Championship Fact Sheet

Formby Golf Club
Merseyside, England
June 12-13, 2004

PAR AND YARDAGE – Formby Golf Club is set up at 6,369 yards and par is 37-35—72.

GOLF COURSE ARCHITECT – Formby Golf Club was founded in 1884 and consisted of just nine holes when it opened. The course was extended to 18 holes under the guidance of Willie Park at the turn of the 20th century. Over the years, changes have been made by various architects, including James Braid.

WHAT IS THE CURTIS CUP MATCH? – The Curtis Cup Match is contested by women amateur golfers, one team from the United States of America (USA) and one team from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales (GB&I). The teams consist of not more than eight players and a captain. The Match is conducted every two years, alternately in the USA and Great Britain/Ireland.

SCORING – A victory in each match scores one point. In the event a match goes 18 holes without a decision, one-half point is awarded to each side.

TEAM SELECTION – The United States Golf Association selects the USA team, while the Ladies Golf Union selects the team from Great Britain and Ireland.

THE FOURSOME – Foursomes is a match where two players compete against two other players in alternate shot format, with each side playing just one ball.

2002 RECAP – Carol Semple Thompson, playing in her record 12th Curtis Cup Match, sank a 27-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to secure the USA’s 11-7 victory in the 32nd Match at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The USA held a 7-2 lead after the first day, including a 3-0 sweep of Saturday’s foursomes matches. But two victories in Sunday morning’s foursomes matches made the GB&I deficit 8-4. Needing to capture 5½ points in the afternoon matches to earn a victory, the GB&I squad was at one point leading in four matches and all square in the remaining two matches.

In her Sunday singles match against Vikki Laing, Thompson was all square heading into the 17th hole. Thompson took a 1-up lead when Laing couldn’t recover from hitting her tee shot into a bunker, and won the match with the dramatics on the 18th.

Meredith Duncan, the 2001 U.S. Women’s Amateur champ, earned a 3-and-1 win over Alison Coffey to give the USA 10 points and an outright victory. The final USA point came when Laura Myerscough rebounded from being five holes down to earn a 2-up win over Heather Stirling.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY – On Saturday, June 12, and Sunday, June 13, there will be three foursomes matches (18 holes each) each morning and six singles matches (18 holes each) each afternoon.

Starting Times – Saturday: 8 a.m. for foursomes, 1 p.m. for singles

Sunday: 8 a.m. for foursomes, 1 p.m. for singles

MEDIA CONFERENCES – Captains and players from each team will meet with all credentialed media on Thursday and Friday afternoons. Media conferences are also scheduled at the end of each day’s play.

MEET THE 2004 USA TEAM – The USA team, captained by Martha Kirouac, 54, of Norcross, Ga., consists of the following players:

Player  Age (Birthdate) Hometown
Erica Blasberg 19 (7-14-84) Corona, Calif.
Paula Creamer 17 (8-2-86) Pleasanton, Calif.
Sarah Huarte 22 (2-21-82) Shingle Springs, Calif.
Liz Janangelo 20 (10-12-83) West Hartford, Conn.
Brittany Lang 18 (8-22-85) McKinney, Texas
Jane Park 17 (12-15-86) Beaumont, Calif.
Annie Thurman 21 (8-17-82) Highland, Utah
Michelle Wie 14 (10-11-89) Honolulu, Hawaii
Captain
Martha Kirouac		 54 Norcross, Ga.

THE USA TEAM – Michelle Wie became the youngest to ever win an ‘adult’ USGA championship when she captured the 2003 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links at age 13. At age 14, Wie is the youngest ever selected for a USA Curtis Cup team. Laura Baugh was 16 when she was named to the 1972 team.

The 2002 Women’s Amateur Public Links champion, Annie Thurman, is also playing for the USA.

At age 22, Sarah Huarte is the elder stateswoman of the 2004 USA Curtis Cup team. Huarte recently captured top honors at the 2004 NCAA Division I Women’s Championship.

USA CAPTAIN MARTHA KIROUAC – Martha Wilkinson Kirouac, 54, of Norcross, Ga., was the U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion in 1970. She played on two victorious USA Curtis Cup teams, in 1970 and 1972, compiling a 3-1 record in singles and 2-2 in foursomes for an overall record of 5-3.

Kirouac is Director of Course Rating and Member Services for the Georgia State Golf Association. She is a member of Atlanta Athletic Club. She has two daughters, Amy and Ginny.

Her late husband, Robert Kirouac, is co-holder of the record for appearances in the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, with five.

MEET THE GREAT BRITAIN/IRELAND TEAM – The GB&I team, captained by Ada O’Sullivan, 48, of Ireland, consists of the following players:

Player  Age (Birthdate) Hometown
Claire Coughlan 24 (3/11/80) Little Island, County Cork, Ireland
Emma Duggelby 32 (10/5/71) Malton, North Yorkshire, England
Anna Highgate 22 (2/11/82) Bridgend, South Wales, Wales
Anne Laing 29 (3/14/75) Alexandria, Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Danielle Masters 21 (3/2/83) Maidstone, Kent, England
Shelley McKevitt 23 (7/1/79) Reading, Berkshire, England
Fame More 23 (6/1/81) Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England
Nicola Timmins 24 (6/1/80) Folkestone, Kent, England
Captain
Ada O’Sullivan		 48 (4/33/1964) Ballintemple, Cork, Ireland

GB&I CAPTAIN ADA O’SULLIVAN – Ireland’s Ada O’Sullivan had a lengthy career in Irish amateur golf and played for her country from 1982 to 1997. Before a back injury forced her into premature retirement from active international service, she was the Irish Stroke Play Champion in 1987; the European Masters Stroke Play Champion in 1994 and gained experience of a captain’s duties with teams at both junior and senior levels.

O’Sullivan captained the GB&I team to victory in the 2003 Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe – GB&I’s first win in the series since 1993. She also captained the GB&I team in the 2002 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship.

FORMBY GOLF CLUB HOLE BY HOLE – 6,369 yards, par 37-35—72

Holes 1 - 9 
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out
Yards 394 375 508 312 160 385 362 488 410 3,394
Par 4 4 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 37

Holes 10 - 18
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In
Yards 178 375 325 370 353 384 120 490 380 2,975
Par 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 5 4 35

HISTORY OF THE CURTIS CUP – Officially named "The Women’s International Cup," the cup for the Curtis Cup Match was officially presented in 1932 by Harriot and Margaret Curtis, sisters who won the U.S. Women’s Amateur four times between them. The cup, a silver bowl of Paul Revere design, is inscribed, "To stimulate friendly rivalry among the women golfers of many lands." The cup was first presented in 1927 to give momentum to the competition, but play didn’t begin until 1932, largely because of financial reasons.

The first Curtis Cup Match was played in 1932 at Wentworth Golf Club, in England. Marion Hollins captained the American team, while the team representing Great Britain and Ireland was led by playing captain Joyce Wethered. The Americans prevailed, 5½ to 3½.

FUTURE SITES – The 2006 Curtis Cup Match will return to the United States, where it will be played from July 29-30, 2006, at the Bandon, Ore. The 2008 Curtis Cup will be held at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland from June 7-8.

WWW.USGA.ORG – Log on to the USGA Internet site (www.usga.org) for the latest Curtis Cup Match information during the Championship.

MEDIA CENTER STAFF – Beth Murrison will be the USGA media relations contact on site. For more information, please send an e-mail to bmurrison@usga.org or call the Curtis Cup Media Center.