Historic GB&I romp to record-setting Walker Cup victory
The GB&I players pose with the trophy during an afternoon singles match at the 2015 Walker Cup at Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C. in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England (Sept. 13) -- Great Britain and Ireland defeated the United States of America, 16½-9½, Sunday in the 45th Walker Cup Match at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, write the USGA and R&A.
“I’m delighted with the victory,” said GB&I captain Nigel Edwards. “We had a very strong front and we have strength throughout the team.
"I said last night to the team that as long as the lads keep doing what they have been doing all week, playing their own games, their short games are fantastic, which is probably what has given us the edge. Some of the bunker shots have been exceptional but also the standard of play here has been fantastic.”
Edwards, captain in 2011, 2013 and 2015, has two Match victories to his credit in addition to his play on two Match-winning teams in four appearances.
England’s Jimmy Mullen, who paced GB&I with a perfect 4-0 mark, led the team’s afternoon domination of singles matches in which they won five, halved three and lost just two. England’s Ashley Chesters, 26, the oldest GB&I player (3½) and Cormac Sharvin of Ireland (3) were the other GB&I point leaders.
“It doesn’t matter if I won all of my games as long as the team won was the main thing,” said Mullen, who made the cut at the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield and the Round of 16 at the 2014 U.S. Amateur at Atlanta Athletic Club. “To win all of my games was just the icing on the cake.”
Bryson DeChambeau reacts to his missed birdie putt on the third hole during an afternoon singles match at the 2015 Walker Cup at Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C. in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)
Chesters said: "Nigel obviously put me there to get some points early and I have managed to do that for him. I have done it most of the year for England, I did it last year in the St Andrews Trophy for GB&I and I did it for Europe in the Bonallack Trophy so it is the same as that. I have got no problem going out first at all. We have won and it’s great to get the trophy back.”
Ardglass man Sharvin, who had an outstanding match, winning two foursomes with Jack McDonald and his singles yesterday for a 100 percent, 3-0 record added; “It feels great. It has just been an unbelievable experience.
"My golf game has been pretty good as well and it has been nice to get three out of three but as I said before it is a team effort and I’m just glad I could contribute to the win.”
Paul Casey and Luke Donald are among the small group of GB&I players who have posted 4-0 records in a single Match.
GB&I Captain Nigel Edwards and USA Captain Spider Miller on the 18th hole during a morning foursomes match at the 2015 Walker Cup at Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C. in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)
College All-Americans Bryson DeChambeau, of Clovis, Calif., the 2015 U.S. Amateur and NCAA Division I men’s individual champion, and Beau Hossler, of Mission Viejo, Calif., were the only USA players to score victories in the Sunday singles matches.
Hossler (3), DeChambeau (2½) and Robby Shelton (2), of Wilmer, Ala., were the top point-scorers for the USA.
“I don’t think we handed them anything. I think they went out and played well, very well, and they won it,” said USA captain John “Spider” Miller. “I’d feel bad if we were three-putting and giving them holes. I think our guys played well. They just played very well. They outplayed us and earned it.”
In the morning foursomes, GB&I extended its overnight lead from 7-5 to 10-6 by winning three of the four matches for the second consecutive day.
Gary Hurley plays from a greenside bunker on the sixth hole during a morning foursomes match at the 2015 Walker Cup at Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C. in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015. (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)
GB&I has now won five of the last six Matches contested on its ‘home’ soil, dating back to 1999. The only U.S. win in that stretch was 2007 at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland. With the GB&I victory, the two teams have now split the 14 Matches since 1989, 7-7. Before 1987, the USA dominated the series with 28-2-1 mark.
The winning margin is the largest for GB&I since the Walker Cup began in 1922.
The Walker Cup Match is a biennial 10-man amateur team competition between a team composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland and the USA. It is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes matches. The USA leads the overall series 35-9-1.
The 2017 Walker Cup Match will be played Sept. 9-10 at Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club.
LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England – Results from the second day of the 2015 Walker Cup Match at Royal Lytham and St. Annes Golf Club:
Great Britain and Ireland defeats United States of America, 16½-9½
Foursomes
- Ashley Chesters/Jimmy Mullen (GB&I) def. Beau Hossler/Denny McCarthy (USA), 3 and 2
- Paul Dunne/Gary Hurley (GB&I) def. Mike McCoy/Scott Harvey (USA), 1 up
- Cormac Sharvin/Jack McDonald (GB&I) def. Hunter Stewart/Lee McCoy (USA), 2 up
- Bryson DeChambeau/Robby Shelton (USA) def. Jack Hume/Gavin Moynihan (GB&I), 3 and 2
Singles
- Ashley Chesters (GB&I) def. Jordan Niebrugge (USA), 3 and 1
- Maverick McNealy (USA) halved with Paul Dunne (GB&I)
- Jimmy Mullen (GB&I) def. Denny McCarthy (USA), 3 and 2
- Cormac Sharvin (GB&I) def. Mike McCoy (USA), 4 and 3
- Beau Hossler (USA) def. Ewen Ferguson (GB&I), 1 up
- Grant Forrest (GB&I) def. Scott Harvey (USA), 2 and 1
- Gary Hurley (GB&I) def. Hunter Stewart (USA), 1 up
- Lee McCoy (USA) halved with Jack McDonald (GB&I)
- Robby Shelton (USA) halved with Jack Hume (GB&I)
- Bryson DeChambeau (USA) def. Gavin Moynihan (GB&I), 6 and 5
