U.S. Routs GB&I in Curtis Cup


After starting Sunday's singles matches with an almost insurmountable 8˝ to 3˝ lead and needing only 1˝ points to secure victory, the American squad did that and more, reeling off four wins to retain the Curtis Cup by a margin of 12˝ to 7˝.

The 36th annual event was held at the Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., the home course of the two women who donated the trophy that began the biennial amateur competition in 1932.

In the first match, Danielle McVeigh, a 22-year-old from Northern Ireland expected to turn pro, beat Jennifer Song 3 and 2. “That’s what I went out to do, play well, and try to filter it down to the rest of the team,” McVeigh said.

However, the next two American players, 15-year-old Alexis Thompson and 18-year-old Jennifer Johnson, ended any discussion of a comeback by GB&I. Thompson routed Sally Watson 6 and 5, and Johnson beat Rachel Jennings 5 and 4 to clinch it for the U.S.

Though they lost, GB&I Captain Mary McKenna said her team was upbeat till the end. “They tried their best out there and to halve in singles (matches) was superb. We will rise again.”

"It's cool because in all of the team events like [Junior] Ryder Cup, [Junior] Solheim [Cup], I've never done that," said Johnson of getting the clinching point. "My match has always ended after we had already won it. It's kind of cool it."

Thompson finished 4-0-1 for the Curtis Cup, spearheading the USA to its seventh straight victory and an overall series lead of 27-6-3. (For a complete listing of Sunday's singles results, visit http://www.usga.org/ChampEventScore.aspx?id=17179869201&year=2010&type=round5.)

The matches on Sunday may be the final amateur appearances for several members of the young U.S. team. Thompson of Coral Gables, Fla., and Song, 20, of Ann Arbor, Mich., the reigning U.S. Women's Amateur and Women's Amateur Public Links champion, may be playing in next week's Shoprite LPGA Classic in Galloway, N.J.