Palmer Cup victory thrills Andrew Coltart

Andrew Coltart: Blown away. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

Tied at 10-10 heading into the concluding singles at the Surrey venue, the hosts won the session convincingly to run out 18½-11½ victors in the college equivalent of the Ryder Cup. Scottish trio James Ross, Grant Forrest and Jack McDonald were all last-day winners as Europe chalked up a seventh success in the annual event in the last 12 stagings. “It’s right up there with everything I achieved in my career as a player because we were playing against a formidable American team,” said head coach Coltart.

“The guys were fantastic and I’ve got to say that it blew me away because not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that would be the result.

“Our boys were playing against some of the best players the WAGR rankings could throw at them and to a man they stood up there, stared them down and put them away.”

Ross, last year’s Scottish Amateur Golfer of the Year from Royal Burgess, set the tone as he beat the highly-rated Brandon Hagy by 3&2, the same margin by which Craigielaw’s Forrest, the St Andrews Links Trophy winner, defeated Trey Mullinax.

McDonald made it a hat-trick of victories for the Scottish contingent by beating Bryson Dechambeau, the Kilmarnock (Barassie) player closing out a 2&1 triumph with a birdie at the 17th.

“In six singles, the Scottish lads were unbeaten and I think they’ve got to take an incredible amount of heart from that,” added Coltart, who, in his mentoring role for the Scottish Golf Union, has been encouraged by a string of promising recent displays.

“On the back of Grant winning the St Andrews Links,  Bradley Neil becoming the Amateur champion and also Jamie Savage winning the Irish Open Stroke-Play, this is another tremendous performance from a Scottish point of view,” he declared. “Now they’ve got to soak it up, believe in themselves and move on up to that next level.”