The Walker Cup is a competition between the best amateur golfers in the United States, Ireland, and Great Britain. The U.S. faces off against a mix of the other two countries over the course of two days in match play format, similar to the formats of the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. Anytime you get a team competition with national pride on the line, you can expect some intense drama, but in the first match of the day on Saturday, history replaced any drama.
The U.S. team of Collin Morikawa/Norman Xiong defeated GB&I's Harry Ellis/Alfie Plant by a score of 8&7, the largest defeat in Walker Cup history.
To those unfamiliar with match play, a team or individual goes 1up when they have a better score than their opponent on a hole, regardless on if it's a one stroke difference or three stroke difference. This means that Morikawa and Xiong won 8 of their first 10 holes, which is a scorching start. The two combined to birdie their first four holes and took advantage of some sloppy play from their opponents to finish the match off just two holes into the back nine.
The Walker Cup is a two-day competition, featuring one session of alternate shot and session of singles matches each day. 26 points are up for grabs over the weekend, with the U.S. needed 13 1/2 to win the Cup outright and GB&I needing 13 to retain it. On Saturday, the United States took an 8-4 lead heading into the final day with strong showings in both sessions.
