CURTIS CUP

June 12, 2026

Meghan Stasi

Farah O'Keefe

Kelly Xu

Bel-Air Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Please welcome representatives from the USA team. Farah O'Keefe, I'm going to start with you. Your first Curtis Cup experience. How did today go?

FARAH O'KEEFE: It was awesome. I don't know, I didn't feel like it was my first Curtis Cup experience. I felt like I was -- you know, with both my partners, I felt like both of us were very, very confident coming out of the gate. I felt like no matter what happened in our match, we were always in control.

At one point, I think, in the afternoon we were 2-down, and it really didn't feel like it. It still felt like we were very much still in that match, and it just felt, I don't know, it was just fun. We were kind of -- we were just having the time of our lives down the back nine, and I felt like we just had a great time. Yeah, I'm looking forward to tomorrow for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Kelly, how about you and getting that point on the board this afternoon?

KELLY XU: Obviously it feels really great. Anna is such a great partner. Having her in the afternoon, we had really got the vibe going.

And to just kind of reiterate what Farah said, even though we lost our morning match and we might have been down at some point, it didn't really feel like that. We were just playing good golf all the way through. I think it was just that emphasis on having fun. So we had a great time.

THE MODERATOR: Meghan, obviously a great start for the team. What did you see out of your team today that impressed you?

MEGHAN STASI: Just exactly what we've been working on. Having fun, being confident, and trusting your partner. I think they did a really good job of that. The losses were to a majority of birdies. So it was awesome.

Q. What can you say about being able to mesh with two different partners and getting the job done in both those?

FARAH O'KEEFE: Well, I felt like honestly at the beginning of the week it didn't really matter who I was paired with because everybody on our team truly gets along. Like there's not one person that's not enjoying themselves this week, I think.

Like we were talking about it the other night, and it's just like everybody on our team has a fantastic sense of humor. They don't take themselves too seriously, which I think is kind of important. But at the same time, we're all really, really good at what we do, and I think we put a lot of effort and time into our craft so that, when it comes time to perform, it's there.

We're also -- I feel like every single one of these girls also knows how to relax at the end of the day. So really just meshing with them, as you said, it came really easy.

Q. It seems like not too early to have the handshakes and hip bumps and all those kinds of things?

FARAH O'KEEFE: Well, we were kind of planning it during some of those practice rounds. Like Avery and I were like, okay, we need to come up with something to do like when something goes our way. I don't know, it just kept happening today. So it was cool.

Same thing with Jasmine in the morning, we were on the putting green, and she was like, we should make a handshake. I was like, okay, so we made a handshake in like three seconds, and we just kept doing that through the rest of the round. I don't know, it's cool.

Q. Kelly, I want to start with you. On the 10th hole, can you kind of take me through that tee shot, and did you ever think you would walk off the hole with the win?

KELLY XU: I was really hoping nobody was going to ask about that. I was even joking to my assistant coach after the round like I've never cold shanked it in like my Stanford career. I'm not someone who cold shanks shots.

I think that 10th hole, like you're looking up at the hole, and you have this wood in your hand and you're so dialed into which side of the green do I want to come at this from that you forget you're swinging a wood to an elevated green. So when it came off the face, I was like, oh, my gosh, there goes the hole -- like I surprised myself. I didn't know what happened.

Then Anna thankfully made it over, I think it was -- me and Anna were joking like nobody should know how to play 50 yards below the hole from hole 10, but now we do. We can bring that into the team meeting if anyone's interested. But she hit a beautiful shot to three, four feet, and we just make it for par. So it's great. Nothing happened.

FARAH O'KEEFE: It's really impressive that you've never cold shanked it. I have like four this year.

KELLY XU: That should be my fun fact.

Q. Meghan, for you, you guys have won that hole three times today and then tied it three times today. It's obviously a really pivotal hole going into the back nine. Is there maybe a particular strategy you discussed going into this week, or what's allowed you at least today to take control of the hole?

MEGHAN STASI: Well, the strategy was hit the green. We talked about it. Just make sure you have that putt, but obviously it worked out well that way too.

No, it's a tough hole, and I think all their shape shots are incredible to make that shot.

Q. Farah, you mentioned how this is your first Curtis Cup experience. I know you have some other international team experience too. You said it didn't feel like a first experience today. There have been people in your position who struggled in this competition before. Why have you been able to thrive so far in this environment? Why do you always seem to thrive when you're a leader like you've shown yourself to be this week?

FARAH O'KEEFE: I want to go back to the people on this team. The people on this team make it possible to feel like this isn't my first Curtis Cup. Everybody's been, like I said, they're very welcoming, and everyone is very close. Even in the few days we've spent with each other, we've built a bond that's probably going to last a lifetime.

I think that kind of pulls the nerves out of it because it doesn't make you feel alone, like at all. It makes you feel like you have this entire group of people behind you that no matter what happens at the end of the day, they're still going to have your back.

I think also personally, I feel like this kind of golf, team golf, team match play golf really fires me up. So no matter who I'm playing for, I'm going to give it my all. I know that I'm playing good golf, and I know that good golf is hard to beat. So I'm just going to keep doing that, and whatever happens at the end of the day is what happens.

It doesn't really come down to anything other than hitting good shots, and that's all I'm trying to do.

Q. Meghan, anything based on today's play or maybe, say, the outcome of the first match that will impact your thinking and how you're sending out lineups tomorrow?

MEGHAN STASI: I think they gelled together really well. A couple people may need some rest. That's about it. I think no matter who I put with, who I pair with, they're all going to go out and put their heart into it and give it all they got.

Just give them some downtime tonight and get the physio they need and eat well and rest well.

Q. I would just love to hear from anybody, any one moment out there today, the non-shank division, that was just a cool thing that maybe we couldn't see but that you all witnessed or experienced?

FARAH O'KEEFE: I'm trying to think. I feel like there were just a lot of putts holed. I don't know if that was reflected on the broadcast, but it really did feel like, if it wasn't going in the hole, it was going to be a gimme. I think that's -- it's just really high quality golf, like truly.

There was no -- I mean, other than, I guess, the shank, but I didn't see any bad shots, at least not in my group. So really, really high quality golf. I think that that's really on both sides. It was just entertaining, and it was fun.

Like I said, it never really got out of control. It was just kind of -- at least both my matches were pretty back and forth for a little while. I'm trying to think. Anything else?

MEGHAN STASI: You had an eagle on 1 today.

FARAH O'KEEFE: I did. I eagled 1.

MEGHAN STASI: That was pretty impressive.

FARAH O'KEEFE: That was good. That was really good. Then in the afternoon, Avery hit it down there like 290, and I had like a 7-iron then, and I hit it to like six feet. It was just crazy. We played that hole fantastic.

Like when we played in the practice round too, when we played that hole, we played it pretty positively alternate shot. Like I said, just good golf. Just really good golf. 8-iron, yeah. But it was a little short.

THE MODERATOR: Before we wrap, Kelly, do you want to talk about your best shot of the day?

KELLY XU: Well, I guess while we were talking about 1, I think the girls this week, like everyone is striping their drives, and Farah and Avery are such a long duo. But I think there's super long drives all across the board.

I think my best shot of the day was second round, alternate shot, 211 into the pin with 5-wood off of a ball above the feet to four feet on hole 1. So we picked that up for eagle. So that felt pretty nice.