Great Britain & Ireland build 7-5 lead over U.S. in Curtis Cup

SUNNINGDALE, England — Hannah Darling won her third match of the week, teaming with Mimi Rhodes for a 3-and-2 victory in fourballs Saturday as Great Britain & Ireland took a 7-5 lead over the Americans in the Curtis Cup.

GB&I is trying to win the Curtis Cup for the first time since 2016 and end the U.S. streak of three in a row. Sunday’s decisive session features eight singles matches.

Darling teamed with Aine Donegan for a 1-up victory over Auburn teammates Anna Davis and Megan Schofill in morning foursomes. Darling also won in the only matches she played on Friday.

The morning foursomes ended with each team winning a match and halving the other. GB&I seized control in the afternoon as Lorna McClymont and Beth Coulter defeated Davis and Melanie Green, 2 and 1.

GB&I was poised to sweep the fourballs session when Lottie Woad and Sara Byrne led 1 up with two to play. Schofill and Rachel Kuehn won the 17th to square the match and the 18th was halved.

The eight singles matches start with 15-year-old Asterisk Talley facing Woad, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion and the No. 1 player in the world amateur ranking.

The United States has a 31-8-3 edges in the Curtis Cup, which dates to 1932. The Americans have won by at least five points each of the last three matches.