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2022 Curtis Cup: Complete day two coverage
If statistics are your thing, chew on these numbers. The sum total of the world rankings for Team GBI equals 344. Team USA checks in at 164, including the 1st and 4th-ranked players in Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck. On the surface, that looks fairly lopsided.
If you believe that statistics have much, if anything to do with golf, you’re probably incorrect. Team golf is all about cooperation, cohesion, and collaboration. No shot is more important than any other, although they seem that way to the casual fan. There are no quitters on either team, so even as a pairing is losing holes, they are grinding hard. Keep that in mind when you watch them go at it on Sunday morning.
Morning Session
Day two of the 2022 Curtis Cup matches began with cloudy skies and the occasional sunburst. Sitting out the morning fourballs for Team USA were the Stanford teammates Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck. Taking the wee hours off for Team GBI were Amelia Williamson and Emily Price. The par-four, seventh and tenth holes were pushed up to inside 300 yards, tempting golfers to have a go at the green in one. Around 11:30, a drizzle began and the tone of the morning golf changed just slightly. It might have coincided with the arrival of the matches at the grueling final five. Away went the myth that golfers from the British Isles thrive in weathery conditions, and away went an opportunity to close the five-point deficit accrued on day one.
No partnership has played better thus far, than did Lauren Walsh and Caley McGinty of Team GBI. The pair opened with a win at the first, snatched four consecutive holes from six through nine, then closed with three consecutive wins at 12 through 14. Their margin of victory was 5 & 4, the largest winning gap so far. Their shared recipe was precisely what has been missing from GBI golf so far: birdies. The duo won six of their eight holes with birdie. Walsh and McGinty will team up again in the afternoon, and will need to reprise their magic to bring the visiting side back into the match.
It would be impossible to say which of the two later matches gutted the side from across the Atlantic more. Hannah Darling and Annabel Fuller won but two holes on the morning, againsf four by their opponents. A member of the volunteer brigade was heard to later exclaim Great Britain and Ireland played so well. I really have no idea how they lost. Well, how they lost was on the putting surfaces, and due to a dearth of birdies. Just four shots were saved by the team, and short putts were missed at the least opportune times. In hindsight, one always notes that the victors came through when needed. Darling and Fuller were unable to lean on each other to pull this one out. They’ll get a second chance in the afternoon’s foursomes play.
Imagine having a two-up lead with three holes to play. If you can, then you know how Charlotte Heath and Louise Duncan felt as they reached the 16th tee on Saturday morning. Imagine being down by those two holes, but having the faith that you and your partner could come back. That’s the state in which Emilia Migliaccio and Latanna Stone found themselves. Over the course of the first 15 holes, the GBI pair had just enough of an edge to stay out front. When they made a wonderful birdie at the demanding 15th, that three seemed like a dagger to the sould of the American side. Except that it wasn’t.
Over the next three holes, the pair from Great Britain and Ireland would forget how to play their game. They would close with two pars and four bogeys, and lose each of the remaining holes. The hosts made a must-have birdie at the quarry 16th, followed it with a par that seemed like a birdie at the daunting 17th, then made one last par at the last of the quarry holes, to seize the match in unpredicatable and unimaginable fashion.
With those two victories, Team USA expanded its advantage from four to five points, with three afternoon foursomes matches still to come.
Afternoon Session
Sitting out the afternoon foursomes for the visiting team from Great Britain and Ireland were Charlotte Heath and Louise Duncan. Emilia Migliaccio and Megha Ganne took a breather for Team USA. Out first for GBI were the winning team from the morning, Lauren Walsh and Caley McGinty. Their task was to take down the Stanford duo of Rose Zhang and Rachel Heck. Next up would be Amelia Williamson and Emily Price from across the Atlantic, while the home squad offered up Amari Avery and Rachel Kuehn. The final clash would see visitors Hannah Darling and Annabell Fuller pitted against Latanna Stone and Jensen Castle. On the line were three important points, in advance of eight matches on a stormy Sunday morning.
If you take a careful look at the scorecard from this match, examine the first seven holes for Team GBI and the final seven for Team USA. They are nearly mirror images. GBI won four of the first seven holes, while USA won four of the last seven. The middle segment of five fairways saw each side win two holes. Beyond that, there isn’t much to report. Four of the most talented female amateurs met in competition, and ended up dead even in the end. No lead is ever safe, and no deficit, insurmountable. Team golf, especially foursomes (aka alternate shot) is the polar opposite of individual play, and what it requires is foreign to most of us.
Amari Avery may be a Curtis Cup rookie, but she doesn’t play like one. She is a singles win away from going five and oh in her match debut. Don’t worry, it isn’t a jinx if she brought it up, and she did just that, in the interview room. Avery deflected the significance of her individual performance, insisting that it’s all about the team; nothing more, nothing less. Avery paired with Rachel Kuehn for the second consecutive day. In each match, the pair saved its best golf for the closing stretch. On Friday, they won three of their final five holes, for a 3 & 2 victory. On Saturday, the won three of the closing four, coming out on top by 2 holes.
The team of Darling and Fuller was a curious selection. Rumors abounded that Darling was not slated to play in the afternoon match, but that something had happened to a teammate, that necessitated her subbing in. This turned out to be a great move. Darling’s length often set teammate Fuller up for an easier approach. Late in the game, Darling buried a ten-feet putt on the 17th green for par, clinching a very necessary, full point for her side. It was the first time in four sessions that the visitors had halved the three points, and it was the first points for both Darling and Fuller.
Sunday’s weather forecast is yucky, with moments of ick. Thunderstorms are forecast throughout the day. If it were just rain, the golfers would play on. With electricity in the air, everything changes. To have a chance at completing the singles matches, organizers have moved the first tee time up from mid afternoon to 7:30 am. Keep your fingers crossed and do your weather dance. Merion will need it.
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Tour Photo Galleries
Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.
We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.
We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.
Check out links to all our photos, below.
General Albums
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Monday #2
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #1
- 2024 RBC Heritage – Tuesday #2
WITB Albums
- Justin Thomas – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Rose – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Nick Dunlap – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Thomas Detry – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Austin Eckroat – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Jason Day – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Will Zalatoris – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Patrick Cantlay – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Ludwig Aberg – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Collin Morikawa – WITB – 2024 RBC Heritage
Pullout Albums
- Wyndham Clark’s Odyssey putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- JT’s new Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Justin Thomas testing new Titleist 2 wood – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey putter with triple track alignment aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Scotty Cameron The Blk Box putting alignment aid/training aid – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Cameron putter – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Odyssey Ai One Eleven T putters – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Christian Bezuidenhout – testing new Callaway Ti 340 mini driver – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Xander Schauffele testing the Callaway Ti 340 mini driver & the DUW – 2024 RBC Heritage
- Byeong Hun An, two new L.A.B. Golf putter builds with “T” alignment – 2024 RBC Heritage
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
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News
Morning 9: Aberg: I want to be No. 1 | Rory’s management blasts ‘fake news’ reports
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News
Masters 2024: Reduced-scale clubhouse trophy and green jacket to Scottie Scheffler
In the world of golf, there is Scotty and there is Scottie. Scotty Cameron gave the world of golf a nickname for a prestigious putter line, and Scottie Scheffler has now given the golf world a blueprint for how to negotiate one of the toughest tournaments to win. Sunday, Scheffler won the Masters tournament for the second time in three years. He separated from the field around the turn, making a trio of birdies at holes eight through 10. On the long walk home, he added three more birdie at 13, 14, and 16, to secure a four-shot win over Masters and major-championship rookie Ludvig Åberg.
On No. 7, Ludvig Åberg makes birdie to move into a tie for second place. #themasters pic.twitter.com/ZSjcOr9OQK
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 14, 2024
As the final group moved along the ninth hole, a quadrilateral stood at 7 under par, tied for the lead. Scheffler, playing partner Collin Morikawa, and penultimate pairing Max Homa and Åberg advanced equally toward Amen Corner, with the resolution of the competition well in doubt. Morikawa flinched first, getting too greedy (his words) at nine and 11. Double bogey at each dropped him farther back than he wished, and he ultimately made a 10-foot putt for bogey at the last, to tie for third position.
Ludvig Åberg made the next mistake. Whether he knew the Ben Hogan story about the approach into 11 or not, he bit off way more than he should have. His approach was never hopeful, and ended short and right in White Dogwood’s pond. Åberg finished the hole in six shots. To his credit, he played the remaining seven holes in two-under figures. Finally, Max Homa was the victim of the finicky winds over Golden Bell, the short, par-3 12th hole. His disbelief was evident, as his tee shot flew everything and landed in azaleas behind the putting surface. After two pitch shots and two putts, Homa also had a double bogey, losing shots that he could not surrender.
Why? At the ninth hole, Scottie Scheffler hit one of the finest approach shots of all time, into the final green of the first nine. Scheffler had six inches for birdie and he converted. At the 10th, he lasered another approach shot into a tricky hole location, then made another fine putt for birdie. Within the space of 30 minutes, Scheffler had seized complete control of the tournament, but Amen Corner still lurked.
Scottie Scheffler is back in sole possession of the lead. #themasters pic.twitter.com/MGytXpJcXH
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 14, 2024
At the 11th, Scheffler played safely right with his approach. His chip shot was a wee bit too brave and left him a seven-foot comeback putt for par. He missed on the right side and gave one shot back to the course and field. His tee ball on 12 was safely aboard, and he took two putts for par. On 13, the 2022 champion drove slightly through the fairway, then reached the green, with his first two shots. His seventy-foot-plus putt for eagle eased up, four feet past the hole. His second putt went down, and he was back in the birdie zone. As on nine, his approach to 14 green finished brilliantly within six inches. His final birdie came at the 16th, where he negotiated a nine-foot putt for a deuce.
Leader by four with two to play. #themasters pic.twitter.com/KcoilYExDr
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 14, 2024
Scheffler reached 11 under par and stood four shots clear of Ludvig Åberg when he reached the 18th tee. His drive found the lower fairway bunker on the left, and his approach settled in a vale, short and right of the green. With dexterous hands, Scheffler pitched to three feet and made the putt for par. With a big smile, he embraced caddie Ted Scott, who won for the fourth time at Augusta National, and the second with Scheffler. Ludvig Åberg finished alone in second spot, four back of the winner. Not a bad performance for the first-time major championship participant Åberg, and not a bad finish for the world No. 1 and second-time Masters champion, Scottie Scheffler.
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