FOR those of a Great Britain & Ireland persuasion, a quick squint at the recent results in the Curtis Cup tends to be about as uplifting as reading the sombre inscriptions on a row of crumbling gravestones.
Since the GB&I girls last tasted victory in the biennial tussle in 2016, the combined score in the three subsequent matches is an eye-watering 45-15 in favour of a dominant and rampant Team USA.
Turning that particular tide must be akin to halting a tsunami with a couple of sandbags and a water pump. Help, however, is at hand ahead of the 2024 meeting at Sunningdale. In the decorated, celebrated Catriona Matthew, GB&I has a new captain who has seen it, done it and acquired just about every t-shirt imaginable.
The decision by the R&A to appoint a professional skipper for this showpiece of the unpaid game is a pioneering move for an event that has a history stretching back to 1932. In an evolving golfing landscape, the idea of the career amateur is as quaint as a thatched roof. The time was right for a change.
“I think the R&A and USGA [the governing body in America] had to agree that professionals could be captains and once they approached me just before Christmas, I had no hesitation in accepting the position,” said Matthew, who captained Europe to back-to-back victories in the Solheim Cup in 2019 and 2021. “These days, there’s not a long line of potential amateur captains because so many Curtis Cup players turn professional. It wasn’t like that in my day but this is a different time. Allowing pros with a Curtis Cup background to be a captain makes for a much bigger pool of future captains.”
So, with such a mighty figure at the helm, does this mean Team GB&I are already one-up in the psychological stakes? “I wouldn’t say that,” added Matthew with a self-deprecating chuckle.
Modesty aside, the appointment of Matthew is a major boon for the Curtis Cup and the 53-year-old has wasted no time in recruiting a backroom team of considerable distinction.
Her fellow Scot, great friend and trusty Solheim Cup vice-captain Kathryn Imrie has been drafted in along with Karen Stupples, who won the Women’s Open at Sunningdale back in 2004. “They were obvious choices really so that’s already a nice little team I have,” said Matthew. “They were Curtis Cup players themselves. They appreciate what it is all about and they remain great supporters of the amateur game. Karen is in the US and does commentary on a lot of amateur golf for the Golf Channel so she’s a good pair of eyes to have out there.”
Matthew’s own Curtis Cup journey began in 1990 when she made the first of three appearances. A 14-4 defeat to the US in New Jersey was a sobering introduction but it remained an experience to savour for an up-and-coming amateur.
“Most of us didn’t have much experience of playing in the US,” she reflected. “Back then you were just thrown in at the deep end. It was quite daunting. But, at that stage of my career, the Curtis Cup was
the ultimate goal. It was as big as it could be.”
The Curtis Cup may not be on the same scale as the Solheim Cup but the knowledge she gained as the European skipper will still come in handy for Matthew’s latest leadership role.
“I don’t think there’s one thing you pin-point in terms of what you learn as a captain, it’s just the whole collective experience,” she said. “While there will be some similarities with the Solheim Cup, the Curtis Cup will probably see us a bit more involved in terms of giving advice and guidance. At the Solheim, the pros have their own caddies there who work all year with them and they form a strategy between them. With the amateurs, I can see us giving them a little more help on that front.”
Against formidable American strength, GB&I will need all the help they can get. In the 42 meetings between the sides, the US have won 31, GB&I have claimed eight wins and three matches have been tied.
“It’s not going to be an easy task,” said Matthew. It’s a task this captain is already relishing, though.
