FORMER Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew has guided Great Britain and Ireland to the Curtis Cup for the first time since 2016.

The home side clinched a 10.5-9.5 win over the USA in glorious sunshine at Sunningdale, Surrey.

Singles victories for the undefeated Sara Byrne, Patience Rhodes and Lorna McClymont, together with a vital half-point from Mimi Rhodes, ensured that the hosts converted a 7-5 overnight advantage into a thrilling triumph, delighting a record crowd that included European Ryder Cup hero Justin Rose.

Matthew, who won the competition as a player, said: “They're a fantastic team.

"I'm so proud of them. They really dug in every day and in every session.

“It didn't look as though it was perhaps going our way today but they really toughed it out.

“It's just been a fantastic experience for me getting to know them and they were great.  

“My hat's off to the Americans as well.

“There was some fantastic golf on all three days and it just made it a spectacle for women's golf.

“The golf this week really was quite amazing.

“I think the future of women's golf is in good hands."

Matthew, who won the Women’s British Open in 2009, previously guided Team Europe to victory in the Solheim Cup in both 2019 and 2021.

And the North Berwick resident was celebrating once again as Great Britain and Ireland won the Curtis Cup for the first time since 2016 at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club in Ireland.

The home side’s success was confirmed as McClymont completed a 3&2 win over Megan Schofill at virtually the same time as Mimi Rhodes holed a par putt against Melanie Green on the 17th that guaranteed at least a half, taking GB&I to the 10.5 points they required.

Rhodes, who had been three down through seven holes against Women’s Amateur Champion Melanie Green, lost the 18th to ensure that contest finished all-square, but it mattered little, with Matthew’s side having already done enough to prevail.

The American line-up included four of the top-10 players on the World Amateur Golf Ranking and Meghan Stasi’s team applied plenty of pressure on Sunday morning, at one stage opening up leads in six of the eight matches.

There was a phenomenal win for the 15-year-old Asterisk Talley, who beat world number one Lottie Woad 3&2 in the top match, while Anna Davis, Jasmine Koo and Rachel Kuehn also secured respective victories over Hannah Darling, Beth Coulter and Aine Donegan.

Yet GB&I had numerous heroes of their own, not least the brilliant Byrne, who put the perfect seal on her amateur career.

A record crowd for a Curtis Cup enjoyed the three-day match, totalling 16,680.

Rose – runner-up at The 152nd Open at Royal Troon in July – Charley Hull and Colin Montgomerie were among the onlookers this week as Sunningdale hosted the Curtis Cup for the first time.

The 44th Curtis Cup will be played at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles from June 12 to 14, 2026.