Curtis Cup

Catriona Matthew targets another memorable team triumph

The R&A

27 Aug 24

3 mins

For Catriona Matthew, it was a pleasant surprise. Never before had a professional golfer been asked to captain a Curtis Cup team, but there is a first time for everything, and when the opportunity came her way to lead Great Britain and Ireland at Sunningdale this week, she jumped at the chance.

After all, the renowned amateur team match against the United States of America, a springboard for so many, is where it all began for the illustrious Scot. In a glittering professional career, she went on to win 11 worldwide titles, including the 2009 Women’s British Open, played in nine Solheim Cups and captained Europe to victory in two more. Last week, she waved goodbye to the AIG Women’s Open in St Andrews – fittingly finishing with a birdie on the Old Course in her last appearance in the Championship.

Step forward

How better to give something back than by lending her expertise to the next generation of prospective stars and offering the Curtis Cup an unprecedented boost in the process? The hope is that the introduction of a professional to the captain’s role will represent a big step forward for the biennial match. “It could well be,” says Matthew, who turned 55 on Sunday. “I don’t want to blow my own trumpet but to have past players, who have gone on and done well professionally, come back and captain the sides can only be good for the match and raise its profile even more. I think you’ll notice in both the men’s and women’s games that a lot of players near the end of their career are very keen to help the youngsters. “This role means a lot to me. When I was an amateur, getting in the Curtis Cup side was always the main focus. I was lucky enough to play in it three times – a loss, a win and a draw. With all my experience as a pro in the Solheim Cup, as a player and captain, it just seemed like a great opportunity to go back to where it all started. I’m really excited about helping the new ones come through.”

Catriona Matthew - GB&I Captain

“I don’t want to blow my own trumpet but to have past players, who have gone on and done well professionally, come back and captain the sides can only be good for the match and raise its profile even more."

Storied journey

It has been quite a journey for Matthew, who grew up on the links of North Berwick and embarked on a stellar career, the biggest legacy of which will be her long and storied contribution to the Solheim Cup. As a player, she claimed 22 points for Europe, including the winning one at Barseback in 2003. As a captain, she led her team to an emotional victory at Gleneagles in 2019 before retaining the trophy in Ohio two years later. She was the first European captain ever to preside over back-to-back wins. Now combining appearances on the senior circuit with media work and corporate events, Matthew admits to being a little frustrated that she did not win a few more titles on the LPGA Tour – “I had an awful lot of top-ten finishes” – but there is no disguising the magnitude of her achievements overall. “You always dream of winning a major and playing in the Solheim Cup, but would I have expected to play in it nine times and captain the team? Probably not.” Through it all, Matthew has found team golf to be especially rewarding, socially and professionally. Last year, she visited Royal Liverpool to attend a reunion of the Curtis Cup team who won there in 1992. “Seven of us made it along,” she says. “Many of them I hadn’t seen in 20-25 years. It was great to go back there, play the course, have dinner and catch up with everybody. Some had gone on and turned professional, some hadn’t, so it was a great mixture. But it’s amazing: after so long, you are instantly chatting about the match and what everyone has done since. That’s what I love about team golf: you foster friendships for life and you always have that common bond.”

Sunningdale set to shine

This week, the drama will unfold over the fairways of Sunningdale, one of Matthew’s favourite venues. The weather is set to be glorious too. It is, she admits, not the longest course, but it demands accuracy off the tee, its greens are tricky and the short par-4s will be ideal for match play. She recalls having holes-in-one at the 8^th and 15^th when the Women’s British Open was held there. “One or two more of those would help,” she laughs. Matthew hopes that her experience of captaincy at the highest level will make a difference. Unlike the Solheim Cup, players in the Curtis Cup do not have their own caddies, so there is perhaps even more scope for the captain and her assistants – fellow professionals Kathryn Imrie and Karen Stupples – to offer advice. Stupples is back at Sunningdale 20 years after winning the Women’s British Open at the venue. Then there are the fundamentals, such as the order of play and pairings. Matthew says strong communication is vital, as is making every player feel part of it, even when they sit out a session. Togetherness and team spirit are essential, especially when the team are underdogs. Having won the last three matches, the USA are bidding to make it four-in-a-row this week. The World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) is another indicator that the visiting side are set to be favourites, but Matthew has learned over the years to believe that anything can happen. “I don’t think I’ve ever played in a Solheim Cup where we’ve been ranked above the Americans yet we’ve won our fair share of them,” she explains. “Sometimes being the underdog can be to your advantage. If you’re out-and-out favourites, there is pressure on you to win. And if you don’t start too well, that pressure builds. “We are not as highly-ranked as the Americans, but we’ve got some really good players. From watching them and looking at their results, I’m kind of surprised they haven’t done better in the Curtis Cup. I’m excited.”

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