The West Team (Ben Adelberg/Back of the Range Photo)

Heading into the singles session, the West team led 14 to 13. During the Saturday foursomes, the East team won the session 5 points to 4, led by the teams of Paul Simson/Scott Harvey and Joe Deraney/Doug Hanzel.

Hanzel is ranked No. 3 in the AmateurGolf.com Senior Rankings.

According to the East-West Cup, this week, there are a combined total of 589 USGA tournament appearances and 23 USGA national titles in the field.

In the previous two editions of the East West Matches, the East won 30.5-13.5 in 2022, and the West won the first event in an epic comeback in 2020, 23-22.

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On the first day, The West won the morning fourball 5.5 points to 3.5 points, and the teams split the foursomes session at 4.5 points, giving the West squad a 10-8 lead. Stewart Hagestad and Mike McCoy set the pace for the west, winning their morning fourball match 5 and 4. 

“My team really showed up in the singles matches," West captain Brady Exber told the East West Cup. "It was such a tight match all week because the East was tough, but in the singles, a few of my guys snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.”

Exber added, "The matches are growing in importance and stature, certainly in the players' minds. The competition level here is as good as any Mid-Am or senior event. Every player is a top player. There is no weak spot."

Stewart Hagestad, the No. 4 in the AmateurGolf.com Mid-Amateur Rankings, won his singles match 4 and 2 victory over Will Davenport.

"The East had a great team, and we snuck it out in singles," Hagestad told the East West Cup. "Everyone played great today. It is very really cool to come to a place like Maridoe, meet in the middle of the country, and enjoy lots of camaraderie and friendships. After all the tournament stuff goes away, what we will remember is the great group of guys and players."

The East West Matches started in 2020 and are played every two years. The three-day amateur golf competition features a Ryder Cup-style team format for American amateur, mid-amateur, and senior competitors. The competition is currently tied 1-1.

The competition's vision is “promoting the amateur game by bringing the best amateurs in the United States together for highly competitive matches and camaraderie in its purest form.”

The Mississippi River divides the East and West teams. In 2024, the teams comprised 18 players: six seniors and 12 mid-amateurs. After two college players were on the teams in 2020 and 2022, there are no college players now.

Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, is the bi-annual host. 

Sunday Singles results

Brad Nurski 2 and 1 over Brad Tilley
Parker Edens 2 and 1 over Stephen Behr
Sam Jackson 1 up over Denny Bull
Michael Jensen 4 and 3 over Hayes Brown
Mike McCoy tied Rick Stimmel
Gene Elliot 4 and 3 over Jack Hall
Bryan Hoops 2 and 1 over Doug Hanzel
Mark Strickland 1 up over Bob Royak
Andy Sajevic 3 and 2 over Scott Harvey
Trip Kuehne 1 up over Jeronimo Esteve
Christian Cavaliere 3 and 1 over Chris Wheeler
Nick Maccario 2 and 1 over Bobby Massa
Paul Simson 1 up over Terrance Miskell
Kevin VandenBerg 2 and 1 over Dan Sullivan
Joe Deraney 4 and 2 over Drew Kittleson
Jonathan Bale 4 and 3 over Brian Blanchard
Josh Persons 2 up over Andrew Price
Stewart Hagestad 4 and 2 over Will Davenport

The East West Cup contributed to this report