EAST WEST MATCHES: East dominates afternoon foursomes to take 17½-9½ lead
Photo courtesy of Back of the Range
The East dominated the afternoon foursomes matches with seven wins and tie to take a 17½-9½ lead into the final day of the 2022 East West Matches at Maridoe Golf Club.
“Amazing, absolutely amazing,” said East captain Nathaniel Crosby, a two-time USA Walker Cup captain who won the 1981 U.S. Amateur. “We lost a few points on the last holes this morning. I was getting a little anxious. I told them I was uncomfortable. I said go out there and breath fire and these guys played unbelievable this afternoon. It’s a little bit of comfort going into tomorrow. There are a lot of points out there still.
The West trailed 6-3 after Day 1 but the overall proceedings tightened in the morning wave of nine foursomes matches as they won three and tied four and took the session five points to four. The teams started the afternoon round of foursomes matches with East holding a slim 10-8 lead in overall match score.
“The East played extremely well this afternoon and there was only one match that really wasn’t close’” said West captain Kevin Marsh, who won the 2005 U.S. Mid-Amateur and was a semifinalist in 2013 and 2014. “There were a lot of 2 and 1s. We played well to win the morning session, but we have a little bit more of a hole than we did two years ago. But there are 18 points still out for the taking.”
In the inaugural Matches in 2020, the East held a 16-11 lead before the Day 3 singles matches but the West stormed back and won 23-22.
“That’s what I keep hearing and what people are talking about,” said 2021 Virginia State Golf Association Player of the Evan Beck of the East. “We just have to keep playing. It’s not over until it’s over.”
Beck is one of three East players who have been a part of a winning pair in all three sessions. Beck (with three), Jeromino Esteve of Windermere, Fla. (with three), and Bob Royak of Alpharetta, Ga. (with three) are the leading point earners on the team.
The three-day event concludes tomorrow with 18 18-hole singles matches.
View results for East West Cup
ABOUT THE East West Cup
Started in 2020 and played every other year, the
East West Matches feature
Ryder
Cup-style team matches for American mid-amateurs
and seniors. The Mississippi River is the dividing line
between East and West teams, each of which is
comprised of 18 players: 6 seniors, at least 10 mid-
amateurs, and up to 2 amateurs
who haven't yet
reached the age of 25.
A points system will be utilized to select 50% of each
team, with the other 50% chosen by the tournament
committee. Teams will be selected at the conclusion
of the US Mid and US Senior Amateur
Championships.
The schedule of play is 18 holes of four-ball on
Friday, 36 holes of foursomes on Saturday, and 18
holes of singles on Sunday.
View Complete Tournament Information