CURTIS CUP

June 12, 2026

Catriona Matthew

Beth Coulter

Isla McDonald-O'Brien

Bel-Air Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: The Great Britain & Ireland team after a day of Curtis Cup at Bel Air. Catriona, what's your assessment of today?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Obviously not what we were wanting, but we got two good wins, one in the morning and one in the afternoon from Beth and Isla.

There was some great golf out there. The Americans in that first match out played really well. I think they were 9-under. I thought our team really fought well, hung in well. And they fought till the end. There were no real big blowouts, which it could have been after being three or four down after a few holes.

As I say, they fought well and just need to keep doing a bit more of that tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Beth, fantastic this afternoon. When you saw the draw, did you have some worries? Playing top talents, but what a great one.

BETH COULTER: Obviously I didn't with how rushed it was in the morning. So I saw them, and I was like okay, which was probably kind of nice. Obviously we didn't play this morning, so we were eager to get out there and we were ready to go.

Obviously they did play in the morning, so we definitely had the advantage of having a little bit more energy. We used that to our advantage in the back. We kept saying it to each other, and we had a lot of fun out there.

THE MODERATOR: Isla, same question, did you feel Beth's experience from Sunningdale two years ago helped you out this afternoon?

ISLA MCDONALD-O'BRIEN: Oh, yeah, coming down the back nine, she just kept reminding me stay patient, keep playing the golf we know we can play, and keep the energy levels up, and it will go our way.

THE MODERATOR: Obviously a two-point deficit, but hopes are high. What's the target for the first session tomorrow?

BETH COULTER: I think getting out there and getting off to a hot start. Obviously the Americans did it this morning. I think that's what we'll be trying to do tomorrow. We've got a target, and we're going to obviously strive towards that.

CATRIONA MATTHEW: I would say, if we can go out there, as Beth said, try and get off to quick starts and just try and win both sessions tomorrow.

ISLA MCDONALD-O'BRIEN: I think if we all keep our energy and vibes up, we'll be doing just that.

Q. I know that sitting out in the morning, you guys are itching to get out there and everything. How do you handle the nerves of not trying to press too early in a match like that, especially knowing the team is coming in hot, and also just trusting each other and letting the match play out as it happens?

ISLA MCDONALD-O'BRIEN: I think we just knew, we played together in college, we knew each other quite well, that knew we just had to keep our energy up. Foursomes is a unique format, playing one after the other, but we trust each other, we trust each other's games.

We knew that it was going to be a tough match. Sitting out this morning, we knew we had all the energy and we're ready and raring to go.

Q. Catriona, I know you guys have match-ups that are playing and coming in and everything. Is there anything you learned today just from how the girls are playing on the course that may change strategies going into tomorrow, or are you still comfortable with the plan?

CATRIONA MATTHEW: Pretty comfortable with our plan. Yeah, we'll probably make a few little tweaks here and there. Sometimes you want to see people out there playing, but I felt they all played pretty well out there today.

I think it's a long five rounds. Even in the three days, it's long. If we can kind of rest a couple and get them good for the singles. So it's just, as they both say, in the heat and on that golf course, it's trying to keep the energy levels up.

Q. Beth, you talked about energy. What is it like in that heat? I know you guys obviously have plenty of experience from college golf, but how is it keeping the energy up?

BETH COULTER: Honestly this morning it was probably a little worse walking around. We walked a few holes, and it's tough standing there and it being so hot. Probably minding that, and we watched a bit of the TV, which was also kind of cool. We also got to see how a lot of how the holes played from just sitting in the one spot. We're doing really well and keeping us well hydrated and fueled, which is really nice.

Catriona has assembled an excellent team that keeps us on top of everything. So I think probably just being mindful and kind of conserving our energy. It obviously held us in good stead this afternoon on the back. They had obviously played a lot more holes than we had, and that was important for us to remind ourselves.

Q. Isla, you've dreamt a long time to play in a match like this, and to go out and beat players of that caliber, what does that feel like?

ISLA MCDONALD-O'BRIEN: It feels amazing. To get a point on my debut at the Curtis Cup is pretty cool.