Walker Cup: GB&I Takes 3-Point Lead
On a perfect day at St Andrews the home squad delivers in several clutch moments to set up a possible first win since 2015.
A casual observer strolling down Golf Place might believe the 49th Walker Cup ended Saturday in St Andrews.
Jubilant post-match celebrations by the home team after wins in each session, followed by a pretty peppy post day one press conference complete with local press spontaneously applauding, all felt all a bit presumptuous. The surprising mood devoid of any local gin infusion was reinforced by the somber USA mood following Saturday’s successful 7.5 to 4.5 Great Britain and Ireland lead.
Then again, it’s worth remembering George Herbert Walker Bush was still the new president of the United States when GB&I had a lead like this Saturday night (1989 at Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga. when they led by the same margin).
Based on the quality of golf observed by both sides, the day could have swung a number of ways. Unfortunately for the home team, the Old Course is not closed this Sunday as it is the rest of the year. They home team will have to repeat the strong opening day play in more wind and under pressure of hoisting the Walker Cup for the first time since 2015’s victory at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
They certainly fed off the robust galleries that had not problem showing a strong home region bias.
“The home crowd is such an advantage,” said Liam Nolan, who beat Austin Greaser 1-up Saturday afternoon. “From early this morning, we had massive roars until the evening, and they stay with you on every hole and really cheer you on in good times and in bad, and that's when you need them the most, I suppose.”
Great Britain and Ireland opened up a 3-point lead Saturday morning in winning the morning foursomes 3 to 1.
With a nice afternoon breeze several matches saw minor swings before GB&I took the afternoon 4.5 to 3.5.
The day could not have gone much better for all involved, with the matches played under absurdly balmy conditions and a neutral setup that saw hole locations changed in the afternoon. The mostly twenty-something’s delivered entertaining and clutch play with all the usual match dynamics you’d expect in hard fought Walker Cup.
Perhaps the jovial mood could be explained by the UK’s air traffic control system not having fallen apart in over 48 hours at the hands of a French pilot. Or perhaps just how rare it is for GB&I to lead after any day one. This is the tenth time they have done so in 49 Walker Cups.
A win Sunday at St Andrews would be the sixth time GB&I have not tripped on a first day lead:
The deficit is hardly a bleak one for the red, white and blue given some of the past American turnarounds (courtesy of the R&A):
Then again 1963 was the last time the American’s overcame three points as a lead.
There is a lot of golf to play but the successful first day should quiet calls for adding Europe to the Walker Cup for a few years.
Before we get to a few observations from day one, the full match results:
Speed matters. I went all the way with USA’s loan winning effort in the morning. Speedsters Dylan Menante and Gordon Sargent were sent out first by Captain Mike McCoy and it was the usual foursomes mix of brilliance and mistakes, (most several by the ingeniousness of the Old Course and today’s speed chasers refusing to lay back or put an approach on the ground).
Early into the opening match, opponents Barclay Brown and Mark Power were keeping pace with the quick Americans and the foursomes match might have broken three hours if it ever made the 18th. Perhaps sensing they were playing into America’s hands, Brown and Power appeared to slow things down in hopes of dulling the edge. But in doing so Brown seemed to lose his game. He’s much faster than partner Power and the slow playing bordering on gamesmanship appeared to take a toll.
At the drivable 12th, Sargent drove the green while Power landed in the gorse. Instead of conceding the hole, sent Brown back to the tee in a futile attempt to keep the American momentum at bay. It turned out to be a waste of energy and time. Within three holes the match was over. Brown went out first in the afternoon singles and lost 4&3.
Sargent strikes. After taking in the wild scene at the Eden at the far end of the Old Course—where it’s a wealth of riches watching players tackle the 7th through 11th holes—I was having a hard time committing to a singles match worth investing in. But the gallery size convinced me to ultimately tag along watching the Sargent v. Jack Bigham singles match. Both play at a ridculously fast clip—maybe pulling the trigger too fast at times—yet each are incredible drivers of the ball and still have a ways to go with approaching some of the Old Course greens.
At 19 (Bingham) and 20 (Sargent), they have time.
A match highlight came at the 14th where both players reached the 614-yard par 5 in two despite a wind quartering from their right. Sargent somehow ended up right of a center hole re-cut after the morning and both quickly two-putted for birdie to keep the match All Square. Things stayed that way until the 18th when Sargent hit first and was in between driver and 3-wood to reach the green 356 yards away.
“It was kind of a perfect 3-wood number, but I would have had to start it over [The Links] road, so I was like, I've been driving it well all day, and just aimed left and hit a big cut,” Sargent said. “It ended up kind of rolling up perfectly and had a good look from like 25, 30 feet and able to two-putt it.”