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By John Companiotte
Ardmore, Pa. – The Walker Cup, dampened by rain for its opening ceremony and overcast for the first day of competition, concluded in sunshine and good spirits Sunday at historic Merion Golf Club.
The good will between the teams extended right to the end. On the par-4 16th hole of the singles match between Matt Haines of Great Britain and Ireland and the USA’s Rickie Fowler, the 20-year-old Californian’s putt was conceded when he was assured a par following a lag putt.
Haines’ 20-foot attempt stopped a foot from the hole before Fowler stepped forward, picked up Haines’ ball and tossed it to him. There was no gamesmanship here. Ahead two holes at the time, Fowler closed out his match on the next hole, 3 and 2, to post a 4-0 record in the Match.
The bright sunshine and 80-degree temperatures brought different challenges for golf fans. Near the seventh green, which requires a steep climb to reach from the fairway, one spectator hustled ahead of the group leaving the green.
“Let’s go up here,” he suggested.
“[Let’s] stay in the shade,” demanded his wife, whose sweat-drenched hair stuck to her forehead.
The higher temperatures and a light breeze dried out the fairways as the day progressed. The slicker and challenging greens didn’t allow any of the early singles matches to end early. It was close to 5 p.m. before Fowler closed out his match, bringing the USA’s point total to within a point of retaining the Cup and 1½ points from outright victory.
One young female draped an American flag over her back as she followed the Fowler match.
Cameron Tringale, playing six pairings behind Fowler, posted an 8-and-6 victory just 10 minutes after Fowler won. The USA’s 13-6 advantage meant that it would retain the Walker Cup.
Fans didn’t need to wait much longer for the decisive point to be posted by 20-year-old Peter Uihlein, who beat the fiery and diminutive Stiggy Hodgson of England, 3 and 1. That match, like Fowler’s, also ended on No. 17 with a small crowd surrounding the green.
Those USA players whose matches were over began congregating at the 17th tee to cheer on their teammates. Little girls came forward from the crowd to have their pictures taken with the champions.
Yet the GB&I fans still encouraged Chris Paisley on 16 when he won that hole. “Olay, olay,” chanted several folks from Ireland, to a tune that sounded more like a song found in a pub than a golf club. Most here the cheer at European soccer matches.
When the GB&I’s Tommy Fleetwood and the USA’s Drew Weaver reached the 18th green with the match all square, nearly everyone still at Merion surged toward the green. Each player had a putt to possibly win the hole and Fleetwood succeeded in getting a rare GB&I point.
For the most part, the Americans dominated the two-day event, but those backing the visitors still patted their GB&I players like Sam Hutsby as he walked away from the 18th green for his 1-up victory over Adam Mitchell. The appreciation for a job well done continued through all the matches.
Amateur golf, after all, is about a love for the game.
Later, as the USA players leaped up the stairs of Merion’s storied clubhouse toward the men’s locker room, their yelps and hollers reverberated throughout.
John Companiotte is an author and member of the USGA Communications Committee.
