Curtis Cup

Irish trio hoping to harness friendship in Curtis Cup bid

The R&A

24 Aug 24

3 mins

As Great Britain and Ireland stormed to a famous Curtis Cup success in 2016, three girls watched from the sidelines, dreaming that one day they will be the other side of the ropes. Later this month, that dream will become a reality.

Friends Beth Coulter, Sara Byrne and Aine Donegan have all been selected to play against the USA when the 43rd Curtis Cup tees off at Sunningdale on 30 August. The prestigious women’s amateur team event brings together the best players from across the British Isles – but this trio from the Emerald Isle have been playing together for years. Byrne and Coulter have represented Ireland in six Home Internationals together, three times in the girls’ competition and three in the women’s, while Donegan has joined for four. Captain Catriona Matthew will be determined to harbour a strong team spirit later this month but with Coulter, Byrne and Donegan in the side she is already halfway there.

Famous photo

“The three of us were at that Curtis Cup in Dún Laoghaire in 2016 and there’s a photo of me and Aine standing together,” Coulter, 20, said. “Even just looking at that when we were selected, we sent it to each other and we were like ‘we’re going to do it together now’ so it is really cool. We are great friends, the three of us, and it is going to be really exciting.” The three players are all from different parts of Ireland. Coulter is from Portaferry in the north-east, Byrne is from Cork in the south-west and Donegan is from Ennis, County Clare. Yet golf has brought them together and Matthew may be tempted to field a combination in either four-balls or foursomes against the USA.

Sara Byrne - Ireland

“I watched Maria Dunne, Olivia Mehaffey and Leona Maguire win it in Dún Laoghaire and that’s when I said I really wanted to play in that in the future.”

Finish on a high

“I watched Maria Dunne, Olivia Mehaffey and Leona Maguire win it in Dún Laoghaire and that’s when I said I really wanted to play in that in the future,” Byrne added. “It would be perfect to finish amateur golf at the Curtis Cup and turn pro, winning would be a perfect ending to it all.” The three friends also played together in the European Ladies’ Team Championship in Spain last month, and the World Amateur Team Championship in 2023. Playing under Matthew will be another shared experience. The 2009 Women’s British Open Champion is one of the biggest names in the European game and has captained Europe in the Solheim Cup twice.

Experiences to use

The Curtis Cup offers an initial taster to facing the USA in match play golf – and GB&I have not won the biennial encounter since Coulter, Byrne and Donegan were there in 2016. Coulter and Byrne know all about it already, with Coulter a reserve for the 2022 Curtis Cup in Pennsylvania. Earlier this year she reached the semi-finals of the Irish Women’s Close Championship, finished eighth in the Irish Women’s Open stroke play and tied-20th in the European Ladies’ Amateur in Finland. She also plays at Arizona State University, while Byrne is at Miami College – where she won the best-student female athlete of the year award at her graduation. “I was not expecting that,” she said. “I was shaking, I was like ‘wow’."

New headlines?

Donegan, 22, is also no stranger to headlines. In the 2023 US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach, she opened with 69 and was one stroke off the lead before making the cut and finishing tied-45th. “Myself and my family, we all can’t really believe it to be honest. We made the main news channel in Ireland, which is a big deal,” she said. At the Curtis Cup, she will surely make the main news again – only this time with Coulter and Byrne alongside her.

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