U.S. Dream team fizzles
It was a loaded Walker Cup team, perhaps the most accomplished squad ever assembled by America. But in the amateur version of the Ryder Cup, the U.S. fell flat on Saturday and Sunday, losing to Great Britain/Ireland, 14-12, at Royal Aberdeen.
The U.S. team boasted the world’s top four ranked amateurs – No. 1 Patrick Cantlay, No. 2 Jordan Spieth, No. 3 Patrick Rodgers, and No. 4 Peter Uihlein – and included U.S. Amateur champion Kelly Kraft and Nationwide Tour winners Russell Henley and Harris English
The U.S., now with a 34-8-1 record in the competition, performed solidly in singles, going 9-6-3. But, as has often been the case in the Ryder Cup, the Euros were far superior in team competition, dominating foursomes 6-1-1.
The worst individual results this weekend were turned in by Kraft (0-4), Rodgers (0-2-1), and Nathan Smith (0-2-1). The youngest player on the team, recent high-school graduate Speith (2-0-1) was the only American who went undefeated.
The U.S. was done in by the likes of Paul Cutler (3-0-1) and Rhys Pugh (3-0).
