Walker Cup: GB&I leads USA, 2 1/2 to 1 1/2

There was a brief moment this morning when the scoreboard showed GB&I leads in all four foursomes matches. After Cory Whitsett and Bobby Wyatt lost the 15th hole one down, a GB&I sweep looked entirely possibly. But Whitsett and Wyatt bounced back with a quick birdie, then two putted for a tough par on the 18th to secure a halve against Nathan Kimsey and Max Orrin. The next two matches went to the GB&I. First it was Garrick Porteous and Rhys Pugh beating the elder statesman of the team, 45-year old school teacher Todd White and his partner Michael Weaver 3 and 1 with a birdie at No. 17. Recent U.S. Amateur camp Mathew Fitzpatrick and Neil Raymond squeaked by the veteran Nathan Smith and partner Jordan Niebrugge (the 2013 USGA Public Links champ) 1-up with a par on the 18th. Smith and Niebrugge had fought hard all morning, clawing back to all square with a birdie on No. 16 after falling 2-down more than once earlier in the match. The USA got a big lift in the final match, as Patrick Rodgers and Justin Thomas held off Gavin Moynihan and Kevin Phelan. After going 1-up with a par on the 15th, Rodgers and Thomas secured a 2 and 1 victory with a birdie on the 17th. Standing with Todd White, the other mid-amateur on the USA team after the match, Smith was anything but worried. There is a lot of golf to play between now and Sunday afternoon. Singles play tees off at 1pm.