Monterey, California – Team Great Britain and Ireland got off to an impressive start in the 50th Walker Cup Matches at Cypress Point Club, dominating the morning foursomes format to the tune of a 3 points to 1 advantage over Team USA.
By mid-morning, the visitors from across the pond were up two points to one in the matches, the swing match lay in the hands of Preston Stout and Ethan Fang of the red, white & blue. Standing on the iconic par 3 – sixteenth tee, the home team was two down thru 15, and in desperate need of some positive vibes. Team GB&I played first and provided a bit more pressure with a tee shot safely to the center of the green, Fang added to the drama by pushing his tee shot into the right greenside bunker. Preston Stout proceeded to splash out to gimme range, and the putt was conceded. Eliot Baker lagged his putt short, leaving a testy 3 foot par save. His partner Stuart Grehan couldn’t get the short par putt to go down, and we went to the 17th with GB&I up only 1. Team USA had dodged a bullet, and remained very much alive…
Both squads played the magnificent par 4th Seventeenth in text book fashion, and the hole was halved. Finally a match advanced to MacKenzie’s quirky finisher. Ethan Fang hit first for Team USA, hitting the center of the fairway, but laying quite a bit back. Team GB&I executed a superb tee ball, and finished some 20 yards closer on the left side of the fairway… it appeared to be advantage GB&I. Preston Stout hit a superb approach about 20 feet right of the hole (that was positioned front center of the green). Eliot Baker had a tall Monterey Cypress to contend with, but had no problem with the “up and over”, however, in needing to hoist the approach, when the ball landed on the front portion of the green, it spun back down into the fairway cut, leaving a testy 15 yard chip up the hill. His partner, Stuart Grehan clipped the chip exactly as he had hoped, three bounces, a bit of roll and zip, the ball finished a foot from the cup… par. Ethan Fang needed to hole the the 18 foot right to left curler from the right side of the green for Team USA to gain a halve. The putt looked good all the way, but slid by the edge, and Great Britain & Ireland went to the break up 3 to 1 heading to afternoon singles.
In the afternoon singles matches, the tide turned for Team USA capturing 5.5 of the 8 possible points. In the day’s most dramatic tilt, Jase Summy and Eliot Baker exchanged blows all day. With the match tied on the 14th, Summy putted off the green, not once but twice – where he eventually conceded the hole. They both made clutch pars from the sand on the short par 3-15th, bringing the drama to the spectacular 16th. Baker hit first into the right greenside bunker, Summy then hit a laser to the middle of the green. Baker left his sand shot some 25 feet short of the hole. Advantage Summy. Jase putted to within 4 ft, and Eliot missed his par attempt. When Jase poured his in, the match was once again all tied. On 17, both players made par, and with all of the other matches concluded, the drama reached a fevered pitch heading to 18 with all eyes on the anchor match.
Summy flushed his long iron off the 18th tee into the perfect position, Baker pulled his into the left rough, leaving a tough angle and several skyscraper like Cypress in his flight path to the green. Baker took the safest route possible, over the left edge of the towering Cypress and landed just short of the green in a precarious lie of rough – but it was safe. Summy piped his approach directly over the flagstick, 40 feet passed the hole, leaving perhaps the fastest lag putt on the property. Baker did an admirable job chipping through the cabbage to about 14 feet away, he had a chance. Summy lagged down passed the cup, leaving 4 feet for his par. Baker’s par attempt lipped out, leaving Summy with a chance to grab the point… and end the day with momentum for the stars and stripes. He poured it in, and the partisan crowd erupted.
Team USA 6.5 – Team GB&I 5.5 after day one. Onward to day 2…
