Walker Cup

GB&I open up three-point Walker Cup lead

The R&A

02 Sep 23

3 mins

Great Britain and Ireland lead the United States of America 7½-4½ after day one of the 49th Walker Cup at St Andrews.

Stuart Wilson’s side are bidding to win the trophy back after three consecutive defeats in the biennial encounter and take a three-point lead into tomorrow’s second day at the home of golf. In glorious conditions in front of large crowds, John Gough and Calum Scott were the stand-out performers for GB&I after delivering two points each from the first day of play. “It's obviously been a great day result-wise for GB&I, but it's been hard-fought day,” said Wilson. “I think that would be the message. “But I think I've been saying that from the off, that this is going to be a tight match, and the American side came out strong this afternoon and went up in a lot of matches through the front nine. Our guys showed grit and determination and kept fighting and managed to get some points to get us ahead on the board, so well done to them.”

Foursomes

The morning foursomes saw GB&I build a 3-1 lead after coming out on top in some tight matches. While the USA began positively and put the opening point on the board, the hosts gradually clawed their way back. Gordon Sargent and Dylan Menante birdied two of the first three holes yet it remained a close tussle with Mark Power and Barclay Brown until the 12th. Power pulled his tee shot at the short par-4 into a gorse bush and a lost ball allowed the USA to edge one up. A bogey from GB&I at the next and a winning seven-foot birdie putt from Sargent on the 16th sealed a 3&2 triumph. Scott and Connor Graham were also down early against Caleb Surratt and Ben James but then found their groove, especially on the greens. Cheered on by a strong home crowd, they were ahead after a birdie at the par-5 5th and made four further birdies in seven holes from the 9th before the USA found trouble at the 16th to concede for a 3&2 loss.

Calum Scott - Great Britain & Ireland

“The crowds were unbelievable. It was so cool to see so many of my home golf course members here. I know they've got a hat with my name on it and distinguished as a yellow hat (Team Calum). It's cool to see them in the crowd cheering me on.”

Nairn support for Scott

“I wasn't sure what to expect on that first tee,” said Scott, who was cheered on by members from his club at Narin, including his older brother and 2019 Walker Cup player, Sandy. “But yeah, that was just unbelievable, an unbelievable experience. I'll probably never have something like that happen ever again, or not here anyway. “The crowds were unbelievable. It was so cool to see so many of my home golf course members here. I know they've got a hat with my name on it and distinguished as a yellow hat (Team Calum). It's cool to see them in the crowd cheering me on.” There was little in the meeting between Gough and Matthew McClean against Preston Summerhays and David Ford before Gough’s five-foot birdie putt at the 16th edged GB&I ahead. Ford’s save from the Road Hole bunker took the match up the last, but Summerhays missed a short birdie putt to hand GB&I a one-hole win. Alex Maguire and James Ashfield were never behind versus Nick Dunlap and Stewart Hagestad and had moved three up after the 7th before being pulled back to all square after 15. Maguire then holed two clutch putts on the 17th and 18th to the delight of the fans packed round the green for another vital one-hole victory.

Stewart Hagestad - United States of America

“For us to come over here and to try and bring it with the best of Great Britain and Ireland's players, we have to bring our best. They played great today, so they deserve a tremendous amount of credit.”

Singles

Surratt provided the ideal response for the visitors in the top match of the singles draw, taking care of Brown in a commanding 4&3 victory in which the American was never behind in the contest. Scott found himself two up through nine holes in the second singles tie but was dragged back to all square by Nick Gabrelcik after birdies won him the 10th and 14th holes. The Nairn native delivered in style shortly after though, delighting the home fans on the way to closing out the match 2&1 with back-to-back birdies on the 16th and 17th. Sargent, the world’s leading men’s amateur golfer, then sealed a narrow one-hole win against Jack Bigham in a nip-and-tuck affair which saw both players lead for periods of the match. The contest was decided on the 18th after a monster drive from Sargent led to a birdie, while the Englishman could only par. The most impressive display of the singles came from Gough in the bottom match of the draw after he defeated US Amateur champion Dunlap 6&5. The Englishman never looked back after winning five holes in a row from the outset and despite losing the 7th hole, responded with a birdie on the 10th and sealed the win on the 13th after Dunlap could only manage a bogey.

McClean’s key half

GB&I went further ahead after Liam Nolan recovered from being two down through 13 holes to beat Austin Greaser by one hole. The Irishman made two birdies on the 14th and 15th to return the tie to all square and then secured a point at the last with Greaser unable to match his birdie 3. Three-time Walker Cup winner Hagestad underlined his experience with a convincing 4&3 success against Maguire for the United States, before Power extended the home side’s lead with a brilliant comeback in his match against Ford to prevail by one hole. The Irishman claimed four holes in a row from the 12th to turn a three-hole deficit into a winning position at the 15th hole with the duo matching each other hole for hole in the remainder of the encounter. McClean and Summerhays also had a close meeting with the American winning the 11th and 12th to return the match to all square. Both made birdies at the last for a halved match and give GB&I their three-point overnight lead.

Credit to GB&I

Hagestad said, “They've got a great team and we've got to bring it tomorrow. They're very familiar with this golf course. The St Andrews Links is obviously here, so it's a place that everyone in this part of the world is almost put on a pedestal in a great way. “For us to come over here and to try and bring it with the best of Great Britain and Ireland's players, we have to bring our best. They played great today, so they deserve a tremendous amount of credit.” Mike McCoy, the USA captain, added, “It wasn't the outcome we wanted, but it was a special day. They played terrific, and I give them a lot of credit. “They're tough and they're gutty, and they've got a lot of heart. We're going to have to step it up tomorrow and try and make this thing a match.” Four foursomes matches and ten singles ties follow tomorrow from 8am.

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