TWO-TIME victorious Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew will lead Great Britain and Ireland in next year’s Curtis Cup.
The North Berwick golfer brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role for the match, which pits the best female amateur golfers from Great Britain and Ireland against their American counterparts.
Matthew was a member of three Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup teams in a decorated amateur career.
She has been through a full variety of experiences as a player in the losing side in 1990, the winning side in 1992 at Royal Liverpool, and again in 1994 when Great Britain and Ireland retained the trophy.
The 1993 Women’s Amateur champion, who is already involved in amateur golf through her mentoring role at Scottish Golf, is delighted to once again be a part of the Curtis Cup.
Already, Matthew was looking forward to the event, which takes place from August 30 to September 1 at Sunningdale, Berkshire.
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She said: “Playing in the Curtis Cup is the pinnacle for young amateur golfers. I was thrilled to make the Great Britain and Ireland team three times as a player and I feel just as privileged to be the captain in 2024.
“As a player, I remember the emotions of competing in the Curtis Cup – the excitement of being on a team rather than competing individually, as well as the desire to perform well for your team and pressure you put on yourself not to let them down.
“As a captain, it is my job to navigate the players through these situations and to help them believe what is possible.”
Matthew captained Europe to Solheim Cup victory at Gleneagles in 2019 before retaining the trophy in 2021 at the Inverness Club in Ohio.
She said: “Through the Solheim Cup, I have gained experience in building a high-performing and successful team, including bringing together individual athletes from different countries and recognising whose strengths will combine well to create successful pairings.
“My goal is to channel all my playing and captaining skills into this Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team to optimise their performance.”
The appointment of Matthew as captain is an evolution of the Great Britain and Ireland team as it targets a first Curtis Cup victory since 2016 at Dun Laoghaire.
Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A, was delighted to welcome the county golfer to the role.
He said: “Her reputation for strong leadership and past experience as a player with winning pedigree make Catriona the perfect captain for the Great Britain and Ireland team.
“The Curtis Cup has long been a prominent event for women’s elite amateur golf, and Great Britain and Ireland has enjoyed some fantastic wins.
“We are now seeing the amateur level of the sport evolve into a more competitive era and believe that Catriona is the best placed captain to guide the team in this period.
“Just like professional golfers, amateurs are now focused on a holistic approach to their game.
“Catriona will bring her years of professional experience to the Great Britain and Ireland team and help them combine all facets of their game to be in peak form for the Curtis Cup.”
The 43rd Curtis Cup match will be played at Sunningdale’s Old Course.
The leading women’s amateur players from Great Britain and Ireland and the USA will compete at the renowned venue as the prestigious biennial match is played there for the first time.
Under the leadership of Matthew, the Great Britain and Ireland team will be looking to bounce back from the 15½-4½ loss to the USA in the previous match, which was played last year at Merion.
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