WHEN the tears were wiped away yesterday from the faces of the Great Britain and Ireland players in St Andrews and a deep well of disappointment at coming up short against a formidable American side was eventually placed in some sort of elegiac perspective, the raw hurt experienced by a group of callow girls was already being channelled into thoughts of revenge.
If it was a gamble to bank so heavily on youth over the Old Course – five members of the GB& I team were teenagers and Carly Booth,15, was the youngest golfer ever to represent her country in 76 years of competition – the emotions which flowed as dar
kly as smudged mascara in the aftermath of a convincing 13-7 loss at least offered signs of enduring ambition as well as an excess of adolescent fervour.
For such junior players on such an international stage, losing was always bound to feel like a heavy blow to the solar plexus. Girls in their teens are largely accustomed to getting their own way and the harsh reality of being comprehensively outplayed by more experienced and talented opponents must have come as a nasty jolt to most of them.
By yesterday, however, any sense of self-pity had turned into a desire for emotional retribution. The three young Scots who expect to remain in the amateur game for another two years all plan to return stronger for Great Britain and Ireland when the 2010 Curtis Cup match is held at the Essex County Club in Massachusetts.
Carly Booth, 15, Sally Watson, 16, and Krystle Caithness,19, expect to be older and wiser when the next contest takes place in two years time.
If the harsh lessons from a crushing loss at the hands of the Americans over the Old Course are assimilated successfully over the coming seasons, then Watson, for one, will be looking for a different outcome next time.
Before going into hospital tomorrow for a cruciate ligament operation on her right knee, GB&I's joint leading scorer on with three points out of five was determined to reverse the feelings of disappointment which set the tone for an emphatic reverse in St Andrews.
"Hopefully, my game will continue to improve over the next two years," observed the Elie golfer. "I think now that I've been on a Curtis Cup team and have lost, it's just going to be a case of wanting revenge even more, wanting to win even more.
"Having that little bit more experience in the Curtis Cup and knowing a little bit more about what to expect, hopefully we can all play well next time and come out on top. But I know having this experience has really helped my game and will help to develop me as a golfer.
"I think everyone on the team would just kind of thank the Ladies Golf Union for giving us this chance, because it is really a once in a lifetime opportunity.
"This experience is the pinnacle of amateur golf. I was going to try and do everything I could to play, and I'm just glad that I did play and I had that experience. It was a week and a tournament which I will remember forever."
Caithness, who won three out of three and must have been as baffled as the rest of us as to why her local knowledge was deemed surplus to requirements in foursomes, plans to complete a scholarship at the University of Georgia and would relish experiencing a different feeling next time.
"Yes, I'm going to stay amateur, also, and I hope to make the team in two years' time," said the St Regulus player. "The Curtis Cup is the biggest team match you'll play. It's such an honour to represent Great Britain and Ireland. I just hope I'm in contention for that selection."
As the baby of the team at 15, the week was probably harder for Booth than any of her team mates. Affected by a mystery virus which left her with rashes on her face and body, the teen-ager clearly felt embarrassed by the ailment and was not her usual vivacious self.
Booth, though, promised to bounce back. "I have great memories from my first Curtis Cup," she said, "and I'm sure there will be more."
The full article contains 727 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
