Youngsters show Europe the way
Europe completed a highly successful opening day to the Junior Ryder Cup Matches at a sunny K Club, finishing 4-1 ahead in the boys and girls betterball matches with one halved.
In conditions resembling high summer rather than late September, the European youngsters were on top of their games with the boy pairing of Raphael de Sousa and Peter-Max Hamm heading the home surge.
In the second match out, De Sousa from Switzerland and Germany’s Hamm were locked in a tight match with Casey Wittenberg and Taylor Hall through eight holes. But a run of five birdies in the next six holes saw the Europeans take command and run out four and three winners.
The United States looked favourites to take the point in the top match in which Stephanie Connelly and Jenny Suh led all the way against Claire Grignolo and Dewi Claire Schreefel after Connelly chipped-in from around 60 feet at the first for an eagle-three.
It was a lead they developed to three up after seven, but the Italian and Dutch combination hung in there and gradually whittled away at the deficit, getting it down to one standing on the tee at the par five 18th.
It still pointed to an American victory with Suh 20 feet away in three. But Grignolo got up and down from a fairway bunker some 50 yards from the green, holing from 25 feet for birdie, while Suh missed her putt to lose the hole and drop half a point.
However, there was joy for the visitors when Colin Wilcox and Shaun Felchner in the bottom match gradually got the better of the French pairing of Benjamin Regent and Tony Raillard, who ran into a string of bogeys and conceded the contest five and three on the 15th green.
Europe held sway in the other matches, none of which saw the 16th hole. Emma Cabrera from Spain and Austria’s Katharina Werdinig were always ahead after birdies at two of the opening three holes against Jennifer Davis and Lauren Mielbrecht.
Then the Germany/Spain combination of Denise Simon and Carmen Alonso lost an early advantage against Tiffany Chudy and Mallory Code but battled back to turn the tide with birdies either side of the turn, while an American bogey plus another Simon birdie steered the home side to victory.
In the other match, England’s Farren Keenan and Matteo del Podio from Italy were ahead from the first when Adam Porzak and Travis Esway bogeyed, a lead they gradually increased to run out 4 and 3 winners.
Europe need just two wins from tomorrow’s six mixed betterball matches to secure overall victory.
