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Weblog
Sunday, June 01, 2008
That's All
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And so wraps up the 2008 Curtis Cup Match from the Old Course at St. Andrews. It's hard to accurately describe how nasty today's weather was - a cold, driving rain and the wind St. Andrews is so known for. But it wasn't enough to dampen the spirits of the American team as it won the Curtis Cup for a sixth consecutive Match. It also wasn't enough to keep the hearty USA supporters off the course, including USGA President Jim Vernon and the many members of the USGA Executive and Women's Committees who were on hand to join the players' family and friends in cheering on the team.
Thanks to everyone for supporting the teams, the Match and the Curtis Cup web site. We appreciate your comments and e-mails and look forward to seeing you next time at Essex Country Club in Massachusetts.
Beth Murrison
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The Wind Arrives
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The wind has finally started to show its teeth here in St. Andrews. The weather turned quickly - earlier today it was quite pleasant and within minutes it had become remarkably chilly.
The last match is on the ninth hole and the USA currently leads in seven of the eight matches. Tiffany Joh is playing very well. After losing the first two holes, she won seven of the next 10 and holds a commanding 5-up lead after 12 holes.
It will be interesting to see if the wind has any impact henceforth. After all, the girls haven't seen much of it during the Match!
Beth Murrison
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Spectating Stress
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Good day from Day Three at St. Andrews! Yesterday I had the pleasure of experiencing a day in the life of a spectator. After halving the morning foursomes match with my partner Amanda "Blu" Blumenherst, I spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the course in the Curtismobile and serving as a red, white, and blue cheerleader. Spectating is about 14.5 times more stressful than playing. The only things that helped me cope were the radios that allowed me to communicate with the captain and the plethora of cookies that I snacked on. Much to the chagrin of the people who shared the radio channel with me, I used the radio the serenade listeners and practice breathing skills.
After a nail-biting afternoon, we still lead by a few points going into the singles matches today. Wish us luck!
Fairways and greens,
Tiffany Joh
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Saturday, May 31, 2008
Red, White & Blue
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Hello USA fans!! We've concluded Day 2 of the Curtis Cup Match and our team remains in great spirits and continues to have fun. Although the crowd has been favoring the home team, the girls are hearing a few cheers out there from the USA supporters who are here in St. Andrews. It was mentioned at the Opening Ceremony Thursday night that more than 300 supporters, past players, family and friends have traveled to show their support. Our hats go off to the families of Meghan Bolger, who has more than 15 family members and friends here, and Alison Walshe, who has more than 20 family members from both the Boston area and Ireland, taking advantage of the Curtis Cup for a family reunion! I heard the last time this many of their family members were all together was for Alison's parents' wedding!
In addition to family relations, there are a number of USGA family members cheering on our team. On behalf of the team, I can't tell you how much this means to the girls. Thank you to all our supporters for making the trip and for proudly showing your red, white and blue!!
Donna Mummert, USA Team Manager
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A Beautiful Day On The Old Course
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It is an absolutely glorious day here in St. Andrews. The sun is shining and it would wrong to classify the "wind" as anything but a light breeze. That might change this afternoon as the wind could pick up but the morning was just superb.
The golf was again superb as well, as were the spectators. I have had the privilege of a front-row seat to many memorable moments during my eight years with the USGA. But watching the USA's Amanda Blumenherst and Tiffany Joh and Jodi Ewart and Liz Bennett of the GB&I walk up No. 18 to the green as thousands of spectators cheered truly sent a chill down my spine. The cheers were hearty for both teams, and Donna Mummert, the USA Team Manager, and I, commented on what a thrill that must be for the girls.
On to the afternoon four-balls!
Beth Murrison
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Friday, May 30, 2008
The Birthday Girl Checks In
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We began the historic Curtis Cup match in damp, rainy conditions. As the crowds grew, the clouds parted and the sun began to shine. And it shined on us today. We led the morning round of foursomes 2-1 and the afternoon round of four-balls 2-1.
It was a historic day in my life as well ... I turned the big 30! The entire day was amazing. The team and spectators sang Happy Birthday at the R&A Clubhouse which overlooks the first tee and 18th green. Then my family and friends (all 20 or so of them!) spelled out "Happy Birthday Meghan" with T-shirts, walked down the 18th fairway and visited our team room while we were having dinner and sang again. A special day for all of us to remember forever.
Good night from St. Andrews and see ya'll on the first tee tomorrow! GO USA!
Meghan Bolger, USA Team
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Day One Done
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And so ends the first day of play at the 2008 Curtis Cup Match. Both teams played well, with the Americans holding a 4-2 lead after the first six matches. It was interesting to watch the different formats - alternate-shot foursomes in the morning, best-ball four-balls in the afternoon. Amanda Blumenherst and Stacy Lewis, who both earned a victory in both formats, certainly seem to have the hang of each!
Wandering around the golf course during the matches was a wonderful experience, walking in crowds that seemed to number at least 5,000. One of my favorite sights of the day was the standard bearers, who seem to have it a bit easier than their American compatriots. Here, the standards are carried on trolleys (hand carts for golf bags).
There was lots of rain this morning (although the sun did make an appearance late in the day) and quite a bit of chilly air but not a lot of wind today. Perhaps that will change tomorrow?
Beth Murrison
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A Wild, Wet Morning
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Greetings again from St. Andrews, where the word of the day has been rain. Well, maybe two words - rain and cold. For a few hours this morning, it was so chilly in the media center I could see my breath. The brisk air also seemed to affect our technology as we were without the wireless network for a few hours. But we are now up and running and all seems to be well. That's more than I can say for my friend Beth Ann Baldry, who is here writing for Golfweek. Yesterday, the "c" key fell off her computer. Try writing about the Curtis Cup Match without the letter c!
The rain didn't seem to affect the USA team as it won two of this morning's matches and had a chance to win the third on the 18th green. The weather might have actually helped the Americans as the greens were more receptive to approach shots than they had been during the practice rounds. Two of the three morning foursomes matches ended on the 18th green and all three featured comebacks.
The weather seems to have calmed down for now. We'll see how long that lasts!
Beth Murrison
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Thursday, May 29, 2008
Magical St. Andrews
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"It's one of those rare times when the reality exceeds the expectations."
USGA Women's Committee Chairman Roberta Bolduc offered the above comment while standing in front of the R&A Clubhouse at the Old Course at St. Andrews during the opening ceremony for the 2008 Curtis Cup Match. And she was right - being at St. Andrews is truly special.
I'll be here for the next three days to tell the story of the Curtis Cup Match through stories, notebooks and photo galleries. We're also fortunate to have USA Team Manager Donna Mummert contributing to this blog, in addition to several members of the USA team.
Thank you for visiting the 2008 Curtis Cup site.
Beth Murrison, Manager of USGA Media Relations
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A Memorable Opening Ceremony
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Tonight was the opening ceremony, which was truly special.
After getting dressed in our red blazers, we met the GB&I team at the famous Swilken bridge on the 18th hole for our formal team pictures. We then made our way to the clubhouse to await the parachuters, who sailed in bringing the USA, Great Britain and Ireland flags. There was also a troop of bagpipers marching up the fairway. And then it was our turn.
There was a huge crowd assembled to watch the procession and ceremony and although the majority were for the GB&I team, it was great to hear the USA cheers and see our smiling supporters waving US flags as we walked past the crowd. We filed in to our seats and then after speeches by the USGA & LGU, our captain, Carol Semple Thompson, raised the Stars & Stripes as a childrens' choir sang the national anthem. It is such an amazing feeling to see the United States flag being raised, knowing that we are representing the United States of America.
Carol then announced us, and after the team giggled at me for doing a pageant wave when I was announced, all of the other girls followed suit. At the end of the ceremony the first-round matches were announced and we are ready!! GO USA!!
Amanda Blumenherst, USA Team
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Enjoying St. Andrews On And Off The Course
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We have two hours until our team photographs are taken and then the flag raising ceremony starts at 6 p.m. The girls are fine-tuning their games and are anxious to get the matches underway. The last two days have been spent practicing and getting accustomed to the weather conditions, mostly wind and a good bit of rain yesterday. The girls who played in the NCAAs last week had similar, or even worse, conditions in New Mexico, so that turned out to be a great practice as well.
Most of the team enjoyed the afternoon off on Wednesday and we toured St. Andrews by foot, taking in some shops, St. Andrews University and the ruins of the old St. Andrews Cathedral. The girls really are appreciating this historical town. We had a nice group dinner at the Grill House, which serves American "Tex-Mex" type food, and they enjoyed burgers, ribs, fajitas, and of course yummy dessert. Thursday breakfast was in the Road Hole Cafe, which sits on the fourth floor of the Old Course Hotel and overlooks the course and up to the first tee and 18th green area. A great way to start a morning!
Here's to a good night's rest tonight and a great start in Day 1 of the Match.
Donna Mummert, USA Team Manager
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Team Hijinks
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Hello from St. Andrews! We are having an amazing time here so far, getting accustomed to the weather and time change. There have been lots and lots of meeting and greeting and lots and lots of eating!
Speaking of meeting and greeting, we are definitely getting to be "close" friends with the GB&I team. Today we arrived back to our team room in the R&A Clubhouse to find our couch had been missing ... hmm ... so we were hinted next door to the "other teams" room and we noticed a very familiar comfy couch there!! Sooo, we definitely decided that there had to be payback, we managed to get into their team room later during the day and turned ALL of their furniture, which included tables, chairs, etc., upside down! And we then capped it off by stealing their lucky Irish bear and placing it in our room! Nothing like a nice team rivalry huh!?
I guess we will have to wait and see what they come back with next...I know we are already planning our next move :)
Alison Walshe, USA Team
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Getting Settled
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The USA Curtis Cup Team arrived in St. Andrews on Sunday afternoon. The trip across was uneventful, although Captain Carol Semple Thompson and I were in a bit of a panic last Friday night as five of our girls were finishing the NCAA Championships in Albuquerque, N.M. Due to the bad weather they had that week, it was unclear whether they would complete play on Friday. Tiffany Joh was in a playoff to decide the tie for low individual and they completed the first (and only) hole just as it was getting dark. Phew! It was time for the girls to unpack their school uniforms and bags, and pack up the Curtis Cup gear. We all met Saturday afternoon at Newark airport and later departed for Edinburgh.
We started the week with dinner Sunday evening at Sir Michael & Lady Angela Bonnallack's home with the GB&I team. Those two have a home filled with golf history and souvenirs, thanks to his playing in the Walker Cup and then serving as Secretary and Captain of the R&A, and she being a decorated amateur as well, including a past Curtis Cupper. Sir Michael is also a Bob Jones Award winner. Monday was filled with golf and getting to know the Old Course. The girls played 36 holes and then we had the customary joint team dinner at the Dolls House, a restaurant in St. Andrews. After dinner two nights in a row, we are certainly making many new friends in the true spirit of the Curtis Cup!
We'll be sure to keep you all updated as the week progresses. The team has been working hard out on the course and having lots of fun off the course. I imagine tomorrow we will start to see more game faces and fewer giggles!
Donna Mummert, USA Team Manager
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