Curtis Cup: Great Britain & Ireland beat USA in County Wicklow

The home team celebrates at the picturesque Dun Laoghaire Golf Club

Great Britain and Ireland won the Curtis Cup for only the second time in the last 10 contests after overcoming a resurgent USA 11½-8½ in County Wicklow.

After claiming five of the six points on day two, they needed just two-and-a-half points from Sunday's eight singles for victory at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club.

Bailey Tardy, Monica Vaughn and Andrea Lee all secured wins for the Americans.

But Meghan MacLaren held on to defeat USA's Bethany Wu at the 17th and secure the winning point for GB & Ireland.

A win for Leona Maguire over Sienna Brooks and a half-point from Olivia Mehaffey against world number one Hannah O'Sullivan had put the hosts on the verge of victory.

Following the flurry of American success, MacLaren saw her three-hole lead with four to play cut to a single hole before taking the penultimate hole for a 2&1 win to settle the overall contest.

Moments later, Bronte Law defeated Mika Liu by two holes to become just the second player ever to record a perfect 5-0 record, American Stacy Lewis having done so at St Andrews in 2008, the year the event switched from two to three days.

Mariel Galdiano defeated Irish golfer Maria Dunne in the last match to narrow the margin of defeat for the Americans to three points.

World number four Law said: "For me to end it this way - it's probably going to be my last Curtis Cup - is just a dream. I am so proud to just represent my country."

US captain Robin Burke felt her side had been capable of pulling off a similar comeback to that of last year's Solheim Cup team, who recovered from a four-point deficit in the singles in Germany.

"GB & Ireland just played really well yesterday," she said.

"They made a ton of birdies on us and we almost recovered. We just didn't quite get there."