Curtis Cup

USA’s young talent look to shine at 43rd Curtis Cup

The R&A

27 Aug 24

3 mins

Two of USA’s brightest young prospects are excited to make their debuts in one of women’s golf’s biggest stages at the 43^rd Curtis Cup over Sunningdale’s Old Course this week.

Fifteen-year-old Asterisk Talley and 18-year-old Anna Davis are part of the US side looking to win the team’s fourth consecutive Curtis Cup and 12^th of the last 14 editions. Play commences on Friday 30 August with three foursomes matches followed by three four-ball matches, which is repeated on Saturday, before eight singles matches on Sunday. Both players have a wealth of experience representing their country and competing in world class events and won’t be intimidated playing against their Great Britain and Ireland counterparts despite being two of the youngest players in either team. At a tender age of 15, Talley has already amassed an impressive 15-2-0 match play record in USGA championships this year. She finished runner-up in both the US Girls’ Junior and US Women’s Amateur, her only two match play losses, and won the US Women’s Amateur Four-Ball alongside Sarah Lim. She also won the Girls’ Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and shared low amateur honours at the US Women’s Open.

Almost as young as Wie

Talley is one of the youngest players in Curtis Cup history. In 2004, Michelle Wie competed for USA at age 14 while twin sisters Leonie and Lisa Maguire competed for GB&I in 2010 as 15-year-olds. The two-time junior All-American is excited to follow in the footsteps of many great players and to get her week underway alongside her USA teammates. “I’m super excited to be here,” she said. “Coming into this summer, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. I wasn’t even thinking about it, so I’m excited and grateful to be here and it’s going to be a fun week.” Reflecting on her many achievements at such a young age, Talley isn’t concerned about the pressure of team golf, having been a part of the 2023 Junior Solheim Cup.

Anna Davis - USA

“I’ve had a great amateur career so far and had the chance to play in a lot of teams and represent USA which is the goal in any sport. I’m very excited to be here this week and be able to play for USA.”

Experiences helping

She added, “It’s a bunch of practice and a bunch of tournament experience that’s really helped me progress. Getting the feel for tournament golf like this such as USGA events really prepares you. It’s a great test and all those experiences have helped me to progress to places like this. “I don’t really get nerves that much as I’ve been golfing my whole life. I’ve been playing in tournaments since I was five-years-old, so I’ve lived with nerves my whole life. My dad always said that nerves only make you play worse, so I’ve never really felt any nerves.” After representing USA at this week’s Curtis Cup, she will play in the Junior Solheim Cup again next month. Another of USA’s youth side is Davis, who also boasts plenty of team golf experience despite being in her teenage years – representing the US in the Arnold Palmer Cup, Junior Solheim Cup, Junior Ryder Cup, Women’s World Amateur Team Championship and Pan American Games.

Ready to play part

The 2024 Second Team All-American at Auburn University also reached the quarter-finals at this year’s US Women’s Amateur, the last-64 in The Women’s Amateur Championship, and earned low amateur honours at the CPKC Women’s Open in Canada. Although she’s making her debut this year, Davis is familiar with the pressures of the Curtis Cup after being the team’s reserve in 2022 at Merion on home soil. She’s excited to be in the thick of things following her experience a couple of years ago. “It’s always so cool to play team events overseas,” said Davis. “I feel like it means a lot more being away from home and its always an honour to represent your country. “I’ve had a great amateur career so far and had the chance to play in a lot of teams and represent USA which is the goal in any sport. I’m very excited to be here this week and be able to play for USA.”

Parkland-style

Davis has adapted to the European style of golf following The Women’s Amateur Championship and Arnold Palmer Cup earlier this summer. She says Sunningdale will be easier for the Americans to get used to due to the parkland-style nature of the course, similar to the layouts they play at home. “We played Pine Valley a few days before coming here and it’s actually quite similar,” she added. “This isn’t very linksy – it’s more like parkland-style golf which I think will be a little easier to get used to rather than links golf. It hasn’t been too windy, and the forecast says it’s not going to be super windy. I’ve played a lot of links golf this summer so I’m used to playing in the gusty winds. “We have a lot of wedges from 100-yards and in. There are a few longer par-4s and par-3s where we’ll have hybrids and five irons and stuff like that, so dialing in the long irons and wedges will be pretty key this week.” Jasmine Koo is the third American part of this year’s Curtis Cup team after playing in the Junior Solheim Cup last year.

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