JUNIOR RYDER CUP DRAMA
EUROPE DRAW 6-6 WITH UNITED STATES
AND RETAIN THE TROPHY AS HOLDERS
If the Ryder Cup match later this week produces as exciting a finish as the JUNIOR Ryder Cup did at Celtic Manor today, then it will be a memorable occasion indeed.
In the Under-16s version, Europe drew 6-6 with the United States and retain the trophy as holders. The young Americans have not won the Junior Ryder Cup since 1997 – but they went mighty close to scoring a second triumph!
When 14-year-old Carly Booth from Comrie, Perthshire and her Norwegian partner in the mixed four-balls format, Arie Friestad, beat Andrew Yun and Kristen Schelling by 3 and 2, that impressive display gave the Europeans a 2-0 lead on the day and a 5-3 lead overall – the opening day’s four-balls having been shared 3-3.
But the pendulum of power gradually swung the United States’ way in the exciting closing stages of the other ties.
Bud Cauley and Vicky Hurst of the United States squared off the scoreline at 2-2 by beating Pedro Figureido (Portugal) and Spain’s Marta Silva by 3 and 2.
Then France’s Vickor Dubuisson and Giula Molinaro (Italy) hit a purple patch of form that saw them win four holes in a row – quite a feat in four-ball, better-ball play – and they won by 4 and 3 over Joe Monte and Brittany Altomare who had led by two holes on the outward half.
That gave Europe a 6-5 lead with one match to finish in which America’s Tony Mapu Finau and Cassandra Blaney squared matters against Germany’s Maximilian Kieffer and Laura Gonzalez (Belgium) at the 11th, went one up at the 12th and doggedly held on to that one-hole advantage down the remaining holes as the tension mounted.
It went down to the last putt on the last hole of the last match but the young Americans held their nerve for the victory that made the final scoreline 3-3 on the day and 6-6 overall.
TUESDAY SCOREBOARD
EUROPE 6, UNITED STATES 6
First Day: Europe 3, United States 3.
Second Day: Europe 3, United States 3
Mixed four-balls
European pairings first
A Kristiansen (Nor) & C Ciganda (Spa) bt P Francis & E Choe 2 and 1.
S Einhaus (Ger) & S Hausladen (Ger) lost to D Kittleson & I Lendl 3 and 1.
A Friestad (Nor) & C Booth (Sco) bt A Yun & K Schelling 3 and 2.
P Figueirdo (Por) & M Silva (Spa) lost to B Cauley & V Hurst 3 and 2.
M Kieffer (Ger) & L Gonzalez (Bel) lost to T Mapu Finau & C Blaney 1 hole.
V Dubuisson (Fra) & G Molinaro (Ita) bt J Monte & B Altomare 4 and 3.
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