USA Rallies in Singles for 1-point Lead After Day 1 at Cypress Point

The sun made an appearance at Cypress Point Club on Saturday afternoon. And it made things just a little brighter for the USA Walker Cup Team.

After a gloomy morning – both in the overcast, cool conditions and the result on the scoreboard thanks to a disappointing 1-3 foursomes session for the home team – the hosts turned an early two-point deficit into a 6.5-5.5 lead over Great Britain and Ireland after Day 1 of the 50th Walker Cup Match.

On what turned out to be a glorious sun-splashed afternoon with temperatures in the upper 60s and hardly a breath of wind, the USA, led by world No. 1 Jackson Koivun and a clutch point from Jase Summy in the anchor match, claimed 5.5 of the available eight singles points. Now the Americans will look to carry that momentum into Sunday’s second and final day of this biennial competition.

Four foursomes matches will precede 10 singles encounters on Sunday, with the USA needing 13 points to retain the Cup, and GB&I requiring 13.5 to reclaim it for the first time since 2015 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.

Koivun, in the leadoff spot, set the tone for the afternoon session by defeating GB&I’s top-ranked player, world No. 10 and Florida State University standout Tyler Weaver, 4 and 3. The Auburn University junior played the equivalent of 7-under-par golf (with the usual match-play concessions) over 15 holes. He won Nos. 13-15 – two with birdies – to close out a GB&I player that came in fresh off going 3-0-1 in last month’s St. Andrews Trophy, a Walker Cup-style competition between GB&I and Continental Europe.

But it was Summy, the 2025 Western Amateur champion and University of Oklahoma senior, who delivered a huge point in the final match of the afternoon. The Texan holed a 4-foot par putt on the 18th hole to post a 1-up victory over Eliot Baker.

This was a far cry from two years ago at St. Andrews where the Americans fell three points behind after Day 1 and needed a huge Sunday rally to produce a 3-point victory on the Old Course.

“I can't really say there was much of a message,” said USA captain Nathan Smith of the lunch break. “I think the guys knew what they had to do. There were a lot of points. There's still a long way to go, and there were a lot of points (eight) out there this afternoon. We just knew we had to have a good session, and they delivered.”

Veteran Stewart Hagestad, the 34-year-old competing in his fifth Walker Cup, Oklahoma State All-American Preston Stout and reigning U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell added singles victories for the USA.

GB&I’s two singles victories came from Connor Graham, a returner from the 2023 team, and U.S. Amateur semifinalist Niall Shiels Donegan, who had a loud rooting section from Mill Valley, Calif., where he has resided the last 17 years after moving to the U.S. from Scotland at age 3.

Stuart Grehan, the 32-year-old reinstated amateur from the Republic of Ireland, tied his match with Ethan Fang, who captured The Amateur Championship at Royal St. George’s earlier this summer. Grehan missed a delicate, downhill 6-foot birdie putt that would have secured a full point for GB&I.

“The standard of golf today has been exceptional,” said GB&I captain Dean Robertson. “Morning foursomes played off of Connor [Graham] and Tyler [Weaver]. Their back nine was sensational, followed by Luke Poulter and Charlie Forster, [Stuart] Grehan and [Eliot] Baker. Fantastic.

“This afternoon the Americans played fantastic. The sportsmanship out there was exemplary. The weather was tremendous. The golf course is firming up even more so. It was a brilliant day. We just fell short on a few putts there, and things went the other way. If we'd holed a couple more, things might be a little bit different. However, [I’m] exceptionally proud of the way that the team performed.” 

Hagestad, a three-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, coming off a tough foursomes defeat in the morning session, raised his Walker Cup singles record to an impressive 6-1 (he’s 1-5 in foursomes) with a dominating 7-and-5 win over Gavin Tiernan, the runner-up in this year’s Amateur Championship. He played bogey-free golf over 13 holes.

Stout, a Dallas native who helped Oklahoma State win this year’s NCAA title, was equally impressive against 2025 Long Beach State graduate Charlie Forster, registering seven birdies in a 6-and-5 victory.

Howell, a high school senior from Thomasville, Ga., who got onto the team by virtue of his triumph over Jackson Herrington in last month’s U.S. Amateur final at The Olympic Club, showed his mettle by holing birdie putts of 20 and 30 feet on the par-3 15th and 16th holes, respectively, to close out University of Florida standout Luke Poulter, 3 and 2. Poulter is the son of European Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter.

“I love match play,” said Howell, who delivered a couple of emphatic fist pumps. “I think that's just a part of it. I love getting the crowd into it. Also, [I] kind of [like] playing mind games with your opponent a little bit. Yeah, this event is super special, and it's just one of those things, playing for your country, it just means so much.”

At that point, it appeared GB&I might be shut out of the afternoon singles session. But Graham, a Texas Tech sophomore who gained valuable experience in the 2023 Match as the youngest GB&I player in Walker Cup history at age 16, defeated University of Virginia All-American Ben James, 3 and 2. James also is a holdover from the Americans’ 2023 victory.

Then Donegan, with plenty of support from the same local fans who came to watch his semifinal run in last month’s U.S. Amateur, defeated University of Notre Dame junior Jacob Modleski for a second time in three weeks. The two had a 19-hole affair in the quarterfinals at The Olympic Club.

While walking down the 11th fairway, Donegan glanced at the scoreboard and noticed plenty of red, meaning the Americans were staging a rally.

“[I] saw we weren't performing the best in singles,” said Donegan, who sat out the morning session. “I think for me in that situation I got a bit more, like, I have to do my job, let's really focus on getting my job done, get any point for the team and see what we can do for the rest of the week.”

Summy, ranked 100 spots higher in the World Amateur Golf Ranking® than Baker, had a back-and-forth affair that came down to the final hole. Baker, leading by a hole going into the famous 244-yard, par-3 16th hole, failed to get up and down for par from a greenside bunker. Then on the 348-yard, dogleg-right closing hole, his iron tee shot carried too far left and he missed the green left with his approach. With Summy above the hole in two, Baker failed to convert his 15-foot par putt, and Summy calmly made his short comebacker for par to win the match.

“Super important, super critical and just giving everything I've got and everything I can for the team,” said Summy.

For the third time since 2009 when the format changed from 24 total points to 26, the USA saw GB&I grab a 3-1 lead following the morning foursomes. GB&I went with the same four teams that delivered 7 of 8 points in last month’s victory over Continental Europe at the St. Andrews Trophy.

Weaver and Graham birdied Nos. 13-15 to defeat Koivun and Tommy Morrison, 3 and 1. Forster, a semifinalist in this year’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball, and Poulter then defeated Hagestad and James, 3 and 2. Baker and Grehan held off the OSU team of Fang and Stout, 1 up.

The lone USA victory came from reigning NCAA champion Michael La Sasso and Summy, who defeated Cameron Adam and Dominic Clemons, 4 and 2.

Notable

• This has been a week for many Walker Cup alums to gather, renew friendships and rekindle memories from previous competitions. One notable former Walker Cupper paying a visit to Cypress Point on Saturday was 1981 USA Walker Cupper and 1980 U.S. Amateur champion Hal Sutton. The former United States Ryder Cup captain and 1983 PGA champion posted a 1-3 record in the USA’s 15-9 victory at Cypress Point in 1981. He lost a Sunday singles match to future U.S. Senior Open champion Roger Chapman.
  
  
• Sutton wasn’t the only major champion on the property. Two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, a member of the 2015 USA Walker Cup Team, caught the action. DeChambeau won the U.S. Amateur a month before traveling to Royal Lytham & St. Annes, where the USA fell by seven points. DeChambeau went 2-0-1 that weekend. He spent some time with the USA Team after Saturday's singles session.
  
  
• President George W. Bush, whose maternal great-grandfather, George Herbert Walker, had a lot to do with getting this international competition started in 1922 and served as USGA president in 1920, spoke at the flag-raising ceremony on Friday afternoon. He also spent some time with the 10 USA competitors during their final practice round.
  
  
• A couple of past USA Walker Cuppers are working for various broadcast outlets. Notah Begay III, a member of the 1995 side that lost at Royal Porthcawl in Wales, is the lead analyst for Peacock/Golf Channel. Steve Melnyk, the 1969 U.S. Amateur (Oakmont) and 1971 British Amateur (Carnoustie) champion who is an analyst working the Sirius/XM broadcast, was a member of the 1969 and 1971 USA Walker Cup Teams.
  
  
• Five-time USGA champion Juli Inkster took in Saturday’s singles session. The Northern Californian, who competed on the 1982 USA Curtis Cup Team, won three consecutive U.S. Women’s Amateur titles (1980-82) and two U.S. Women’s Opens (1999, 2002).
  
  
• Former USGA president and Cypress Point member Stu Francis is serving as the first-tee starter.
  
  
• A.J. Fitzgerald, of Salinas, Calif., a regular Cypress Point caddie who was fortunate enough to land reigning U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell’s bag for this week’s Walker Cup, is a fine player in his own right. The former Cal State University-Monterey Bay golfer qualified for the last two U.S. Amateurs (Hazeltine and The Olympic Club) and will play in next week’s U.S. Mid-Amateur at Troon Country Club and stroke-play co-host Troon North Golf Club. Fitzgerald, who also qualified for the 2023 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Kiawah Island (S.C.) Club, turns 25 on Sept. 13, the day the U.S. Mid-Amateur begins. His mother, Aana Fitzgerald, was the longtime Chief Financial Officer for the Northern California Golf Association.
  
  
• Another Walker Cup caddie also has some longtime ties to Cypress Point. Brennon Langley, who drew the USA’s Jacob Modleski, is the son of Jim Langley, who served as the head professional at the iconic club for 34 years.
• Jase Summy was the lone USA player to post a perfect 2-0 mark. Connor Graham went 2-0 for GB&I.
  
  
• Great Britain and Ireland captain Dean Robertson slightly tweaked his Sunday foursomes pairings. He substituted Dominic Clemons for Niall Shiels Donegan in the anchor match. Cameron Adam will now be his partner. USA captain Nathan Smith inserted Mason Howell and Jacob Modleski in the third spot for Ben James and Stewart Hagestad.

Quotable

“It was pretty cool. There's so many people gathered around there, and seeing that deer come through there, I hope no one got hit. That deer was going fast down that hill. But yeah, it was super cool, and to be able to make the final putt and close out the day was pretty cool.” – Jase Summy

“I didn't see him until we were sitting on the couch in the team room, and he just walked in. Definitely wasn't expecting that. That was kind of cool. He gave us a little pep talk, which was pretty sweet.” – Preston Stout on seeing Bryson DeChambeau after the singles session

“It kind of stinks having to sit there this morning and not being able to help out the team at all. But I kind of just use it as fuel. These guys are so good. I have faith in all of these guys, and I knew if I take care of my own part, we'll be in good shape.” – Mason Howell on sitting during foursomes

“He said go have fun. I would be lying if I said I wasn't super nervous on the first tee, but no, what a day. What a beautiful day out here. It's been awesome.” – Howell on the message to the team before the singles session

“It's always hard to sit, especially when you're playing something as big as the Walker Cup. But I think Ian Poulter said it best in our team talk a couple nights ago. Ego stops at the door. We're wearing the lion, we're wearing the badge. Whatever [Captain] Dean [Robertson] thinks is best for the team. Just go out there, support as much as you can in the morning and do your job in the afternoon.” – Niall Shiels Donegan (GB&I) on being held out of Saturday foursomes

“Well, it's match play. The momentum is really big. You can get on a little stretch around here. Anything can happen. You can make a few putts in a row, and even if you get down, anything can happen going into the last few holes. Just kind of try and go out there tomorrow and play as best you can, try and keep the momentum on your side and try and get a point.” – Connor Graham (GB&I)

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.