Team Great Britain & Ireland claimed both the foursomes and singles sessions on Saturday to take a three point lead going into the final day at St Andrews.
The golf on display at the Old Course had been superb and, following a 3 – 1 victory in the morning foursomes, Team GB&I took the afternoon singles 4.5 – 3.5, with Stuart Wilson’s men now needing 6 points on Sunday to reclaim the title that they haven’t held since 2015.
In the morning foursomes, it was Team GB&I who took the early advantage, as they picked up three points out of a possible four. The first game, which featured World No.1 Amateur, Gordon Sargent, saw him and American partner, Dylan Menante, cruise to a 3&2 win, but that was the only scalp the Americans could claim in the morning wave.
The matches were indeed tight though, with Calum Scott & Connor Graham picking up a 3&2 win, whilst the pairs of Matthew McClean & John Gough and Alex Maguire & James Ashfield both claimed 1-up victories on the 18th hole.
Leading 3-1, Team GB&I were looking to replicate their morning form in the singles, but it was American, Caleb Surratt, who took the first point of the afternoon, with a 4&3 win over 22-year-old, Barclay Brown.
Team GB&I celebrate on the 18th green following the afternoon singles
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Although the lead was halved, home-hero, Scott, managed to claim a 2&1 victory over Nick Gabrelcik to get it back to two, before a huge turning point came in the third match between Jack Bigham and World No.1 Sargent on the final hole. Out the blocks, Sargent led, but Bigham fought back to lead 1-up with two holes to play. However, the American claimed the 17th before a birdie at the last gave Sargent a crucial 1-up win.
With the first three singles decided, there soon came a crucial passage of play, with two of the next three games all-square with a handful of holes remaining. Before those concluded though it was Gough who decimated the US Amateur champion, Nick Dunlap, 6&5, whilst the US got some payback with a 4&3 Stewart Hagestad victory to put the scores 5-4 in GB&I’s favour.
Attention now turned to the three crucial games and, in the first to conclude, it was GB&I’s Liam Nolan who…
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