To win the 51st Walker Cup on Sunday, Great Britain & Ireland will have to do something it has not achieved in more than a decade.
The hosts lead the Americans 6½-5½ after the opening day at Lahinch in Ireland, taking the opening foursomes session before splitting singles with a stellar close from the back end of its lineup. Being in the lead is not an unfamiliar spot for GB&I, having done so in the last five editions of the biennial bout between the top 10 American amateurs against their counterparts from GB&I at home. However, the last time GB&I converted on that lead was 2015 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
Come Sunday, there's plenty of motivation to end a five-match losing streak.
"We're ahead, which is always nice," said Luke Poulter, who knocked
off Miles Russell 2 and 1 in singles. "But we need to reset for tomorrow. It's a new day, so we're going to go out there and do our own thing and try and take an early lead for foursomes."
Poulter is one of six returning members for GB&I from last year's Walker Cup team at Cypress Point, which suffered a beatdown in Sunday singles, winning only 1½ of the 10 total points in the final session and suffering its biggest loss since 2017 in the competition. He knows how pivotal it is to move on from a strong finish Saturday before Sunday's action begins.
Fourteen points are available on the final day at Lahinch, with 10 of those being in singles. The hosts need 13½ points to win the Walker Cup, meaning they need half of the remaining matches to go their way to win for the first time since that 2015 match.
However, Sunday has belonged to the Americans, especially in singles. GB&I captain Dean Robertson knows that needs to change and will do his best to have his team ready. But will they be?
Perhaps mid-amateur Stuart Grehan can be motivation for a GB&I squad that has the home crowd behind it and plenty of momentum. Grehan was 3 down thru 3 holes against world No. 1 amateur Preston Stout in the first singles match Saturday. He then trailed 2 down with three holes to play.
Grehan won the final three holes, including a clutch birdie putt on the closing 18th, to give GB&I its biggest singles win, even if it was the first.
Poulter's was the last, closing his match out on 17 after Russell found trouble right of the green. Eliot Baker and Niall Sheils Donegan, all returners, also earned singles points, too.
For the Americans, not all hope is lost. On paper, it remains the more dominant team, but Saturday's weather conditions were relatively benign compared to what's coming Sunday. Light winds and cool weather will turn into gusty winds and some heavy rains. It's another variable going against the chasers, even if history is on their side coming down the stretch.
Ethan Fang, William Jennings, Jay Leng Jr. and Stewart Hagestad all earned points in singles, with the 35-year-old Hagestad moving to 8-1 all-time in Walker Cup singles. But instead of being tied, Grehan's improbable comeback has GB&I in front of the red, white and blue with one day remaining.
History is on the American's side, but on Sunday at Lahinch, the past won't help determine what the future holds.
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: GB&I rides momentum into Sunday, chasing first Walker Cup title in more than a decade
