SANDWICH, Massachusetts ( June 2, 2025) – It was a fine day on Cape Cod, temperate with a suitable dose of sun and breeze and altogether ideal for a round of golf at The Ridge Club. 55 two-women teams teed it up in a shotgun start, and in doing so, tacked another year of history on to the Curtis Bowl Scotch tournament’s considerable legacy, which dates back to 1956.
The Scotch format, also known as Foursomes, requires the two teammates to alternate shots, with one player handling the even-holed tee shots, and the other the odds. It is one of the more intriguing strategic formats in golf, as it requires each player to consider the strengths and weaknesses of their teammate’s game, and perhaps deviate from their typical individual strategy as a result.
Just a few weeks after capturing the 2025 Cris Eaton Chapman Tournament, Kristen Henderson (The Tour) kept up her winning ways, teaming with Elizabeth Derwin (Walpole Country Club) to claim a victory at the Curtis Bowl. It was a return to the winner’s circle for the duo, four years on from their title at Northern Spy Golf Club in 2021.
Henderson and Derwin began the shotgun start on the first hole and recorded two consecutive pars to open the round, which is no small feat, given the syncopated rhythmic challenges of hitting every other shot, particularly in the early going. Though they didn’t record any birdies on the day, keeping large numbers at bay was paramount, and they surrendered just two double bogeys en route to an 11-over round of 82, two shots clear of Wendy Barry (Hopkinton Country Club) and Leanne Smith (TPC Boston).
It was an excellent day for Barry and Smith who, in addition to their stellar gross finish, won net honors by a wide margin (five strokes, to be exact). They notched five net birdies, and despite a net double on the card, they managed to post a 2-under 69.
The shot of the day belonged to Kelley Curley (Norfolk Golf Club), who made an ace on the par-3 14th, holing out from 135 yards with her six iron. It was Curley’s 4th hole-in-one…share the wealth, Kelley!
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The tournament was established in 1954 in honor of Harriot and Margaret Curtis by their friends who were also members of the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts.
The Curtis sisters were active golfers in the United States, where they combined to win four U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship titles. Their play overseas in Great Britain inspired them to establish the Curtis Cup Match, a biennial match between women golfers from the two countries, to help foster international friendships in women’s golf.
The Curtis Bowl trophy is a replica of the Curtis Cup trophy that the sisters donated for the championship. The Curtis Bowl was first contested in 1956 and has been held every year since. Several pairs have won multiple titles at the tournament, most recently Betsy Masse and Teresa Burtoft in 2016 and 2017.
This is the second time The Ridge Club has hosted the Curtis Bowl (2018). Some notables about the Club:
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