8B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
GOLF
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009
ASSOCIATED PRE
Gavin Dear of Scotland hit a tree shot on the second hole during a foursomes round of the Walker Cup golf tournament Sunday at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. The U.S. won the tournament this year for the third time in a row.
United States finishes first at Walker Cup tournament
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARDMORE, Pa. — The United States won its third straight Walker Cup on Sunday, taking five singles matches and halving another for a $16\frac{1}{2}-9\frac{1}{2}$ victory over Great Britain and Ireland at Merion Golf Club.
Americans Ricky Fowler and Peter Uihlein won all four of their weekend matches, and Cameron Tringale won in an 8-and-6 romp in the third-largest winning margin by a U.S. player in singles.
Fowler's victory punctuated a solid amateur career. Tringale's victory ensured the U.S. would retain the title, and Uhlein's 3-and-1 victory over Stiggy Hodgson won it outright.
The U.S. team's margin of victory was the largest since an 18-6 win in 1997, at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y. The Americans lead the series 34-7-1.
The U.S. team needed two points in the Sunday singles to retain the
cup and $ 2 \frac{1}{2} $ to win the championship after going 3-1 in the morning's alternate-shot matches that provided an 11-5 advantage.
Bud Cauley halved his singles with Chris Paisley and finished 3-0-1 for the U.S., which also got individual wins from Morgan Hoffmann and Brendan Gielow.
George "Buddy" Marucci Jr., a Merion member, won his second straight title as U.S. captain. The 2008 U.S. Senior Amateur champion was a two-time Walker Cup player, in 1995 and 1997.
Scotland's Gavin Dear, in the first singles pairing, tried to kick-start a GB&I comeback, posting a 3-and-2 victory over Brian Harman.
"I like going out early, I feel as though I can go up," Dear said. "If the guys see that score, maybe it could give them some kind of incentive or a bit of confidence."
But the six-point deficit after the morning session proved too big an obstacle to overcome for the GB81
under captain Colin Dalgleish, who dropped his second in a row.
Sam Hutsby, Tommy Fleetwood and Niall Kearney supplied GB&sl's other singles wins.
Fowler and Uhilen, teammates at Oklahoma State along with Hoffmann, starred for the U.S. squad.
Delaying turning pro until after his second straight Walker Cup. Fowler played the 18th hole just once, Sunday morning when he and Cauley prevailed 1-up.
The 20-year-old from Murrieta, Calif., closed out his amateur career on the 17th hole and got a hearty handshake and hug from Marucci. He finished with a 7-1 Walker Cup record, unbeaten in four foursomes, and 3-1 in singles.
"I don't think anybody has played for the U.S. team in the Walker Cup the way Rickie has," Marucci said.
The 20-year-old Uihlein, from Orlando, Fla., was one of the last two picks to the 10-man team.
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