ARDMORE, Pa. – American Peter Uihlein shifted the morning matches at the Walker Cup with his clutch putt at the 18th hole Saturday at Merion Golf Club.
Uihlein and teammate Nathan Smith went 1 up at the second hole but never led again in their morning foursomes match until Uihlein holed an 18-foot putt to save par and win the last hole. They defeated Great Britain & Ireland’s Gavin Dear and Matt Haines, 1 up. It lifted the United States to a 3-1 lead going into afternoon singles.
Uihlein and Smith rallied late from 1 down with two holes to play.
“It was huge,” said American Brian Harman, who teamed with Morgan Hoffmann to win the day’s first foursomes match. “You are talking about a point turnaround there.”
Harman and Hoffmann defeated GB&I’s Wallace Booth and Sam Hutsby, 2 and 1, Americans Rickie Fowler and Bud Cauley defeated Luke Goddard and Dale Whitnell, 6 and 5. GB&I’s only morning point came with Stiggy Hodgson and Niall Kearney defeating Cameron Tringale and Adam Mitchell, 3 and 1.