COUNTY CLARE, Ireland — Connor Graham and Josh Hill each won the 18th hole in the final two matches Sunday at Lahinch as Great Britain & Ireland capped a stunning comeback against the United States to win the Walker Cup for the first time since 2015.
Graham birdied the last two holes to earn a precious halve against 17-year-old Miles Russell. It came down to Hill, all square in his match with 18-year-old Tyler Watts, his college teammate with the Tennessee Volunteers. Hill hit a long bunker shot to three feet and holed the birdie putt for a 13 1/2-12 1/2 victory in the event co-sanctioned by the R&A and the U.S. Golf Association.
“We had that belief we could win, and it’s going to be a great night,” Hill said.
The Americans, loaded with seven of the top 10 players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, swept the morning foursomes matches in the fierce wind to build a three-point lead going into the 10 singles matches, long a U.S. strength. The Americans needed to win only 3 1/2 points in singles to keep the cup.
GB&I, however, quickly turned the tables and put its blue scores on the leaderboard by winning the opening four matches.
Stuart Grehan, the lone Irish player on home soil, took down top-ranked amateur Preston Stout. Luke Poulter closed out his match on the 17th hole. U.S. Amateur champion Jack Whaley of England demolished William Jennings, 8 and 7, and Tyler Weaver won in 15 holes.
Key for GB&I, however, was getting three points — two wins and two halves — from the four matches that went to the final hole.
Niall Sheils Donegan, the Scottish player who grew up in San Francisco, never had the lead in his match but ground out a halve against Kihei Akina when the the BYU freshman missed a four-foot birdie putt.
Eliot Baker atoned for a Sunday singles loss to Stewart Hagestad last year at Cypress Point in California by winning the par-5 18th. Hagestad tried to hit driver off the deck and wound up in a tough spot that took a good birdie chance away, and Baker got up-and-down for birdie and a full point.
The final two matches were on the 18th hole, and GB&I had to win the hole in both matches or watch the Americans keep the Walker Cup for a sixth straight time.
Graham, 2 down with two to play against Russell, birdied the last two holes for a halve.
“I had a look at the leaderboard a couple of times,” Graham said. “I knew a halve would go a long way.”
It all came down to Hill, a senior at Tennessee, all square in his match with 18-year-old Tyler Watts, a freshman for the Vols. Watts was in thick rough off the tee and had 130 yards left for his third shot. Hill was in a front bunker with the pin toward the back.
Hill blasted out to just longer than three feet, and when Watts missed his 18-foot birdie putt, Hill quickly rapped it in and the celebration was on.
“I don’t know how I handled myself on that 3-footer because I was shaking,” Hill said. “I’m just glad it went in because this was unbelievable.”
The Americans still lead the overall series 40-10-1. Next up for GB&I is to try to win the Walker Cup away from home for the first time since 2001 at Ocean Forest in Georgia. The 2028 matches will be held at Bandon Dunes in Oregon.
The biennial event was held in consecutive years to switch from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years, a move made so it will be contested in separate years than the World Amateur Team Championships — which previously made its own move to avoid conflicting with the Summer Olympics every four years.
Lawrence wins Euro Masters
CRANS MONTANA, Switzerland — South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence overcame a six-shot deficit Sunday with an 8-under-par 62 and denied Paul Casey his first victory in five years by making an 18-foot birdie putt on the fourth playoff hole to win the DP World Tour’s European Masters.
The Englishman stood over a putt with the chance to win four times on the 18th green at Crans-sur-Sierre, three of them in the playoff. Lawrence made good on his first chance. He became the seventh three-time winner of this event, and the first since Seve Ballesteros in 1989.
Casey (68) led by one going to the 18th and got a huge break when his approach from rough hit a rock and bounced over a stream. He couldn’t get up and down for par, though, leading to the playoff as they finished 72 holes at 18-under 262.
England’s Harry Hall closed with 63 to miss the playoff by a shot but had sole possession of third place.
Casey had a 35-foot birdie putt for the win on the first extra hole at No. 18. On the second extra hole, his 10-foot birdie narrowly missed to the right. Officials moved the pin toward the back of the green, and Casey had eight feet for birdie and the win. That spun off the right edge.
The fourth time around, Lawrence made the winning putt to capture the European Masters for the third time in the past five years.