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USA Pulls Ahead With Sweep Of Sunday Foursomes, 10-6
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| Colt Knost (USA) sinks a short putt on the 18th green to earn a 2-up victory in his morning foursomes (alternate shot) match with Dustin Johnson. Knost is 2-0-1 heading in his afternoon singles match. (John Mummert/USGA) |
Newcastle, N. Ireland – Billy Horschel of Grant, Fla., and Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, Calif., don’t want this weekend to end.
Sunday morning they were again paired together in the first foursomes (alternate shot) match and again they came through over the tough 7,181-yard par 71 championship layout at Royal County Down Golf Club. The USA also won the other three foursomes matches to take a 10-6 lead over Great Britain and Ireland heading into the deciding afternoon of eight singles matches at the 41st Walker Cup Match.
After a slow start, Horschel and Fowler remarkably won seven consecutive holes over Irish pairing of Rory McIllroy and Jonny Caldwell for a 3-up lead after 13 holes. They closed out the match, 2 and 1. Both Horschel, 20, and Fowler, the youngest member of the 10-man American squad at 18, are 3-0 heading into afternoon singles.
“I can’t take these guys off the golf course,” captain Buddy Marucci said Saturday night after watching his youngsters play so well. “They have earned the chance to play all four matches.”
The other USA foursomes winners also played well down the stretch, a change from Saturday when the USA lost three singles matches on the 18th green.
Colt Knost of Dallas and Dustin Johnson of Myrtle Beach, S.C., edged Welshmen Rhys Davies and Nigel Edwards, 1 up. Trip Kuehne of Irving, Texas, and Jonathan Moore of Vancouver, Wash., defeated the Englishmen Jamie Moul and Daniel Willett, 4 and 2. And Chris Kirk of Woodstock, Ga., and Jamie Lovemark of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., beat the English pairing of David Horsey and John Parry, 2 up.
“I’m very proud of this team,” said Marucci after the morning round. “They played beautifully. We talked last night about staying more focused down the stretch and trying harder to not give holes back. We’re very fortunate.”
Each match is worth one team point. The USA needs just two of the eight remaining points to retain the Walker Cup. The last time the USA sweep all foursomes matches was 1997 when Marucci was a playing member of the USA team.
The last Walker Cup was played in 2005, with the USA winning by a point at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill. Prior to that, the GB&I had a run of three consecutive victories. The USA leads 32-7-1 in the biennial series history that was begun in 1922.
Newcastle, N. Ireland – Results of Sunday’s foursomes (alternate shot) at the 41st Walker Cup Match being played at the 7,181-yard, par 71, Royal County Down Golf Club:
Sunday Foursomes (Alternate Shot) Results
Billy Horschel and Rickie Fowler USA. def. Jonny Caldwell and Rory Mcllroy (GB&I), 2 and 1.
Colt Knost and Dustin Johnson (USA) def. Rhys Davies and Nigel Edwards (GBI), 1 up.
Trip Kuehne and Jonathan Moore (USA) def. Jamie Moul and David Willett (GB&I), 4 and 2.
Chris Kirk and Jamie Lovemark (USA) def. John Parry and David Horsey (GB&I), 2 up.
Afternoon Singles Pairings
Rory McIlroy (GB&I) vs. Billy Horschel (USA)
Rhys Davies (GB&I) vs. Rickie Fowler (USA)
Danny Willett (GB&I) vs. Colt Knost (USA)
Lloyd Saltman (GB&I) vs. Trip Kuehne (USA)
Jonny Caldwell (GB&I) vs. Kyle Stanley (USA)
Nigel Edwards (GB&I) vs. Jonathan Moore (USA)
Jamie Moul (GB&I) vs. Jamie Lovemark (USA)
David Horsey (GB&I) vs. Webb Simpson (USA)
| Championship Facts |
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PAR AND YARDAGE – Royal County Down will be set up at 7,181 yards with a par of 35-36-71 GOLF COURSE ARCHITECT – Old Tom Morris is credited with the original routing in 1889, which was possibly the first course to ignore the then traditional layout of nine holes "out" and nine holes "back." Royal County Down was opened for play in 1891. Many revisions were made, including some by club professional Seymour Dunn (1904) and by famed golfer Harry Vardon. Others who had a hand in evolving changes to the course were George Combe and Harry Colt, all in the first three decades of the 1900s. The last of the modifications was in 2005 when Donald Steel tinkered with the 16th hole. ROYALTY – In 1908, King Edward VII conferred "Royal" status to the Club. WHAT IS THE WALKER CUP MATCH? – The Walker Cup Match is contested by male amateur players, one team from the United States and one team from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The teams consist of not more than 10 players and a captain. The Match is conducted every two years, alternately in the U.S. and Great Britain/Ireland. SCHEDULE OF PLAY – On Saturday, Sept. 8, and Sunday, Sept. 9, there will be four foursomes matches (18 holes each) each morning and eight singles matches (18 holes each) each afternoon. Starting Times – (local GMT) TICKETS – Daily grounds tickets are 25 pounds apiece. While a limited number are available, they can be purchased online at www.randa.org. Junior (age 16 and under) are 10 pounds apiece. 
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