Palmer Cup: Europe leads U.S. after Day 1
Trey Mullinax
WALTON-ON-THE-HILL, England – Europe claimed the final two matches of the four-ball session to take a 5.5-4.5 lead at the Palmer Cup at Walton Heath Golf Club.
The United States claimed the first match when Trey Mullinax and Robby Shelton defeated Ricardo Gouveia and Erik Oja, 4 and 3. The Alabama duo broke the match open winning three-straight holes with birdie beggining at No. 3. Europe recovered by claiming the next hole but Team USA pushed the lead back to 3-up thru No. 8. The Americans used another birdie at No. 14 to extend the lead to 4-up.
Thomas Detry and Jon Rahm claimed their second match of the day for Europe with a 3 and 2 victory over Brandon Hagy and Ollie Schniederjans. Detry birdied the first hole and Team Europe led wire-to-wire. Rahm won Nos. 3 and 5 with birdie to push the lead to 3-up but Team USA cut the lead to 1-up thru No. 9. Europe claimed No. 12 to get back to 2-up and closed the match at No. 16.
Rico Hoey and Jack Maguire downed Paul Dunne and Grant Forrest, 4 and 2, for an American victory. Maguire birdied No. 4 and parred the fifth to give the U.S. a 2-up lead. Forrest cut the lead to 1-up with birdie at No. 6 but Team USA moved back to 2-up thru eight. Forrest again cut the lead with birdie, this time at No. 11, but the United States closed with an eagle by Hoey and birde-birdie by Maguire to secure the final three holes.
Scotland’s Jack McDonald and James Ross evened the overall team match with a 3 and 1 triumph over Wyndham Clark and Stewart Jolly. The U.S. took the first hole and led thru nine of 13 holes. A birdie at No. 12 pushed the American lead to 2-up. Europe won four-straight starting at No. 12 - in a stretch of birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie - to take a 2-up lead of its own. The Scots closed out the match with par at No. 17.
Europe took the team lead when Pep Angles and and Louis Tomlinson downed Bryson Dechambeau and Anthony Maccaglia, 1-up. The USA held a 1-up lead on three occasions, last holding the lead thru 13. Beginning at No. 14 Europe won three straight holes to surge ahead, 2-up. Team USA cut the lead to 1-down with a birdie at No. 17 but both sides parred No. 18 to give Europe the 1-up victory.
Third round singles matches tee off at 9 am.
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ABOUT THE
Palmer Cup
The annual Ryder Cup-style competition
features
top men and women collegiate players from the
United States
against their International counterparts.
Each team will be comprised of 12 men's and
12
women's golfers.
Day one will feature Mixed Four-Ball
competition, day
two will see Mixed
Foursomes in the morning and Four-Ball in the
afternoon, with 24 singles
matches on the final day.
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