41st CURTIS CUP AT WILL NOW BE PLAYED IN AUGUST 2021

The R&A and the USGA have agreed that the 41^st Curtis Cup between Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America will now be played at Conwy from 26-28 August 2021. 

Following cancellation of the match this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the biennial encounter was initially rescheduled to take place from 3-5 September 2021. With an increasingly crowded calendar, this meant it would have overlapped with the week of the Solheim Cup.

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Golf Development and Amateur Championships at The R&A, said, “We have listened to the feedback we received about the rescheduled dates for the Curtis Cup in 2021 and looked again at the schedule. We have moved the match forward by a week and introduced a Saturday finish to enable it to slot in ahead of the Solheim Cup. 

We are grateful for the assistance we have received from the USGA and hope this will offer the best outcome for the players of both teams. We look forward very much to welcoming them to Conwy in August next year.”

R&A cancels Curtis Cup and reschedules Amateur Championships

By Martin Dempster - The Scotsman Newspaper 

While there is no word yet on The Open, the R&A has announced the postponement of one of its upcoming big amateur events and the rescheduling of two others due to the coronavirus crisis.

The 41st Curtis Cup, which was due to be played at Conwy in North Wales on 12-14 June, has been rescheduled to 2012 in agreement with the USGA, with revised dates still to be fixed.

Meanwhile, the Amateur Championship and Women's Amateur Championship have both been switched from June to the week commencing 24 August.

The Amateur Championship is set to be held at Royal Birkdale and West Lancashire while Kilmarnock (Barassie) is due to host the Women’s Amateur Championship.

Duncan Weir, Executive Director – Golf Development and Amateur Championships at the R&A, said, “We have a responsibility to protect the health and well-being of the players and everyone involved in our events so it is the right course of action to take.

"We are grateful to all of the venues for their continuing support in these challenging circumstances and will update everyone involved with our plans.”

A fortnight ago, the R&A said it was "proceeding as planned" for both The Open at Royal St George's and the AIG Women's British Open at Royal Troon but, at the same time, was "considering contingency options".

It is believed an emergency meeting was held last week about The Open, with the likelihood it will be postponed due to the fact the building operation for the world's oldest major would normally be about to start around this time of the year.

The Masters and the US PGA Championship have already been postponed by Augusta National Golf Club and the PGA of America respectively, while it is believed the same decision has been made by the USGA regarding the US Open.

Provisional GB&I Curtis Cup Squad Announced

Hazel MacGarvie, Shannon McWilliam, and Hannah Darling have all been named in 🇬🇧&🇮🇪’s initial squad for next year’s Curtis Cup. 

Read more 👉 bit.ly/CurtisCupTeam

An initial Great Britain and Ireland squad of ten players has been announced by The R&A ahead of next year’s Curtis Cup match at Conwy Golf Club, Wales.

The 41st Curtis Cup match will be played from Friday 12 – Sunday 14 June 2020 with GB&I attempting to regain the historic trophy after the United States recorded a commanding 17-3 victory at Quaker Ridge in New York last year.

Strong player pool

Elaine Ratcliffe, who will captain GB&I in the Curtis Cup for the first time, said, “We have a strong pool of players to choose from throughout GB&I and I’m delighted with the ten players we have selected for the initial squad. Each player’s performance and results will be monitored closely over the coming months and we will be looking for each of them to maintain a high standard as they try to secure their places in the team. 

“There are many other talented players who can be added to this squad over the next few months. We will be following performances closely before the Curtis Cup team is announced in May.”

World Amateur Golf Ranking™

Olivia Mehaffey, the highest-ranked member of the squad at number 19 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™, is aiming to make her third Curtis Cup appearance. Having made her debut in 2016, where she secured 3½ points for the victorious GB&I team, Mehaffey was also a standout player in last year’s tough defeat at the 2018 Curtis Cup where she helped achieve 2½ of the team’s 3 point total. Currently attending Arizona State University, Mehaffey has recorded three collegiate wins this year. 

Also in contention for the 2020 team are Mehaffey’s team mates from  2018, Shannon McWilliam, Annabell Fuller and Lily May Humphreys, who has enjoyed an excellent 2019, winning the Annika Invitational Europe, Irish Women’s Open and Welsh Ladies’ Open stroke play championships. 

Emily Toy, the Women’s Amateur Champion and an R&A Foundation scholar, has been named in the initial squad and is hoping to make her Curtis Cup debut in 2020. The squad features a further five potential debutants including Hannah Darling, the Scottish Girls’ Open champion, Annabel Wilson, the Irish Women’s Close champion, Hazel MacGarvie, Julie McCarthy and Isobel Wardle. 

The GB&I squad:

Hannah Darling (16, Broomieknowe, Scotland) Shannon McWilliam (20, Aboyne, Scotland) Annabell Fuller (17, Roehampton, England) Olivia Mehaffey (21, Royal County Down Ladies, Ireland) Lily May Humphreys (17, Stoke by Nayland, England) Emily Toy (21, Carlyon Bay, England) Hazel MacGarvie (19, Royal Troon, Scotland) Isobel Wardle (19, Prestbury, England)  Julie McCarthy (20, Forrest Little, Ireland) Annabel Wilson (18, Lurgan, Ireland)

The final eight player GB&I team will be announced on 11 May 2020 and will include the two golfers who are placed highest in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™ in the week prior. A further six players will be selected by The R&A Women’s Selection Committee. Up to four non-travelling reserves will also be announced.