The USA claimed a one-point advantage on the opening morning of the Curtis Cup as an emphatic foursomes win for Melanie Green and Rachel Kuehn was followed by two dramatic halved matches at Sunningdale.
Women’s Amateur Champion Green and three-time Curtis Cup player Kuehn stormed to a 6&4 victory over sisters Patience and Mimi Rhodes in game one, aided by a terrific performance on the greens.
The Rhodes siblings had plenty of chances of their own on a glorious morning in Berkshire, but their putts just would not drop, enabling their American opponents to put the first point on the board.
Large victory in first match
“I think we got out of the gates running, made birdie on the first, and we never really took our foot off the gas,” said a delighted Kuehn, who hailed her partner Green’s performance.
While that contest was wrapped up on the 14th green, there was considerably more drama in the second and third games.
Irish duo Beth Coulter and Aine Donegan won the 18th to secure a valuable half-point in a topsy-turvy match against Jasmine Koo and Zoe Campos, which saw both sides lead on three occasions.
Dramatic final hole
The final foursomes saw both teams pull off terrific comebacks before finishing up all-square.
Lottie Woad, the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), and Sara Byrne were three down after nine to Catherine Park and 15-year-old Asterisk Talley, but then won five of the next six holes – birdieing four of them – to sensationally move two up with three holes to play.
The exhilarating run from the Great Britain and Ireland pair featured a near-ace for Woad on the 15th, where her tee shot came to rest a foot from the hole.
However, Park and Talley then responded with a wonderful fightback of their own, winning both the 17th and 18th to salvage an unlikely half-point and ensure the USA ended the session leading 2-1.
