Great Britain and Ireland went two points ahead of the United States on the final day of the Curtis Cup after a superb afternoon of unbeaten form.
Catriona Mathew's team fought back to win the title after opening the tournament on Friday afternoon, winning one of their three foursomes matches and splitting one in half on Saturday morning in front of a packed crowd at Sunningdale.
Heading into the afternoon session, the score was locked at 4.5-4.5, with England winning two games and splitting one of the three to take a 7-5 lead over the defending champions.
That leaves Britain and Ireland needing three-and-a-half points from Sunday's eight singles matches to win the Curtis Cup for the first time since 2016, while the United States needs five points to defend the trophy and five-and-a-half points to win it for the fourth straight time.
How Britain and Ireland Developed
Saturday morning saw three foursomes matches that were both tense and intense. Two teams finished on the 18th hole, while the other finished on the 17th, with little difference between the two teams.
Lottie Ward and Sarah Byrne finished level on points with Melanie Green and Rachel Quinn, the British and Irish team losing the lead after back-to-back bogeys on the 16th hole but Greene missed a five-footer on the 18th to win by half a point.
The only Americans to get a perfect score on the day were Catherine Park and Joy Campos, who beat Patience Rose and Beth Colter 2-1, before Hannah Darling and Ain Donegan tied the match with a one-hole win over Anna Davis and Megan Skopil.
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Darling and Mimi Rose beat Jasmine Koo and Asterisk Talley 3&2 in the afternoon fourball, while Lorna McClymont and Coulter beat Anna Davis and Green 2&1.
Sarah Byrne had a chance to complete the session whitewash but failed to make a birdie from 12 feet on the 18th hole, leaving her and partner Lottie Ward with a half-point lead over Rachel Quinn and Megan Schofield.
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Watch our recap of the first day of the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale, where Sara Byrne finished off a superb finish to see England and Ireland draw level.
“I had some really good shots to give myself a chance, but my putts just didn't fall today,” a frustrated Byrne said. Sky Sports“I tried not to let the putts fall today, but that's golf.
“Me and Lottie both played unbelievably well, Lottie had a great, great putt on 16 to get us excited. Tomorrow is a big day and the last few holes are crucial. Every time there's a big magical moment.”
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Lottie Ward became the first British woman to win the Augusta National Women’s Amateur earlier this year. We went down to her home club to find out about the junior section that has helped her to make rapid progress in the women’s game.
“I think you have to just focus on your own game and not think too far ahead,” added Walk, who won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur earlier this year ahead of Sunday’s singles. “You can only win your own points, so don’t focus on what the whole group is doing, just win your own game.”
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