But the Americans were not prepared to concede defeat yet.
Andrea Lee was one under par in leading throughout for a 2 and 1 win over Alice Hewson ... USA 7.5, GB and I 9.5.
With three matches to finish, GB and I still needed 1pt to clinch a famous victory, made possible by their 3-0 capture of the Day 2 four-balls. 
Meghan MacLaren got the cup-winning point in beating Bethany Wu by 2 and 1. Meghan was never behind as she made the overall score GB and I 10.5, USA 7.5.
Then Bronte Law beat Mika Liu by two holes with three under par figures. That was the icing on the cake for the home team who lost the final singles when Maria Dunne went down by 2 and 1 to Mariel Gardiano to produce a final scoreline of
GB and I 11.5, United States 8.5.
It was GB and I's eighth victory in the biennial transatlantic women's international match which started in 1932.
United States still have an overwhelming lead in the overall won-lost records but, for the moment, GB and I have a team that mastered a young American side whose world rankings suggested they would be too strong, even though GB and I had three of the world's top eight - Leona Maguire, Bronte Law and Olivia Mehaffey in their team.
Aberdeen solicitor Elaine Farquharson-Black was scoring her first victory as captain of a GB and I team, following defeats in the Astor Trophy in Australia in 2015 and the Vagliano Trophy, also last year, at Malone Golf Club, Belfast.
"The United States made a brave fight in the singles, as I expected them to, but I never thought at any stage that we would not make it over the winning line," said Elaine.

Bronte Law, a member of Bramhall Golf Club, Stockport and a student at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), had the hour of being the 39th Curtis Cup match's MVP.
Bronte, pictured above with skipper Elaine, won five out of five ties, the first GB and I player to do so since the Curtis Cup became a three-day contest in 2008.
Only one other player has achieved five wins in one match - American Stacy Lewis in the 2008 match over the Old Course, St Andrews.
The 39th Curtis Cup match set a record attendance for a GB and I venue.
Susan Simpson, the Ladies Golf Union Head of Operations, said she estimated the three-day attendance around the 14,000 mark - 2,000 more than previous record set at Nairn in 2012 when GB and I came from behind on the last day to claim the cup.
The next Curtis Cup match will be held in 2018 at Quaker Ridge Golf and Country Club, New York State.
The next home Curtis Cup match will be played at Conwy Golf Club, North Wales in June 2020

 Irish trio Leona Maguire, Maria Dunne and Olivia Mehaffey with the Curtis Cup.

 RESULTS
GB and I names first
DAY ONE 
Foursomes (2-1)
B Law and O Mehaffey bt H O'Sullivan and M Galdiano.
C Thomas and L Maguire bt A Lee and M Liu 4 and 2.
M MacLaren and M Dunne lost to B Tardy and M Vaughn 1 hole.
Four-balls (1-2)
Maguire and Law bt B Wu and S Brooks 4 and 3.
Mehaffey and Thomas lost to O'Sullivan and Galdiano 1 hole.
MacLaren and A Hewson lost to Tardy and Vaughn 2 and 1.
DAY TWO
Foursomes (2-1)
Maguire and Thomas lost to Wu and O'Sullivan 1 hole
MacLaren and Dunne bt Brooks and Lee 1 hole.
Mehaffey and Law bt Tardy and Vaughn 3 and 2.
Four-balls (3-0)
Mehaffey and Law bt Vaughn and Wu 3 and 2.
MacLaren and 
Dunne bt Tardy and Galdiano 3 and 2.
Maguire and Thomas bt O'Sullivan and Liu 5 and 4.
DAY THREE
Singles (3.5-4.5)
 Mehaffey halved with O'Sullivan
 Thomas lost to Tardy 4 and 3.
 Maguire bt Brooks 3 and 2.
 R Morris lost to Vaughn 4 and 3.
 Hewson lost to Lee 2 and 1.
 Law bt Liu 2 holes.
 MacLaren bt Wu 2 and 1.
 Dunne lost to Galdiano 2 and 1.

LEADING INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
GB and I
B Law 5 wins out of 5
L Maguire 4 wins out of 5
O Mehaffey 3.5 pt out of 5 
M MacLaren 3 wins out of 5
M Dunne 2 wins out of 4
C Thomas 2 wins out of 5 
USA
B Tardy 3 wins out of 5
M Vaughn 3 wins out of 5
H O'Sullivan 2.5pt out of 5
M Galdiano 2 wins out of 4
A Lee 1 win out of 3
B Wu 1 win out of 4

 




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Who plays whom in Curtis Cup singles

Sunday's final set of eight singles which will decide the winners of the 39th Curtis Cup match at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club, near Dublin is (GB and I lead 8-4, need only 2.5pt more to stop USA retaining the trophy):
 GB and I names first
10.00 Olivia Mehaffey (Ireland) v Hannah O'Sullivan
10.10 Charlotte Thomas (England) v Bailey Tardy
10.20 Leona Maguire (Ireland) v Sierra Brooks
10.30 Rochelle Morris (England) v Monica Vaughn
10.40 Alice Hewson (England) v Andrea Lee
10.50 Bronte Law (England) v Mika Liu
11.00  Meghan MacLaren (England) v Bethany Wu
11.10 Maria Dunne (Ireland) v Mariel Galdiano  

                                              BRONTE LAW IN ACTION TODAY
 
PLAYERS' WIN RECORDS 
GB and I                                        United States
4 wins Bronte Law                   2 wins Hannah O'Sullivan
3 wins Leona Maguire              2 wins Bailey Tardy
3 wins Olivia Mehaffey            2 wins Monica Vaughn
2 wins Charlotte Thomas          1 win  Mariel Galdiano
2 wins Maria Dunne                  1 win  Bethany Wu
2 wins Meghan MacLaren

 GB and I take rain break in their stride and

win four-balls 3-0 for 8-4 overall lead
By COLIN FARQUHARSON 
Great Britain and Ireland are on the verge of a famous Curtis Cup victory at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club near Dublin.
They won the Day 2 morning foursomes 2-1, then produced an astonishing sub-par blitz to take the afternoon foursomes 3-0.
So GB and I lead 8-4 overall with only Sunday's eight concluding singles to come.

Heavy, prolonged rain flooded several greens in the early afternoon and forced a 1hr 40min suspension of play from 2.30 to 4.15pm.
But it did not have an adverse effect on Great Britain and Ireland's bid to build a more substantial lead over the afternoon 2 four-balls, having won the Curtis Cup's Day 2 morning foursomes 2-1 for a 5-4 overall lead. 
Quite the reverse, in fact. Olivia Mehaffey and Bronte Law resumed the lead-off match on the sixth green and Law promptly birdied this par-4 hole to increase their lead to two holes against Monica Vaughn and Bethany Wu. 
And Meghan MacLarn and Maria Dunne restarted, also with a birdie, winning the par-5 fifth with a 4 by MacLaren for GB and I to take a useful early two-hole lead in that contest.
In the third of the better-ball contests, the first hole after the play suspension, the short fourth, was halved in par 3s, leaving it a square match between Leona Maguire and Charlotte Thomas against the United States' Hannah O'Sullivan, the world's No 1 female amateur golfer, and Mika Liu. 
A birdie 4 by Maguire at the fifth put GB and I one up - and at this stage the home team led in all three four-ball ties. Time 5pm.
Wu's 2 at the short eighth cut Mehaffey and Law's lead to one hole in the top match.
But the GB and I pair restored their two-hole advantage, thanks to a birdie 3 by Mehaffey at the ninth. The GB and I pair reached the turn in a better-ball three under par.
At  this stage, GB and I were two up in all three four-ball ties.
Leona Maguire chalked up the first eagle of the day - a 3 at the par-5 seventh to increase the home lead to three holes against World No 1 O'Sullivan and Liu.
Leona, the former World No 1, was four under par for the three-hole span - birdies at the fifth and sixth, capped by the eagle at the seventh - and she kept the spectacular run going with a birdie 2 at the short eighth for GB and I to go four up in the third match.
Bethany Wu produced her second birdie within three holes to win the 10th and cut Mehaffey and Law's lead to one. 
The short 11th was halved in birdie 2s in this match - Law and Vaughn getting the sub-par figures.  Then Mehaffey birdied the long 12th to put GB and I two ahead for the fourth time in the top match.
Vaughn and  Wu bogeyed the 14th to give Mehaffey and Law a three-hole lead with four to play in the lead-off four-ball.
That vital last green putt she holed to ring the curtain down on the morning play seemed to have been the making of Meghan MacLaren. She and Maria Dunne had a better ball of four-under-par to the turn - all four birdies coming from MacLaren - their tie against Bailey Tardy and Mariel Galdiano. 
Maguire and Thomas, winning their fifth consecutive hole, surged five up on O'Sullivan and Liu with a birdie 3 by Thomas at the ninth. The GB and I pair had reached the turn in an astonishing better ball of seven under par. 
The USA had a revival going in Match 2 in which Mariel Galdiano had back to back birdies at the 10th and 11th to cut their deficit to one hole against MacLaren and Dunne, having been three down after eight. 
Galdiano's partner, Bailey Tardy, was excluded from the 12th hole after receiving her second bad time in the round - almost certainly the first occasion a slow-play penalty has been enforced in a Curtis Cup match. 
Maria Dunne won this par-5 hole to put GB and I back into a two-hole lead in this match. 
Both captains had been warned by Chief Referee Gillian Kirkwood before the start of the second day matches about slow play being penalised after some ties in the Day 1 four-balls took more than five hours to complete. M
Dunne struck another telling blow for GB and I in March 2 with a birdie 3 to win the 13th for herself and partner MacLaren ... three up with five to play. 
Olivia Mehaffey and Bronte Law put the first four-ball point on the
 the board for GB and I with a 3 and 2 victory over Monica Vaughn and Bethany Wu in the first afternoon match.
The GB and I pair were five under par at the finish. It was Law's fourth win in four sessions of play this weekend, Mehaffey's third.
GB and I now 6-4 ahead with two ties to finish. 
Meghan MacLaren, whose mother is a senior Irish international, and Maria Dunne beat America's Bailey Tardy and Mariel Galdiano by 3 and 2 with tremendous better-ball figures of eight under par.
And Leona Maguire and Charlotte Thomas completed a joy day for GBand I and their Aberdonian captain, Elaine Farquharson-Black, by registering a 5 and 4 victory over Hannah O'Sullivan, the World's No 1 female amateur, and partner Mika Liu.
And they did it with professional class figures - a better-ball of eight under par.
CURTIS CUP DAY 2 SCOREBOARD
Morning foursomes - GB and I 2, United States 1
GB and I names first
Leona Maguire and Charlotte Thomas v Bethany Wu and Hannah O'Sullivan - USA won by one hole.
Meghan MacLaren and Maria Dunne v Sierra Brooks and Andrea Lee - GB and I won by one hole.
Olivia Mehaffey and Bronte Law v Bailey Tardy and Monica Vaughn - GB and I won by 3 and 2

AFTERNOON FOUR-BALLS

GB and I players named first:

Olivia Mehaffey, Bronte Law v. Monica Vaughn, Bethany Wu - GB and I won by 3 and 2.

Meghan MacLaren, Maria Dunne v. Bailey Tardy, Mariel Galdiano - GB and I three up after 14 holes.

Leona Maguire, Charlotte Thomas v Hannah O'Sullivan, Mika Liu -  GB and I five up after 12 holes

 

 

Bronte Law is Curtis Cup MVP (so far) with 3 wins out of 3

After three sessions of play at the 39th Curtis Cup match, Bronte Law, pictured above, is the only player on either side to have won three times.

TELL-TALE RECORDS

GB and I

Bronte LAW                 WWW
Olivia MEHAFFEY     WLW
Leona MAGUIRE        WWL
Meghan MacLAREN    LLW
Maria DUNNE              L - W
Charlotte THOMAS      WLL
Alice HEWSON             - L -
Rochelle MORRIS         -  -  -

UNITED STATES
Hannah O'SULLIVAN   LWW
Bailey TARDY               WWL
Monica VAUGHN          WWL
Mariel GALDIANO        LW -
Bethany WU                    - LW
Andrea LEE                     L - L
Sierra BROOKS               - LL
Mika LIU                         L - - 


"-" indicates did not play that session.

CURTIS CUP Day 2 four-balls line-up

GB and I names first 
13.00
Olivia Mehaffey and Bronte Law versus Monica Vaughn and Bethany Wu

13.15
Meghan MacLaren and Maria Dunne versus Bailey Tardy and Mariel Galdiano

13.30
Leona Maguire and Charlotte Thomas versus Hannah O'Sullivan and Mika Liu