Irish quintet walking on air
BR I TA I N and Ireland claimed the Walker Cup in record-breaking fashion yesterday, as t he ol dest t eam trophy of all joined the Ryder Cup and t he Solheim Cup on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
The win was comprehensive — the 16.5-9.5 triumph beating the previous six-point record margin for a GB&I victory set in 1999 and equalled in 2001.
And with six of the 10 singles still to be decided, Greystones’ Paul Dunne — one of a record five Irish players on the team — claimed the half-point that took the home team over the line.
It followed on from Dunne’s exploits at The Open at St Andrews i n July, when he became the first amateur to lead after three rounds since Bobby Jones in 1927.
Asked to compare the two, the 22-year-old Dubliner smiled and said: ‘I’ll take playing a part in helping the team win this trophy than finishing 30th in a tournament any day!’
This was Nigel Edwards’ third stint as captain and his second success, following the victory at Royal Aberdeen in 2011. ‘That one went to the wire, but here the boys just got off to a fast start on both days and never let up. They were brilliant all weekend.’
Edwards always looked like he was on to a good thing with home advantage and a nucleus of players who have grown up together playing for Ireland, and so it proved.
Cormac Sharvin from Ard- glass was outstanding in delivering three points out of three, but special mention ought to be reserved for the two Englishmen, Ashley Chesters and Jimmy Mullen.
The pair combined for maximum points from two foursomes, while Mullen became the only player on either side to muster four points out of four.
As for Chesters, the 26-yearold from Sandy Lyle’s old club Hawkstone Park pl ayed number one in all four series of matches, wi t h all the responsibility that entails, and the only half-point he surrendered came on Saturday when Bryson DeChambeau, the most impressive American, holed a gutsy 10ft putt on the 18th.
In the second singles series the Americans threw Jordan Niebrugge at him, the man who beat him for the silver medal at The Open at St Andrews in July, finishing sixth to Chesters’ 12th place. Neibrugge had the upper hand early but Chesters fought back from two down to win three and one. There was no way back f or t he Americans thereafter.
Meanwhile, i n the Evian Championship in France, New Zealander Lydia Ko became the youngest winner of a major, male or female, since Tom Morris Jnr won The Open in 1868.
The 18-year-old did it in style with a final round 63 to see off her closest challenger Lexi Thompson by six shots.