Americans cash in on nervous British start

English champion Kieran Matharu and Irish title holder Tricia Mangan were experiencing nightmare debuts in the 34th Curtis Cup match over the Pacific Dunes course in Oregon on America’s West coast tonight.

They were sent out first for Great Britain and Ireland by captain Ada O’Sullivan in the opening foursome’s session of the bi-annual contest against Paige Mackenzie and Amanda Blumenherst – but they were finding the going extremely tough.

Possibly nerves were getting the better of them as they dropped six strokes in the first seven holes to find themselves four down and in serious trouble. It was not as though the American duo were on fire as they were only level par themselves.

Having gone four behind 32-year-old Mangan, a prison officer from Limerick, and Matharu, at 17 the youngest player on either side, steadied themselves but still went five down at the ninth, losing the 379-yard hole to a birdie three.

In the second match Ireland’s Martina Gillen and Naomi Edwards from Ganton in Yorkshire began brightly enough against Virginia Grimes and Amanda McCurdy winning the second hole with a birdie three straight away the Americans levelled matters.

Then Gillen and Edwards got into all sorts of trouble at the fourth running up a triple bogey seven to fall behind.

They also lost the sixth, eighth and ninth but won the seventh so turned for home three down.

There was somewhat better news in the final match of the first session as former Irish champion Clare Coughlan and English Girl’s champion Melissa Reid were one up at the turn on Jane Park and Taylor Leon having never been behind.