Ita Butler had an early start yesterday when, as captain of the British and Irish side, she set off from Loughborough University at 6.30 a.m., en route to the Curtis Cup. The biennial event will be played next Saturday and Sunday at the Minikahda GC in Minneapolis.
Having led the team to victory over the Americans at Killarney two years ago, Butler is anticipating a decidedly warm welcome in the US, in more senses than one. "I've no doubt the Americans will be pulling out all the stops in their determination to win the trophy back," she said.
"Looking at what happened to the Walker Cup team at Quaker Ridge last August, after they had won at Porthcawl, I am prepared for a backlash. I know that under the captaincy of Barbara McIntire, the Americans are preparing very thoroughly, to the point that they assembled in Minnesota three weeks ago.
"In fact they even went so far as to request a separate hotel, rather than have the usual arrangement of sharing with us. At this stage, I don't know what the final arrangement will be."
Then there is the weather. Temperatures rising above 30 degrees and humidity as high as 83 per cent, will present serious demands on the stamina of the visiting players. But they are well prepared.
"We have been in the environmental chamber at Loughborough for three hours every morning this week," said Butler, who is a member of Elm Park and was a Curtis Cup representative in 1966. "Then, in the afternoons, we practised at Longcliffe GC, which is close by."
She went on: "The girls are in great spirits and we've had an unexpected lift. Mhairi McKay, who played such a key role in Killarney (where she took three points out of four), has been on the phone to wish us the best, telling us we'll have no problem. When I told the girls about her calls, I could see it had a tremendous impact. She's going to be an inspiration."
McKay, who is now in her rookie season on the LPGA Tour, made a wonderful impact in the recent US Women's Open which she actually led at one stage before eventually finishing in the top 10.
A personal boost to Butler is the fact that the captain of Elm Park, Brendan Lynch, and the lady captain, Geraldine Kilmurray, are travelling to the matches. And the Curtis Cup skipper also carries with her the distinction of having been made an honorary life full member of her club after the recent change in its constitution.
Sadly, for a second successive staging, there will be no Irish representative in the British and Irish line-up which has Elaine Ratcliffe (England), Alison Rose (Scotland) and Karen Stupples (England) as survivors of the Killarney victory. They are joined by British champion Kim Rostron, Fiona Brown and Rebecca Hudson, all from England, along with Hilary Monaghan (Scotland) and Becky Morgan (Wales).
The American team is: Carol Semple Thompson, Beth Bauer, Jo Jo Robertson, Kellee Booth, Robin Burke, Jenny Chuasiriporn, Virginia Derby Grimes and Brenda Corrie Kuehn. Thompson, Booth and Corrie Kuehn were members of the side beaten 11 1/2 to 6 1/2 two years ago.
For 49-year-old Thompson, it means a record 10th appearance in the Curtis Cup, eclipsing the previous record of nine which she shared with Ireland's Mary McKenna, who was in every match from 1970 to 1986.
