Americans painted the scoreboard red at Lahinch during Sunday morning’s foursomes only to be capsized by a blue wave in the afternoon singles that saw Great Britain and Ireland rally to win the 51st Walker Cup, 13 1/2 to 12 1/2.
Trailing by three points after being swept in alternate shot, the home team got off to a blazing start in the final session on a gusty Irish day, winning each of the first four singles matches.
Stuart Grehan topped Preston Stout for the second straight day and Jack Whaley recorded a historic, 8-and-7 runaway victory over William Jennings.
Then came two more wins for Team GB&I — Luke Poulter beat Ethan Fang when the latter’s putt on No. 17 came up just short. Moments later, Tyler Weaver closed out his match over Jay Leng Jr. with a 4-and-3 win.
That kick-started the largest final-session comeback in competition history.
Josh Hill was the one who got to play hero, sealing the win for the home squad by getting up and down from a greenside bunker on the par-5 18th to give GB&I its first Walker Cup victory since 2015. He won the point over American Tyler Watts, snapping a run of five consecutive Walker Cup victories for the red, white and blue.
“I have a lot of confidence in my bunker game but I don’t know how I handled myself for that 3-footer because I was shaking,” Hill said. “I’m just glad it went in to be honest because this is absolutely incredible.”
Hill said he and his teammates still felt like they could go out and win despite the disappointing morning results.
“We were still hyped up, we still felt we could go out and win,” Hill added. “We had that belief to go out and win, and we did it.”
Captain Dean Robertson told Hill before his bunker shot on No. 18 that GB&I needed the full point to win the Walker Cup. Moments earlier, Connor Graham tied American teenager Miles Russell that left both teams sitting at 12 1/2 points with one singles match left.
A tie between Hill and Watts would have resulted in a half point for each side, and a 13-to-13 tie on the scoreboard — a result which would have allowed the Americans to retain the Walker Cup.
“When he said we needed a win, I said, ‘Alright let’s do it,’” Hill recalled of the conversation with Robertson before he set himself up with the tournament-winning putt on the 18th green.
He didn’t allow himself much time to stand over the putt and overthink it.
“I just tried to hit it quick,” said Hill before extending his hand back toward the raucous crowd at Lahinch that was cheering him on.
“It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Russell-Graham tie proves pivotal
Hill said the sounds from the crowd celebrating Graham’s made putt on No. 18 helped motivate him finish off the final hole.
Had Graham not won the final hole over Russell, the Americans would have held a 13-12 advantage nullifying the importance of a Hill win over Watts.
Russell carried a 2-up advantage into the final two holes, where he bogeyed at the par-4 17th and parred the final hole.
Graham went birdie-birdie to finish.
Of course, it wasn’t the only lost half point for the U.S. on Sunday afternoon in Ireland.
Kihei Akina and Niall Sheils Donegan also tied their match, one which saw Akina’s 2-up lead on the back nine also whittle away.
American winners
Ryder Cowan and Josiah Gilbert were the only two Americans to secure full points in their singles matches.
Gilbert, who was in the final singles match of the afternoon with Sam Easterbrook, completed a 4-to-3 win that left the U.S. in need of just two more points to retain the trophy.
Cowan overcame a two-shot deficit through five holes against Ben Bolton to seal a 3-to-2 win and get the red, white and blue to 12 points.
Russell’s half-point was the last American addition to the scoreboard.
Baker hands Hagestad rare singles loss
Walker Cup veteran Stewart Hagestad, who had been on the previous five winning American teams, got himself to 8-1 all-time in singles matches on Saturday when he took down Bolton.
The 35-year-old Hagestad was in prime position for another star role on Sunday but Eliot Baker had other plans.
Baker, who showed frustration at times during his Sunday morning foursomes, got to 2 up after five holes and didn’t relinquish that lead until after they were done at No. 17.
Baker and Hagestad were tied entering the last hole but the 22-year-old Brit got his birdie putt to drop as Hagestad’s came up just short.
“I believed in this team the entire time, they’ve worked so hard and played so well,” said Robertson, GB&I’s captain. “I’m just so proud of every one of them, this is so special.”