Curtis Cup golfers battling weight of history but Scottish legend ready to pull off Hollywood story

For starters, you have to go all the way back to 1986, when the team included the one and only Belle Robertson, to find the last GB&I win on US soil in the biennial bout.

Then there’s the recent results. Eight years ago at Quaker Ridge, a side captained by Elaine Farquharson Black was hammered 17-3. In another one-sided affair, the Americans ran out 15.5-4.-5 victors at Merion four years ago.

Based purely on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, the US are red-hot favourites to come out on top in the latest edition being held in The City of Angels.

World No 1 Kiara Romero spearheads the home side, which also includes third-ranked Farah O’Keefe and eighth-placed Asterisk Talley. In contrast, world No 20 Patience Rhodes is the highest-ranked GB&I player and Sophia Fulbrook in 38th is next on the list.

Based on all that, it points to one thing, which is another American win on home soil - but not if Catriona Matthew can pull one final rabbit out of the bag in her captaincy career.

Scot is already a Solheim Cup legend

That, of course, started in sensational fashion as the North Berwick woman led Europe to victory in the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles, where Suzann Pettersen clinched victory with the final putt at the end of a three-day contest.

Matthew then created history by becoming the first European skipper to land back-to-back Solheim Cup successes when she masterminded a trophy defence in another hard-fought contest at Inverness Golf Club in Toledo two years later.

Add in her nine playing appearances in the event and it’s safe to say that Matthew has secured her status as a Solheim Cup legend, in addition, of course, to being a major champion after landing the Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham in 2009.

It was a shrewd move by Martin Slumbers, The R&A’s chief executive at the time, when Matthew was then appointed as the first professional golfer to captain GB&I in the Curtis Cup, a move that was subsequently copied for the Walker Cup as Dean Robertson took up that post.

Ending a run of three straight defeats, Matthew led a GB&I team that included two of her compatriots, Hannah Darling and Lorna McClymont, to a brilliant victory at Sunningdale in 2024, and now she’s bidding to complete her second double against the Americans.

‘Pressure on Americans as they’re expected to win’

“Absolutely,” declared the 56-year-old of believing her side can upset the odds again, just as they did in the last edition on the outskirts of London. “On paper, the Americans are obviously going to be hot favourites, but, you know, that puts a bit of pressure on them. They're expected to win. They'll be wanting to win, get their revenge from Sunningdale. But our team are playing well, they're confident and, in match play over 18 holes, you never know.”

Matthew played in two Curtis Cup clashes on US soil, ending up on the losing side in the first one in 1990 at Somerset Hills in New Jersey before helping GB&I retain the trophy - she’d also been on a winning side at Royal Liverpool in 1992 - with a 9-9 draw at the Honors Course in Chattanooga in 1994.

“I couldn't quite believe it when I had to go all the way back to ‘86 to find the last team that won (on American turf),” she admitted of the task facing her side - the first GB&I team not to include a Scottish player since 2016 - over the next three days. “So, yeah, we will be obviously trying our best to change that.”

As was the case at Sunningdale, Matthew is being assisted by her trusty lieutenants, Kathryn Imrie and Karen Stupples. Earlier this week, Lottie Woad, a member of the winning team in 2024 and now a two-time LPGA champion, paid a visit to Bel-Air Country Club to pass on some advice to this year’s team.

“I's been great,” said Matthew of the week so far. “Preparation has been good. The course is immaculate, as we would have expected, and the team are all enjoying it. Six of them had been here in November and played it. So, Lily (Hirst) and Charlotte (Naughton), seeing it for the first time, but liking it, they're all playing well. So, yeah, we're up for the challenge.”

Bel-Air Country Club was designed by George C. Thomas with assistance from William P. Bell and opened for play in 1927. Dick Wilson, Robert Trent Jones and Tom Fazio made changes to the course over the years before Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf Design restored it to Thomas’ original design in 2017.

GB&I in Los Angeles to ‘focus on the golf’

“I think from seeing it again, I think it's playing probably a little bit firmer than when we were here in November,” replied Matthew to being asked what challenges the course offers. “But I think it's definitely a kind of second shot golf course, I would say it's fairly generous off the teas.

“Obviously, you've got to position it, perhaps, the right sides of some of the fairways to attack the pins, but it's all going to be more second shots, getting the ball in. The greens are just getting firmer every day, quicker every day, so getting in the right position to be able to attack with your approach.”

It’s a rematch from Sunningdale, with the Scot’s opposite number once again being Meghan Stasi, a four-time US Women’s Mid-Amateur champion. She’ll have faith in her star-studded side, though, at the same time, will not be underestimating the ‘Matthew magic’ when it comes to these team events.

“I think if you come to LA, the one thing everyone wants to do is go and get their picture at the Hollywood sign, so we did that on Monday,” said the GB&I captain of one of the off-the-course activities that have taken place. “At the end of the day, we're here to play golf and we're here to focus on the golf.”

Curtis Cup teams

USA: Anna Davis, Kary Hollenbaugh, Jasmine Koo, Farah O’Keefe, Kiara Romero, Asterisk Talley, Avery Weed, Kelly Xu.

GB&I: Beth Coulter, Sophia Fullbrook, Lily Hurst, Isla McDonald-O’Brien, Charlotte Naughton, Nellie Ong, Patience Rhodes, Davina Xanh.