DUBLIN – England's Bronte Law won two more matches and Britain and Ireland took all but one point Saturday to open an 8-4 lead in the Curtis Cup, leaving the Americans behind entering the closing singles session for the first time in two decades.
With eight singles matches left Sunday at Dun Laoghaire, the United States needs six points to retain the Cup, and Britain and Ireland needs 2 1/2 to reclaim it. The U.S. leads the series 28-7-3, winning 13-7 in 2014 in St. Louis.
Law, the UCLA junior who won the Annika Award this year as the top college player, improved to 4-0, teaming with 18-year-old Olivia Mehaffey of Northern Ireland in both sessions. They beat Bailey Tardy and Monica Vaughn 3 and 2 in the morning foursomes and topped Vaughn and Bethany Wu 3 and 2 in the rain-delayed afternoon fourball matches.
Trying to become the second player to go 5-0 record, Law will face Mika Liu in singles. American Stacy Lewis was 5-0 at St. Andrews in 2008.
Wu and U.S. Women's Amateur champion Hannah O'Sullivan earned the only point for the United States, beating Ireland's Leona Maguire and England's Charlotte Thomas 1 up in the morning.
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