The R&A has announced an initial squad of 12 players who are in contention for selection for the eight-strong Great Britain & Ireland team to play against the USA in the 42nd Curtis Cup at Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania this summer.
The biennial encounter will be played from June 10-12, with GB&I aiming to bounce back from the 12-8 loss to the USA in the previous match, which was played last year at Conwy after being postponed in 2020 due to Covid-19.
Elaine Ratcliffe, GB&I captain, said: “We have selected a group of very talented players for our Curtis Cup squad and we will be monitoring their form and results over the coming months as we look to select the strongest possible side to play at Merion. Despite the result, there were really encouraging signs in the team’s performance at Conwy and with a number of the players returning to join this year’s squad, there is a strong foundation to build upon as we prepare for the match in June.”
Roehampton Club’s Annabell Fuller is hoping to be selected for her third Curtis Cup appearance and is joined in the squad by five of her 2020 team-mates. Reigning R&A Girls’ Amateur champion, Hannah Darling, the 2021 Women’s Amateur champion Louise Duncan from Scotland, Ireland’s Lauren Walsh and English duo Charlotte Heath and Caley McGinty have all been named.
Players looking to earn their first Curtis Cup team selection include Farnham’s Lottie Woad, who won the girls’ and the women’s England Golf Order of Merit last year, while Northern Ireland’s Beth Coulter and 2020 English Women’s Amateur champion Emily Price are also in the frame to make their debuts.
The top-two GB&I players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking on April 21 will automatically gain selection to the team with the six remaining players announced April 26.
GB&I Curtis Cup squad
Rosie Belsham (20, Whitley Bay, England)
Beth Coulter (17, Kirkistown Castle, Ireland)
Hannah Darling (18, Broomieknowe, Scotland)
Louise Duncan (22, West Kilbride, Scotland)
Anna Foster (22, Elm Park, Ireland)
Annabell Fuller (19, Roehampton, England)
Charlotte Heath (20, Huddersfield, England)
Caley McGinty (21, Knowle, England)
Emily Price (22, Ludlow, England)
Lauren Walsh (21, Castlewarden, Ireland)
Amelia Williamson (21, Hunstanton, England)
Lottie Woad (18, Farnham, England)