The 2026 Curtis Cup is in the books with the United States taking home an impressive 13-7 victory at Bel-Air Country Club over Great Britain and Ireland. This was a true team effort for the Americans, take a look at our grades for each player on the USA roster:
Farah O’Keefe – A+
The unquestioned leader of the team, O’Keefe was flat out spectacular all week. Not only did she build up a 5-0 record, just the fourth time in Curtis Cup history that has been achieved, she was the emotional leader and the center of energy for this squad. From her first hole on Friday, where she made a long eagle putt and gave an enthusiastic fist pump and a big low five for teammate Jasmine Koo, it was clear it would be a special week for the Annika Award winner. O’Keefe was such a great presence for the Americans, that even her teammates were giving her credit for their wins in matches she wasn’t even playing in. If it was allowed, I would recommend her for a spot on this year’s Solheim Cup team.
Jasmine Koo – A
I’m not even convinced that Koo had her best stuff this week, but still she went 3-0 for the United States and had perhaps the defining win of the weekend. Facing a four-hole deficit with seven holes remaining on Sunday, Koo won 5/6 holes to rally back and defeat Nellie Ong. Koo certainly benefited from being paired with O’Keefe throughout the week, but she certainly had her big moments as well in those matches, and the two had clearly excellent chemistry.
Kiara Romero – A
The No. 1 ranked amateur in the world certainly looked the part throughout the competition, building up a 3-1 record, with the lone loss coming when she and her partner, Asterisk Talley, were clearly fatigued. She battled through that fatigue well to score a big comeback during the Saturday fourball matches, and took advantage of the rest she got Saturday afternoon to win a taxing Sunday match against Isla McDonald-O’Brien. She and Talley formed a fun team for the crowds to watch, clearly having a great time with each other and offering a glimpse into the future of American women’s golf.
Asterisk Talley – A-
Talley floated between an A- and B+ here, but I decided to round up based on her performance in her first fourball match of the week on Friday. Talley was incredible, making birdies at a rapid rate on the front nine when she and Romero began to pull away. She did lose both of the foursomes matches she was in, but recovered well in singles, taking control early and never looking back. For the youngest player on the team to go out in all five matches, coming off a week at the U.S. Women’s Open, was wildly impressive and essential for an American team that was playing a bit shorthanded. In 2028, she should step flawlessly into the leadership role of this team.
Anna Davis – B+
Not all records are built equally, and Davis’ 2-3 record certainly isn’t representative of how she performed this week. Luckily, the golf gods evened things out for the Auburn star, as she pulled away with a 4&3 win in the anchor match, steadily controlling it all Sunday and adding some comfort when things started to go south for the Americans. Like Talley, Davis played all five rounds, which was essential to get players like Romero some rest. Davis probably won’t think too fondly on her individual performance this week, but there are a lot more silver linings than what is shown on paper.
Kary Hollenbaugh – B
It is incredibly difficult to grade Hollenbaugh this week, as she only played in two sessions and didn’t make her first appearance until Saturday afternoon. Hollenbaugh struggled with poor play and some injuries throughout the season at Ohio State, and both factors seemed to be enough to have captain Meghan Stasi a bit worried about sending her out there. When she did finally get on the course, she lost in foursomes, but she kept a positive attitude and had fairly firm control of her singles match. While she only won it 1UP, the result of the Curtis Cup was already secured, and she likely wanted to just celebrate with her teammates. Another important factor of Hollenbaugh’s week, the support of her teammates, early in the week she was in the crowd watching and trying to get the American fans fired up.
Avery Weed – C
While Anna Davis’ record was a bit misleading, Weed’s 2-2 record also was a bit. She struggled, particularly on Saturday, but she was alongside Farah O’Keefe for two matches and thus helped to provide some essential points for the United States team. Weed did have an impressive loss, if that is possible, on Sunday. Going against GB&I’s best player Sophia Fullbrook, Weed fell behind on the back and had some tough holes, including two lost balls on the 15th hole. With her back against the wall though, Weed hit an extraordinary putt on 16 to win and won the 17th as well to force the match to go the full 18. It showed a ton of heart and grit.
Kelly Xu – D+
I don’t think Xu will deny that it just wasn’t her week out there. She did get a dominant win in Friday foursomes alongside Anna Davis, winning 4&3, but lost her other three matches. On Sunday, she got off to a big lead over Patience Rhodes, but completely fell apart on the back nine losing 5/7 holes at one point and making silly mistakes. Going up against Rhodes, who was in excellent form, was a big ask, so her pushing the match to 18 was probably a success out of context. Xu is usually a match play ace, so it is easy to just write this off as a bad week, but that Sunday round will likely sit in her mind for awhile.
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