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| Chris Paisely came out on the losing foursomes match against Nathan Smith and Peter Uihlein Sunday. (John Mummert/USGA) |
By Dave Shedloski
Ardmore, Pa. – The 18-foot par putt that Peter Uihlein sank Saturday on the home hole at Merion Golf Club to secure a 1-up victory for him and playing partner Nathan Smith has sure gone a long way for the young Floridian since then.
The proof is in the relatively short time the USA rookie is spending on the golf course in this 42nd Walker Cup.
As opposed to their nail-biter on Saturday, Smith and Uihlein were a juggernaut on a breezy Sunday morning, holing putts, playing steady and showing no mercy in hammering Chris Paisley and Dale Whitnell, 6 and 5, in the last of four foursomes matches to help USA move closer to retaining the Walker Cup against Great Britain & Ireland.
“I was feeling really nervous at the start yesterday, but Nathan really calmed me down. He was a rock. But, yeah, since I made that putt I’m feeling a lot more comfortable out there,” said Uihlein, 20, a sophomore at Oklahoma State University. “It’s been a pretty good ride so far.”
Indeed, Uihlein , after sticking a dagger in the hearts of Gavin Dear and Matt Haines Saturday morning with his winning putt at 18, never trailed in his 2-and-1 singles victory over Tommy Fleetwood Saturday afternoon.
“After our win yesterday, I kind of felt like we’d play well today,” said Smith, the ‘old’ member of the team at age 31. “I’m just trying to keep it in front of me and get the putter in Peter’s hands. He’s just playing so well.”
That was evident from the start. Uihlein sank a 15-foot birdie putt on the opening par-4 for a 1-up lead, and then saved par on the par-3 third hole with a sneaky-quick 30-footer that doubled their advantage. A 10-foot birdie at the fourth made it 3-up for the USA squad.
“Making putts of that length on three of the first four holes was huge,” said Smith, from nearby Pittsburgh.
While the USA was playing steady golf, the GB&I team struggled. Paisley and Whitnell were seven over par on the day and made just one birdie, that with a kick-in set up by Whitnell at the short par-3 13th.
“In alternate shot, you need both players, and they really struggled,” Smith said. “We were able to capitalize on some of their mistakes.”
The match ended with the Americans making a routine par. From just off the fairway Uihlein belted a 6-iron from 195 yards to within 22 feet of the hole. Whitnell’s approach from the fairway set up an 18-footer. Smith left his effort just short, but Paisley was wide right on his attempt to extend the match another hole.
“I’m definitely having a great time,” said Uihlein, one of the last two selections to the team after his strong summer that included a quarterfinal run in the U.S. Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. “It’s been fun. I'm having a blast playing with Nathan. You want to play well for your teammates, and I’m just happy to be contributing.”
Dave Shedloski is a freelance writer whose work has previously appeared on USGA championship sites.
