Awesome Americans regain Walker Cup
By: Nick Bonfield | Tue 10 Sep 2013
Amateurs from the USA thrashed their British and Irish counterparts to win back the Walker Cup at the National Golf Links of America in Long Island.
The teams looked evenly matched before the contest, and despite GB&I's inauspicious record on American soil, the presence of Silver Medal and US Amateur winning-amateur Matt Fitzpatrick and British Amateur champion Garrick Porteous persuaded many that Britain held the advantage.
The visitors made a good start, claiming the first foursomes session 2.5-1.5, but what followed can only be described as a comprehensive rout.
The Americans claimed the first singles session 6.5 - 1.5, with only Gavin Monyiham - playing in the last match of the day - managing to inflict defeat.
With the scores 8-4 in favour of the US, team GB&I were in need of a strong start on the second and final day. But a 2-2 scoreline in the morning foursomes left the score at 10-6 heading into the final singles session.
Needing only 3.5 points from the 10 Sunday singles matches, the Americans inflicted heavy defeats in the first two matches to end any lingering European hope. The final 17-9 scoreline was the heaviest European defeat since 1997.
Talking points:
Diamond in the rough
It was a resounding defeat for GB&I, but one player really showed his class. Reigning amateur world number one Matt Fitzpatrick took three points from his four matches, accounting for one third of GB&I's points total. Fitzpatrick looks a class act and proficient in every department, and if he continues his Silver Medal and US Amateur-winning form and keeps his feet on the ground, we could have another English major champion on our hands. Encouragingly, he's committed to completing university in America before he turns professional. Such maturity and pragmatism will stand him in excellent stead going forward.
Amazing effort
The American team must be highly commended for a sensational performance on home soil, and there are many players from within the US ranks that look poised to enjoy fruitful careers at the top level. World number two Michael Kim - who won 100% of his matches - looks to be a top talent, and fellow 20-year-old Jordan Niebrugge was extremely impressive on debut. In 20 years time, it'll be interesting to look back on this team and see how many major champions it's produced. If it's none, I'll be very surprised.
This week, the European Tour heads to Holland for the KLM Open, with the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup play-offs resuming at the BMW Championship - the penultimate event of the 2013 season.
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