Commanding display by US sees them win back Walker Cup on home soil

By Gary Anderson

September 8 - The United States won back the top international amateur golf tournament with a comprehensive 17-9 win over Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup at the National Golf Links of America, New York.

The US team went into the final day's play leading 8-4 after winning six of the eight singles matches yesterday and that form continued as the hosts split the four morning foursomes matches before outplaying the visitors again in the afternoon singles matches, winning seven out of ten.

The GB and Ireland team, led by recently crowned US Amateur champion and world number one Matt Fitzpatrick, had made the trip across the Atlantic in confident mood as they looked to defend the trophy they won at Royal Aberdeen in 2011.

But the Americans, captained by Jim Holtgrieve, were determined to get their hands on the trophy they had won on 34 previous occasions and protect an unbeaten home record that stretched back to 2001.

The opening foursomes saw the Americans lead 2.5 to 1.5 going into the first round of singles matches and with Fitzpatrick losing out to Michael Weaver the omens were not good for GB and Ireland as they finished the day trailing by four, with Ireland's Gavin Moynihan the only player to register a singles win.

Despite a more promising start to the second day's play, which saw the foursomes halved, the visitors needed a flawless performance in the final singles match-ups to have any chance of retaining the trophy.

The victorious US Walker Cup team after their 17-9 win over Great Britain and Ireland

The comeback did not materialise however, as the Americans won the first two matches in the form of Bobby Wyatt and Justin Thomas, before Fitzpatrick clawed a point back with a three and two win over Weaver.

That point only delayed the inevitable though, as a four and three win for 35-year-old Nathan Smith over England's Nathan Kimsey was enough to ensure the Walker Cup Trophy would not be heading back on the plane with the GB and Ireland players and staff.

Callum Shinkwin of England and Ireland's Kevin Phelan battled on to secure two more wins for the visitors but it was all in vein as the USA celebrated its 35th triumph in the competition.

"Everybody played so hard as a team, there were no individuals here, all these guys gave their hearts and I can't say enough about them," said Holtgrieve.

"They all focused together.

"They all played together.

"They all worked together and they helped each other with their games.

"There were no individuals.

"It was a team."

Nathan Smith (left) shakes hands with England's Nathan Kimsey after his putt won the Walker Cup back for the USA

Smith who sank the winning putt, paid tribute to his captain Holtgrieve as the celebrations started.

"I never wanted a point so much in my life," said the man from Pittsburgh, who has played at the US Masters on four occasions.

"This means the most.

"I'm happy for Jim.

"Nobody deserves it more than him and loves the game of golf and put more hard work into a team than him."

Meanwhile, GB and Ireland captain Nigel Edwards suggested that it was his players' touch on the greens that cost them most.

"They [the US] holed out a little bit better and the short shots, the distance control, is where they did us," he said.

"If some matches yesterday afternoon had gone our way down 18 it could have been a lot different but we needed to do the simple things well this week, people have to hole putts and we haven't holed enough putts.

"One weekend doesn't make them bad golfers, hopefully we'll have a few available for two years' time, the ones who turn pro I'm sure they'll learn from this."

The GB and Ireland team will be itching to reclaim the Walker Cup trophy in September 2015 as they welcome the Americans to Royal Lytham and St Annes.

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