Meadow the heroine as GB&I snatches Curtis Cup

Stephanie Meadow celebrates her winning point at Nairn. Picture courtesy USGA/Matthew HarrisRoyal Portrush’s Stephanie Meadow scored the winning point as Great Britain and Ireland captured five of Sunday’s eight singles to win the Curtis Cup 10.5-9.5 at Nairn.

It was GB&I’s first win since 1996 and it came in dramatic fashion after the American raced into a 3-0 lead on the first day and threatened to double their advantage before the home side staged a spirited fightback. Results

“I’m exceptionally proud of the team. They’re the ones who pulled it through,” said GB&I Captain Tegwen Matthews, the first victorious GB&I captain since Ireand’s Ita Butler triumphed in Killarney in 1996.

“It was certainly not the result I was looking for,” said USA Captain Pat Cornett. “So I am a little disappointed, but then the result is good for the game and good for the Curtis Cup.”

Meadow, 20, who is a member of the University of Alabama’s golf team, beat Amy Anderson 4&2

“I knew all along that it would come down to my match,” said Meadow, who has five career victories for the Crimson Tide. “I was watching the boards. I knew how the first four matches had gone so I knew what I had to do.”

Trailing 5.5-6.5 entering the eight singles, GB&I captured the opening three matches as Kelly Tidy, Amy Boulden and Holly Clyburn all won inside the distamce

Lisa McCloskey cruised to a 4&3 win over Pamela Pretswell before Clyburn got GB&I to 8.5 points before England’s Charley Hull romped to a 5&3 victory over Lindy Duncan, leaving Meadow to clinch the winning point after Bronte Law lost by two holes to Tiffany Lua and Leona Maguire was flattened 6 & 5 by Brooke Pancake.

Singles, 2012 Curtis Cup Match, Par-72, 6,313-yard The Nairn Golf Club:

Kelly Tidy, England (GB&I) def. Austin Ernst, Seneca, S.C. (USA), 2 and 1

Amy Boulden, Wales (GB&I) def. Emily Tubert, Burbank, Calif. (USA), 3 and 1

Holly Clyburn, England (GB&I) def. Erica Popson, Davenport, Fla. (USA), 3 and 2

Lisa McCloskey, Houston, Texas (USA) def. Pamela Pretswell, Scotland (GB&I), 4 and 3

Tiffany Lua, Rowland Heights, Calif. (USA) def. Bronte Law, England (GB&I), 2 up

Charley Hull, England (GB&I) def. Lindy Duncan, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (USA), 5 and 3

Stephanie Meadow, Northern Ireland (GB&I) def. Amy Anderson, Oxbow, N.D. (USA), 4 and 2

Brooke Pancake, Chattanooga, Tenn. (USA) def. Leona Maguire, Ireland (GB&I), 6 and 5