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Saturday, July 29, 2006

CURTIS CUP

BAD START FOR GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND
AS AMERICANS TAKE ALL THREE FOURSOMES

Ada O'Sullivan's Great Britain & Ireland team got off to the worst possible start in the Curtis Cup match against the United States at Bandon Dunes, Oregon today (SAT).
The Americans won all three of the opening foursomes - and not with particularly brilliant golf.
Paige Mackenzie and Amanda Blumenhirst put the first point on the board for Carol Semple Thompson's American team by beating Irish champion Tricia Mangan and English champion Kiran Matharu by 5 and 4.
The United States pair were level par for the holes played but the GB&I pairing were seven over par. Tricia and teenager Kiran were never in the hunt after losing the second, third and fourth holes. They were five down at the turn.
United States went 2-0 ahead when Viriginia Grimes and Amanda McCurdy beat Ireland's Martina Gillen and England's Naomi Edwards by two holes.
This was a poor quality match in terms of par figures. The winners were FIVE over par and the GB&I pair a dismal seven over par.
The Americans took the edge in this tie when they won the eighth, ninth and 10th to be four up.
Gillen and Edwards came back to be only one down after 17 but they lost the last hole.
The United States completed the 3-0 clean sweep of the first set of foursomes when Jane Park and Taylor Leon beat Claire Coughlan from Cork and Melissa Reid of Derby by one hole.
The Americans were two over par at the finish while the GB&I pair were four over par.
This was a tight match throughout. Claire and Melissa were two holes up after six but lost the eighth and 10th. They fought back to lead again with a birdie at the 15th but were pulled back to square at the seventeenth but lost the last hole to a birdie, although the GB&I pair took a bogey.

RESULTS
FIRST SET OF FOURSOMES
UNITED STATES 3, GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND 0
American names first.
Paige Mackenzie & Amanda Blumenhirst bt Tricia Mangan & Kiran Matharu 5 and 4.
Virginia Grimes & Amanda McCurdy bt Martina Gillen & Naomi Edwards 2 holes.
Jane Park & Taylor Leon bt Claire Coughlan & Melissa Reid 1 hole.