ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — After losing in foursomes in the morning, former Big Island resident Kimberly Kim teamed with Mina Harigae to capture a fourball match and help the United States take a 7 1/2-4 1/2 lead over Great Britain & Ireland in the 39th Curtis Cup, which ends today.

The Americans, who have won the Curtis Cup five straight times, need only 2 1/2 more points to retain the cup.

In foursomes (alternate-shot) matches, 15-year-old Carly Booth teamed with Breanne Loucks for a 3-and-2 victory over Kim and Jennie Lee. In the afternoon, Kim and Harigae pulled ahead on the par-5 14th and closed out the match on the 17th to beat Booth and Loucks, 2 and 1.

Victory didn't come easy, as Harigae bent her putter on the 11th green and was forced to use her rescue club and sand wedge to putt for the rest of the match.

But it wasn't enough to stop the American teenagers, who never trailed and took the lead for good when Booth and Loucks bogeyed No. 14.

"For the first hole I played I was really kind of shaken up and then I just thought, at least I'm hitting it well," said Harigae, the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links champion, about damaging her putter. "I figured all I had to do was make par because I knew Kim could get the birdies."