Walker Cup is often held up as an example of amateurism. The weather was perfect on Saturday, as Great Britain and Ireland took advantage of the St Andrews sunshine and took a 7 1/2-4 1/4 lead at the end of the first session for foursomes and individual matches played on the Old Course. This was their largest first-day lead in the transatlantic battle since 1989.
In this battle of small margins, the overall scoreline can be misleading. The ties in some of these matches were as tight as a Hollywood makeover. With 14 points at stake on the final match day, this fight will have many twists, turns and birls.
“I have said from the beginning that this match is going to be tight,” said GB&I Captain Stuart Wilson. He watched as his Scottish compatriots Calum Scott, Connor Graham and Scott add to their tally by winning a foursomes before Scott added a fantastic singles victory to bolster the domestic assault.
“The Americans started strong and won a lot matches in the morning, but our players showed grit and perseverance and kept fighting. We don’t take anything for granted. “A putt here or there can make a huge difference.”
This golfing event is a classic. Volunteers update the big scoreboard at the media center by peeling off numbered stickers from A4 sheets. It’s an antiquated process in a world of gadgets, gizmos and other gee-whiz devices. Funny enough, golf writers are still wearing these hairpieces.
We had plenty to be proud of. The morning foursomes were a great source of cheer for those who are GB&I supporters as they forged a 3-to-1 advantage. This was their first foursomes win since 2015. What was the scoreline then? It was 3-1 then, and GB&I won the entire thing. Since then, they haven’t won. We tend to hold on to good omens in the Walker Cup as tightly as a barnacle is anchored to a galleon’s hull.
On a warm, sunny day in September at the Auld Gray Toun, it was clear that the home team had benefited. Scott and Graham, the youngest Walker Cupper ever at 16 years old, worked together brilliantly to defeat Ben James and Caleb Surrat. They were 6 under and won a 3-and-2 match.
In the two last matches, which were decided at the 18th, the ebb and flow, the nip and tuck, or whatever you call matchplay, was beautifully illustrated.
Preston Summerhays partnered with David Ford and had a putt that was only a few feet long to pinch a half point against the GB&I pair of Matthew McClean & John Gough. He missed amid gasps & groans, and the hosts clung onto a one hole win.
Nick Dunlap, U.S. The Amateur champion’s eagle-putt rattled the hole, but stayed out. Alex Maguire, winner of the St Andrews Link Trophy, hit a 12-footer for GB&I to win another hole. He punched the air so hard, it was almost bruised. Pride and passion was everywhere.
The singles were also thrilling as GB&I won the session by a score of 4 1/2-3 3/4 in an exciting afternoon. Many matches could have gone either way. Four of eight ties went to the end, while Scott defeated Nick Gabrelcik by a single hole after a burst late of birdies on 16 and 17.
The 20-year old Nairn golfer said, “That’s the best it can get,” with a beam of light that sparkled like the Walker Cup itself. To birdie the final two holes and close out such a tight match means everything to me. I’m so happy to have performed that well under pressure.”
The Englishman Gough chipped in as well, winning the first five of Dunlap’s holes on his way to a crushing 6-and-5 victory. The day had been a success for GB&I.
What about the USA? Mike McCoy, the captain of the visiting team, admitted that “it wasn’t what we were looking for.” However, Sunday is still a golf day. This should be an exciting event.
