• Walker Cup

Americans cruise to Walker Cup victory

Nathan Smith, second from right, is congratulated after winning the Walker Cup for his team on the 15th hole © AP

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The United States regained the Walker Cup after comprehensively beating Great Britain and Ireland 17-9 on Long Island.

Sunday scores

Great Britain and Ireland's Max Orrin plays out of the bunker on the first hole © Getty Images

• Foursomes
  C Whitsett/B Wyatt (USA) beat N Kimsey/M Orrin (GB & I) 2&1
  M Weaver/T White (USA) lost to M Fitzpatrick/N Raymond (GB & I) 3&2
  M Homa/M Kim (USA) beat G Porteous/R Pugh (GB & I) 1up
  P Rodgers/J Niebrugge (USA) lost to G Moynihan/K Phelan (GB & I) 2up
  
  Singles
  Bobby Wyatt (USA) beat Neil Raymond (GB & Ire) 4&3
  Justin Thomas (USA) beat Max Orrin (GB & Ire) 6&4
  Michael Weaver (USA) lost to Matt Fitzpatrick (GB & Ire) 3&2
  Todd White (USA) beat Rhys Pugh (GB & Ire) 4&3
  Nathan Smith (USA) beat Nathan Kimsey (GB & Ire) 4&3
  Cory Whitsett (USA) lost to Callum Shinkwin (GB & Ire) 2up
  Michael Kim (USA) beat Garrick Porteous (GB & Ire) 4&2
  Max Homa (USA) lost to Kevin Phelan (GB & Ire) 2&1
  Jordan Niebrugge (USA) beat Jordan Smith (GB & Ire) 6&5
  Patrick Rodgers (USA) beat Gavin Moynihan (GB & Ire) 1up

Resuming 8-4 ahead after the opening day, the USA consolidated their position by sharing the morning foursomes 2-2 and needing only three-and-a half points from the 10 afternoon singles matches, the contest was wrapped up when Nathan Smith held off Nathan Kimsey in match five.

With such a deficit a strong start was vital for GB and Ireland in the singles, but in the opening game Neil Raymond bogeyed four holes out of five and lost all of them to Bobby Wyatt, who won their match 4&3. From thereon in the USA were always in command.

"Everybody played so hard as a team there were no individuals here, all these guys gave their hearts and I can't say enough about them," an emotional US captain Jim Holtgrieve said. "I think Bobby Jones and the team of 1922 are all here today and saying good things about us."

GB and Ireland captain Nigel Edwards made no excuses. "They holed out a little bit better and the short shots, the distance control, is where they did us. If some matches yesterday afternoon had gone our way down 18 it could have been a lot different but we needed to do the simple things well this week, people have to hole putts and we haven't holed enough putts.

"One weekend doesn't make them bad golfers, hopefully we'll have a few available for two years' time, the ones who turn pro I'm sure they'll learn from this."

The Walker Cup will be played at Royal Lytham and St Annes in September 2015. The USA leads the series 35-8-1.

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