United States falls to GB&I, 9.5-10.5
FINAL STATS

Great Britain and Ireland captured five singles matches on Sunday to win the 2012 Curtis Cup Match, conducted at The Nairn Golf Club in Nairn, Scotland. It is GB&I's first title since 1996 and seventh in Match history.

The morning had started strong for the Americans, with Austin Ernst, 20, of Seneca, S.C., and Emily Tubert, 20, of Burbank, Calif., building 2-up leads by the fifth hole over Tidy and Boulden, respectively.

But the tide quickly turned in favor of GB&I. Tidy knocked in a 25-foot birdie at the par-5 seventh to tighten the gap, and both players squared their matches with consecutive birdies at the ninth and 10th. Ernst and Tubert were never able to gain any advantage and fell by 2-and-1 and 3-and-1 margins, respectively.

Lisa McCloskey, 20, of Houston, Texas, cruised to a 4-and-3 win over Pamela Pretswell, 23, of Scotland, and temporarily stopped the GB&I roll. But Holly Clyburn, 20, of England, tallied GB&I's third point with a 3-and-2 victory over Erica Popson, 21, of Davenport, Fla.

The USA's other two victories came from 2010 veteran Tiffany Lua, who edged Bronte Law, 2 up, and Brooke Pancake, whose final amateur competition ended with a resounding 6-and-5 triumph over Ireland's Leona Maguire.

With the GB&I victory, all four major team golf trophies - the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, Walker Cup and Curtis Cup - reside with the Europeans.

The USGA today announced that the 2014 Curtis Cup Match will be conducted at St. Louis (Mo.) Country Club, while the Ladies Golf Union revealed that the 2016 Match will be held at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club near Dublin, Ireland.

United States holds one-point lead after two days

The USA again got off to a good start in the morning matches of the 2012 Curtis Cup, earning two points in the alternate shot competition. Great Britain and Ireland stormed back in the afternoon, though, as they did Friday, taking 2.5 of three possible points in the afternoon's four ball competition.

The final point of the afternoon came courtesy of the lone Scot in the field, Pamela Pretswell, 23, and Stephanie Meadow, 20, of Northern Ireland. After trailing early to Erica Popson, 21, of Davenport, Fla., and Tiffany Lua, 21, of Rowland Heights, Calif., birdies at Nos. 7 and 8 gave GB&I a 1-up advantage. Popson and Lua were able to square the match, but Pretswell's 4-footer for birdie at the 17th earned GB&I the point.

"Both Tiffany and I played well today," said Popson, a rising senior at the University of Tennessee. "We gave ourselves a lot of chances. We hit some really good putts that just didn't go in today."

The Curtis Cup concludes with eight singles matches on Sunday.

A point is awarded for each victory and a half-point goes to each side for a draw. The USA, winners of the last seven contests in the biennial series, needs 10 points to retain the Cup, while GB&I needs 10.5 points to regain the Cup.

You can follow Curtis Cup coverage at the USGA Championships page and on twitter.

United States takes 4-2 lead after first day

Team USA took an early 3-0 lead at the 2012 Curtis Cup Friday, sweeping the morning's best ball matches. Great Britain and Ireland took a bite out of the American lead in the afternoon, though, taking two of three points in the afternoon's four ball contests.

Rising senior Erica Popson saw her first Curtis Cup action Friday afternoon, competing with Alabama graduate Brooke Pancake in the four ball match. The pair fell 2-and-1 to GB-I's Kelly Tidy & Holly Clyburn.

Pancake and Popson carried a 1-up lead to the inward nine. However, three bogeys in the ensuing four holes threw the match into GB&I's favor, despite a bobble from Tidy at the par-4 12th.

The Curtis Cup continues Saturday with three foursomes matches and three four-ball matches. The Match concludes with eight singles matches on Sunday.

A point is awarded for each victory and a half-point goes to each side for a draw.

The USA, winners of the last seven contests in the biennial series, needs 10 points to retain the Cup, while GB&I needs 10.5 points to regain the Cup.

You can follow Curtis Cup coverage at the USGA Championships page and on twitter.

Popson, U.S., set to compete in Curtis Cup

CHAMPIONSHIP SITE | GOLFWEEK FEATURE | USGA VIDEO

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Lady Vol rising senior Erica Popson is set to tee off for the 2012 Curtis Cup, which kicks off Friday in Nairn, Scotland.

Tennessee's low scorer for the last two seasons, Popson is one of eight amateur golfers representing the United States in the biennial international competition. The U.S. women are slated to play June 8-10 at the Nairn Golf Club, facing off against an eight-woman squad from Great Britain and Ireland.

The group of collegiate golfers will cast off their university affiliations for the event, as usual rivals become teammates. The United States team features four Southeastern Conference products, two Pac-12 selections and a representative from both the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Summit League.

With her selection to the team in December, Popson became the first Lady Vol golfer to be tabbed to represent the U.S. in the Curtis Cup.

Matches get underway on Friday morning with an alternate-shot format and continue with best ball in the afternoon. Various formats are utilized over the three-day event, concluding with individual play on Sunday.

The USA has won seven consecutive Curtis Cup matches, most recently at the 2010 Match held at Essex County Club in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., by a score of 12.5-7.5. Overall, the Red, White and Blue has compiled a 26-6-3 record in the event dating back to 1932.

Scoring of the matches will be available at USGA.org.