Curtis Cup

California dreaming – Curtis Cup debut rounds off incredible fortnight for Ong

The R&A

11 Jun 26

5 mins

Nellie Ong practices at Bel-Air CC ahead of the 44th Curtis Cup match

Nellie Ong will complete a dream fortnight in California when she makes her Curtis Cup debut for Great Britain and Ireland in the 44^th match against the United States of America.

The 19-year-old Englishwoman set two primary goals at the start of 2026 – to play in a major and to make Catriona Matthew’s Curtis Cup team. And after qualifying for a maiden major appearance in last week’s US Women’s Open presented by Ally at Riviera, Ong is now preparing to fulfil her second target at nearby Bel-Air Country Club.

Learning experiences

“Playing in the Curtis Cup and playing in a major were both my goals for the year,” said Ong. “So it’s kind of fun; it’s happened two weeks in a row. It was an unreal experience last week, going there and teeing up with the best players in the world and seeing what they do, just really learning and taking it all in. “My first experience was amazing and I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to take it on, and hopefully put it into my game in the future. And then obviously the Curtis Cup is circled in my calendar. It’s the one everyone wants to play in, so it’s a real honour to be picked. I’m super excited to represent GB&I.”

Nellie Ong and Isla McDonald-O'Brien are accompanied by captain Catriona Matthew during a practice round at Bel-Air CC

After regaining the Curtis Cup in thrilling fashion at Sunningdale in 2024, GB&I are looking to make history in Bel-Air by winning on American soil for the first time since 1986. A star-studded USA team boasts three of the top eight in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® and six of the top 18, but GB&I were successful in similar circumstances two years ago when Matthew masterminded a dramatic victory over a side packed with highly-ranked players.

Learnings from Vagliano win

“We know each other as a group really well and I think we've got to play that to our advantage,” added Ong, one of five members of the team who featured in last year’s Vagliano Trophy victory over the Continent of Europe. “We've got a great team and we've got an amazing team atmosphere. That can't be taken away from us and that's so important in this format. We proved it in the Vagliano last year that we can win and I think we can do it again if we just believe and stick to our game.” Ong and her team-mates visited the iconic Hollywood sign on Monday before taking in a basketball game at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium. But the focus since then has very much been on getting to grips with the challenges of Bel-Air CC and reserving energy ahead of Friday’s opening contests. “I think we've got a great atmosphere,” said Ong. “Obviously, a lot of us know each other all really well already, and we're putting in the practice, putting in the hard work, but I think trying to keep it fun as well. “It's a long week and I think it's important not trying to drain ourselves at this time of the week. So it's been really good, really productive but fun as well.”

Great Britain & Ireland celebrate their Curtis Cup win at Sunningdale in 2024

Matthew confident in team

Matthew has looked to follow the same model of preparation that was successful at Sunningdale and has enjoyed watching her team hone their skills so far this week. The Scot added: “You don't want to do too much. I think if you come to LA, the one thing everyone wants to do is go and get their picture at the Hollywood sign, so we did that on Monday. I mean, at the end of the day, we're here to play golf and we're here to focus on the golf. I always think rest is just as important.  “On paper, obviously the Americans have a home match for them. They're obviously going to be hot favourites, but, you know, that puts a bit of pressure on them. They're expected to win. They'll be wanting to win, get their revenge from Sunningdale, but our team are playing well, they're confident in match play 18 holes, you never know.”

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