Great Britain and Ireland’s struggles on American soil continued this week at the Curtis Cup, as they fell 13-7. On paper this team was severely overmatched in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, but despite that, they showed the type of grit and fire that you expect from European teams in golf competitions. Here are our grades for every player:
Sophia Fullbrook – A+
Sophia Fullbrook was just so good this week. While it is splitting hairs to ask who the best player for GB&I was between the top two, I give Fullbrook the slight edge. Outside of Farah O’Keefe, she might have been the best player on either team. Fullbrook went 4-1 this week and helped deliver some knockout punches while trying to keep her team alive. Some of the shots she hit were extraordinary, including a standout shot on the fifth hole in Saturday fourball that broke her match wide open. This was a great week for the Englishwoman who is still just a sophomore at Florida State. It would be great to see her in Scotland in 2028.
Patience Rhodes – A+
Again, it is so tough to decide who was the top player for GB&I this weekend, especially since Fullbrook and Rhodes played together for four rounds. Rhodes did have the signature moment for GB&I at this Curtis Cup, falling down four through five holes to Kelly Xu. Somehow, someway, the Sun Devil star fought, scratched and clawed her way back, winning the match on the 18th hole. It sums up the attitude and passion that makes European Ryder/Solheim Cup teams so annoying to American fans. She showed off so many skills this weekend, and should join her sister Mimi on the LPGA Tour soon.
Isla McDonald-O’Brien – B+
A lot of these GB&I grades are going to be relative to expectations since only two players had good records on paper. McDonald-O’Brien was so impressive and fun to watch though, maybe the breakout name for me personally. She hits it insanely long and has the game to go along with that power. McDonald-O’Brien is ranked No. 97 in the WAGR currently but she didn’t look it, and wasn’t intimidated by anyone, beating Kiara Romero and Asterisk Talley in foursomes, taking future Texas teammate Farah O’Keefe to 18 holes in fourball, and nearly defeating Romero in singles on Sunday.
Davina Xanh – B
Xanh had a totally fine week in Los Angeles, going 1-2 and providing some pretty notable moments for GB&I. The most memorable of those moments was her driving the green on the par 4 seventh, a shot most players weren’t even attempting and when they were, it usually didn’t go well. That beautiful shot led to an eagle that set up a big run that created a nice lead over the team of Anna Davis and Asterisk Talley. Speaking of Talley, she played well in a match with her that, by world rankings, she shouldn’t have been competitive in. She rallied to force it to go 17 holes despite falling down three holes by the 10th.
Beth Coulter – C+
Beth Coulter didn’t have a great week, but she did have a big-time moment alongside her former ASU teammate McDonald-O’Brien, grabbing a huge upset victory over the team of Kiara Romero and Asterisk Talley during Friday foursomes. That Romero and Talley team looked unbeatable in the morning that day, so this win was a huge momentum boost that kept GB&I from falling out of comeback range on day one. Coulter and McDonald-O’Brien also took Farah O’Keefe and Jasmine Koo to 18 on Saturday in a match they trailed by three early in. Coulter ended her week though by struggling Sunday in the anchor match, losing 4&3 to Anna Davis, dropping her record to 1-3 for the week.
Charlotte Naughton – C+
The youngest player for GB&I showed a ton of heart throughout the week despite some really tough matchups. Naughton had probably the toughest situation of any player for the week, having to finish off the 17th hole when the result was already over, against the best player from the United States. The area around the green and in the fairway was pure chaos, and she handled herself very well considering the crowd and commotion. She went 1-3 for the weekend, grabbing her lone point in Saturday foursomes. She played well Sunday though against future teammate Farah O’Keefe, and she should help make Texas one of the best teams in the country next year.
Nellie Ong – C-
I think it is pretty clear that nobody on either team had a more frustrating week than Ong, and she showed that frustration frequently throughout the matches. That frustration didn’t just come from her 0-4 record though, it came because she showed a lot more skill than that record shows. Everything bubbled up into disaster on Sunday, where she finally looked like she was catching a break with a 4UP lead on Jasmine Koo. Then, because it was just that type of week for Ong, she lost 5/7 holes to lose an essential match, one that seemed like it could be the most stable blue point on Sunday. While I don’t think her play was as bad as the results, it is still hard to give a better grade than this to a player who went 0-4.
Lily Hirst – C-
It is so tough to judge Hirst’s week at the Curtis Cup, because the reality is, she was just overmatched. Hirst is ranked No. 411 in the WAGR while the lowest ranked American is ranked No. 30. It was a tough position to be put into and she showed a lot of maturity and composure throughout the week. That being said, she went 0-3 for the week and only made it past the 16th hole in her Sunday singles match, a match that she fought back in from a big deficit, but only after the Cup was already won by the United States. Still, she didn’t look out of place and performed much better than her world ranking.
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