'We have nothing to lose': GB&I takes momentum into Sunday Singles at Curtis Cup
LOS ANGELES — Patience Rhodes knows how to win a Curtis Cup. She was on the winning team two years ago at Sunningdale.
The stakes Sunday are different than that week, though.
Great Britain & Ireland is looking to end a 40-year Curtis Cup drought at Bel-Air Country Club, having not won on foreign soil since 1986. The week started with encouraging video messages from members of that team. GB&I led 7-5 heading into singles two years ago. Now it trails by the same margin but has plenty of momentum going into Sunday after its first session win of the week Saturday afternoon in foursomes.
“We have nothing to lose,” Rhodes, who is 3-1 this week, said. “We’re a great team. We’ve got great support, great captains. So, yeah, we’re just going to do our best and try to take them down.
“They’ll have lots of pressure on them. They haven’t lost in like 40 years on their own soil. So we have nothing to lose. We’re just going to go out there firing.”
Rhodes and Sophia Fullbrook, who have teamed in every session, are the only GB&I players with winning records this week, but the two have been dominant against the USA and kept GB&I within striking distance. However, they’ll have to break a trend that has heavily favored the red, white and blue in Sunday Singles the last two American Curtis Cups.
USA has won 15 of 16 matches points in singles the last two home Curtis Cups, a dominant margin that has taken away any drama come the final day. Don’t expect GB&I to make it easy come Sunday.
“We have a two-point lead, but they know they have to go out and get every point possible,” USA captain Meghan Stasi said. “I know every single person is going to go out there and try their hardest.”
NCAA individual champion Farah O’Keefe has a chance to become the fourth player to go 5-0 since switching to five sessions in 2008 for the USA. She has been stellar all week and won the only USA point in foursomes Saturday afternoon with teammate Avery Weed.
No. 1 amateur Kiara Romero, who’s 2-1 this week, sat out Saturday’s foursomes session and should be fresh going into Sunday Singles. Kelly Xu is in the leadoff spot for the USA and will face Rhodes. Xu went 3-0 at the NCAA Championship last month, helping Stanford win its third national championship in five years.
GB&I has momentum and is ready to break its spell of poor Sundays in the states. The USA will be ready.
“I think we’re playing strong,” Stasi said. “I think we’re strong across the board. So I’ve got confidence in everybody.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Curtis Cup 2026: GB&I trying to break losing streak at Bel-Air
