U.S. fends off GB&I to win Walker Cup at Seminole Golf Club
JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Austin Eckroat and Pierceson Coody got the United States off to a fast start, and Cole Hammer and Stewart Hagestad finished off Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup.
Ricky Castillo won again, too, and the Americans took five of the 10 afternoon singles matches and tied another at Seminole Golf Club for a 14-12 victory.
The Americans won for the third straight time to take a 38-9-1 lead in the biennial event first played in 1922.
Nathaniel Crosby, the son of late crooner Bing Crosby, became the first U.S. captain with back-to-back victories since Buddy Marucci in 2007 and 2009.
Eckroat overwhelmed Mark Power 7 and 6 in the opening match, and Coody beat Alex Fitzpatrick 3 and 1 in the second. Castillo topped John Murphy 2 and 1 to become the only player to finish the two-day event 4-0.
Hammer beat Ben Schmidt 4 and 3 in the second-to-last match, and Hagestad put the Americans over the top when he was 4 up with four to play in a 4-and-2 victory over Ben Jones.
Quade Cummins gave the U.S. a half-point, winning the 18th with a par to pull even with Barclay Brown.
British Amateur champion Long, Matty Lamb, Angus Flanagan and Jack Dyer won matches for GB&I.
GB&I took 2 1/2 of the four points in the morning foursomes to pull within a half-point.