“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 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.