Saturday’s Walker Cup Match Notes

Simpson and Moore

The U.S. team may go home empty handed when its all said and done on Sunday, but Webb Simpson and Jonathan Moore gave the USA team hope in the Saturday morning foursomes (alternate shot) when they finished birdie-eagle to turn a 2-down deficit to an improbable tie and maybe more importantly momentum going into the afternoon singles.

The comeback started on the 17th hole when Moore drained a 22-foot curler for birdie. He made the putt knowing that if he missed it the match would be over as the GB&I team of Jamie Moul and Daniel Willett had only a short putt left for par.

“I just kept trying to think about a lot of putts that I had made,” the 2006 NCAA individual champion said.  “Rarely do you make those putts but when it does go in when there’s a lot on the line, it’s really fun.”

Simpson then got his chance for heroics on the 18th hole. It was Simpson’s turn to hit the tee shot, but his drive found the left wispy rough and left Moore with some decisions.  From 232 yards, Moore decided to hit a 5-iron up as close to the green as possible and it caught some of the front edge all the better, but he wanted to leave Simpson and his long putter a chance.  Moore executed the shot perfectly and his ball turned right to left, caught a part of a mound and kicked in the middle of the fairway, 37 yards away from the back hole location.

The GB&I team was hole high in two shots, but in a little patch of rough. Simpson knew a tie wouldn’t be good enough. Simpson’s putter is usually a good friend on the golf course, but no today. At least not until now.

Now his ball rolled perfectly, first right then back to the left. It climbed up the front slope of the green and rolled hard into the cup.

“The putt was pretty simple,” Simpson said with a smile.  “It broke right at the beginning and left at the end.  It was such a cool thing.  I was surprised to get that big a roar (from the crowd).  It looked good from about 10 feet out.  I thought it was too hard at first.”

Moore was buying none of Simpson’s act.

“He’s humble about it, but that was the best putt I’ve ever seen.”

Notes

*U.S. Coach Buddy Marucci was aware of his team’s shortcomings after the first day. It needs to finish better on the home holes.  In the 12 matches on Saturday, eight of them reached the 16th hole.  Of those eight, the USA led in five, tied in two and was down in only one.  The USA lost four, tied two and won two.

“We have to be a little better at the close tomorrow,” Marucci said.  “We have to be a little more mindful of getting 16, 17 and 18 going our way.”

*Only one team in the morning foursomes was even par or better on the front nine.  Colt Knost and Dustin Johnson shot even-par 35 with two birdies.  Unfortunately for the USA, they turned with a 2-up lead and let it slip away as the GB&I team of Rory Mcllroy and Jonny Caldwell shot a one-under 35 to the even-par 36 for the USA duo. And that USA total came with a bogey on the last hole.

* U.S. Amateur champion Colt Knost had a hard-fought 2-up victory over Daniel Willett.  Going into the 17th hole, Willett had made a run of three birdies in a row to finally catch the Texan, but Knost turned the tables with two birdies of his own down the stretch.  Knost shot 67, four-under-par in his singles match.