Walker Cup: U.S. rallies and leads against Great Britain & Ireland

United States Takes the Lead in the Walker Cup After an Exciting Day

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell shined by sinking birdies on both par-3s facing the ocean at Cypress Point, securing his match victory, and Jace Summy earned two wins on Saturday. The Americans rallied in the singles matches, establishing a 6 1/2-5 1/2 lead over Great Britain & Ireland after the first day of the Walker Cup. Howell, 18, a high school senior in Georgia, secured his spot on the U.S. team after winning the U.S. Amateur last month at the Olympic Club. After not participating in the morning foursomes session, where GB&I took a 3-1 lead, Howell felt the nerves in the afternoon singles, but only for a brief moment. Howell was 1 up on Luke Poulter, the young man from Florida and son of Ian Poulter, when he birdied the short, ocean-facing 15th hole. Then, he holed a 45-foot birdie putt on the iconic 16th hole, which requires a tee shot over the ocean, to close out the match.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t very nervous on the first tee,” Howell commented. “But what a day! A beautiful day here. It’s been incredible.”

Mason Howell

The marine layer over the Monterey Peninsula dissipated after the morning session, revealing stunning views of Cypress Point, one of the most picturesque golf courses. The Walker Cup, which returned to Cypress for the first time since 1981, attracted several prominent figures. Hal Sutton, a player in the 1981 matches, was present, as were Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Kuchar, and Juli Inkster. The opening day was full of excitement, with GB&I renewing their hopes of winning on American soil for the first time in 24 years, by winning three of the four alternate shot matches. Connor Graham and Tyler Weaver won three consecutive holes on the back nine, defeating Jackson Koivun and Tommy Morrison on the 17th hole. Graham also won two matches for GB&I, defeating Ben James in singles. Stuart Grehan and Eliot Baker managed to win on the 18th hole against Preston Stout and Ethan Fang. However, these same GB&I players were on the verge of preventing the American comeback in the singles. Grehan had a 6-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole against Ethan Fang, but the putt lipped the right edge of the cup, settling for a tie. In the final match, Baker and Summy were tied and in trouble off the tee and to the left of the green. Baker chipped to 12 feet and had to sink it when Summy two-putted for par. His putt for par looked good until it veered off at the last moment.

“We knew we had to have a good session and they did it,” commented US captain Nathan Smith on his team’s victory in five of the eight singles matches and a tie in another.

Nathan Smith

The United States has won the last four editions, the most recent at St. Andrews in 2023, and has dominated the series since its inception in 1924. GB&I’s last away victory was at Ocean Forest on the coast of Georgia in 2001. Niall Shiels Donegan, the Scot who grew up in San Francisco, had another section of cheerleaders by defeating Jacob Modleski for the second time, as he also defeated him in 19 holes in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur. Shiels Donegan looked at a leaderboard at the start of the second half of the course and saw that it was filled with American victories. Koivun defeated Weaver, 4 and 3. Stewart Hagestad and Stout closed out their matches on the 13th hole. Shiels Donegan and Graham did their part by earning points and keeping GB&I close. “I saw the board to the left of 11 as I was walking and saw that we weren’t performing the best in singles,” said Shiels Donegan. “I think for me in that situation I said to myself, I have to do my job, let’s focus on doing my job, getting any points for the team and see what we can do the rest of the week.” The final session on Sunday will have four foursomes matches in the morning, followed by the 10 players competing in singles.