CURTIS CUP SAT LUNCHTIME INTRO

CURTIS CUP

SATURDAY FOURSOMES
GB&I names first

Carly Booth & Breanne Loucks bt Kimberly Kim & Jennie Lee 3 and 2.

Sally Watson & Michele Thomson lost to Alison Walshe & Stacy Lewis 5
and 4.

Liz Bennett & Jodi Ewart halved with Amanda Blumenherst & Tiffany Joh

GB&I 1 1/2, UNITED STATES 1 1/2

Overall score:

GB&I 3 1/2, UNITED STATES 5 1/2

SATURDAY LUNCHTIME INTRO

England international Liz Bennett from Brokenhurst Manor, at 25 the
oldest player in the home squad, courageously holed a 5ft downhill putt
on the last green to enable Great Britain & Ireland to share the
Saturday morning foursomes 1 ½-1 ½ on the second day of the Curtis Cup
match under suuny skies over the Old Course, St Andrews.
Bennett and her 19-year-old partner, Texas A&M University student Jodi
Ewart from Catterick, Yorkshire finished all square with American
college No 1 Amanda Blumenherst and Tiffany Joh in the last tie to
finish before lunch-time.
Had Bennett missed the knee-knocker of a putt … from almost the same
distance and same position as Doug Sanders did to fall into a losing
play-off with Jack Nicklaus in the 1970 Open – then United States would
have won the session 2-1 and increased their overnight lead to 6-3 with
three afternoon four-ball ties and Sunday's eight singles still to come.
Both foursomes and four-ball sessions finished 2-1 in favour of the
Americans who have not lost to Great Britain & Ireland since the
Killarney contest in 1996.
Home skipper Mary McKenna had been hoping her girls would turn the
tables on the cup-holders by wiping out the two-point overnight deficit
by the end of Saturday's two sessions of play.
But she was delighted that Liz Bennett was able to salvage half a point
and stop the Americans from increasing their overall lead.
"That was a crucial putt," said Mary. "I told the girls before the
start of the day that if they could not win a game then I would settle
for half-points. ~They all add up in the end."
Bennett and Ewart were one up at the turn against Blumenherst and John
but lost three holes in a row from the 11th to allow the Americans to
leapfrog into a two-hole lead after the 13th.
The English pair responded brilliantly, winning the 14th, 15th and 16th
to regain a one-hole lead with two to play.
Then a crisis. Bennett drove out of bounds at the 17th for the Brits to
lose the hole and be all square on the 18th tee.
Both pairs made the 18th green in two shots with GB&I some 20yd beyond
the flag and the Americans with much the better putt from about 12ft
short and wide of the hole.
The Americans just failed to hole their birdie putt for victory after
Ewart, tackling her tricky downhill putt, left the ball five feet short
of the hole.
The big gallery round the 18th green fell silent as Bennett lined up
her crucial putt … and exploded into a great roar when the Hampshire
player sank the putt to halve the hole and enable GB&I to share the
morning honours.
"I knew it was all resting on me and I felt I had to make up for
driving out of bounds at the 17th. That putt must be the best I've ever
sunk. I have to say it never looked like going anywhere but in the hole
… to my great relief."
Earlier,.Edinburgh 16-year-old Sally Watson lost her 100 per cent
Curtis Cup debut record when she and new Scottish champion Michele
Thomson were beaten 5 and 4 by Irish-born Alison Walshe and Stacy Lewis.
The Americans were three up at the turn, lost the 10th to a Scottish
birdie 3 but then took the 11th, 12th and 13th to all but extinquish
their young opponents' hopes. The Scots three-putted the 11th and were
bunkered at the 13th.
But it was the Scottish-Welsh partnership of 15-year-old Carly Booth
from Comrie and Wrexham's Breannie Loucks who turned the tide for Great
Britain & Ireland.
They beat Kimberly Kim and Jennie Lee by 3 and 2 to make it 1-1 on the
day. All square at the turn, Carly and Loucks won the 10th with a
birdie 3 after Loucks hit her approach stone dead. Then the Americans
lost to the 12th to a bogey and the 13th to a birdie 3.
The Americans' final fling was a birdie 4 to win back the 14th to get
back to two down but after a half at the 15th, the GB&I pair closed out
their opponents with a par at the 16th.

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