STIRLING STUDENT YATES HELPS
EUROPEANS TAKE SURPRISE 3-1
LEAD IN PALMER CUP

Europe took a surprise 3-1 lead over favourites United States in their own backyard on the opening morning of the two-day transatlantic students’ golf match for the Palmer Cup.
With this year’s venue the Caves Valley Golf Club near Baltimore, Maryland, the American line-up, containing most of the top US college circuit players and including Jamie Lovemark, the new No 1 in the R&A World amateur rankings, was expected to gain revenge for the record trouncing (19 ½-4 ½) they received in last year’s match over the Prestwick links.
Instead, the Europeans got off to a flying start with Edinburgh-born Welsh Walker Cup player Rhys Davies and Ulsterman Gareth Shaw, team-mates at East Tennessee State University, thrashing Jamie Lovemark and Luke List by 9 and 7 in the first tie off the tee.

It was the highest winning margin ever recorded in any Palmer Cup tie. The scoring was fantastically good.

Davies birdied the first two holes. Shaw birdied the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth. After six holes, the European partnership were six holes up - and there was no way back for Lovemark and List after that.

The United States levelled it at 1-1 when Brian Harman and Billy Horschel won by 3 and 2 against the all-Spanish pairing of Jorge Campillo and Perdo Oriol.
But Europe edged ahead again when the all-Swedish partnership of Jonas Blixt and Oscar Floren won by 2 and 1 over Dustin Johnson and Chris Kirk.
Stirling student Gordon Yates (pictured above) and Mark Hastrup from Denmark then stretched the European lead to 2pt at lunchtime by beating Jonathan Moore and Webb Simpson by one hole after being two up with four to play.
Results:
FOUR-BALLS
US names first
L List & J Lovemark lost to R Davies & G Shaw 9 and 7.
B Harman & B Horschel bt J Campillo & P Oriol 3 and 2.
J Moore & W Simpson lost to G Yates & M Haastrup 1 hole.
D Johnson & C Kirk lost to J Blixt & O Floren 2 and 1.

**WE EXPECT TO HAVE THE RESULTS OF THE AFTERNOON SINGLES NEARER MIDNIGHT

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