High hopes for PGA Cup despite narrow loss

RUSSELL Weir’s hopes of leading Great Britain and Ireland to a first PGA Cup win on American soil got off to an encouraging start despite suffering a two-and-a-half and one-and-a-half defeat in the opening session at CordeValle.

Mark Sheftic wasted no time getting into his stride. His partner, David Hutsell, was in closer at the first, but Sheftic stroked home a 20-footer across the green to gain an immediate advantage on David Shacklady and Simon Edwards.

The instant reply from Edwards was impressive. At the second, a 240-yard par-3, the Cumbrian-based Welshman hit a splendid 3-wood to around ten feet and delivered a fitting follow-up by holing the putt.

Hutsell rolled in a 20-footer for a birdie-2 at the seventh, but again GB&I repaired the damage straight away with a birdie from Edwards.

Sheftic, with an eight-foot birdie putt at the ninth, then put the Americans back in front for a third time in the match and, on this occasion, the pattern changed. They also won the tenth with a birdie and went on to chalk up the first point of the contest with a 3 and 2 victory.

With 350 European Tour appearances under his belt, Stuart Little looked to be a useful man for Weir to have in his ranks. The left-hander confirmed that with a peach of an opening drive, a hole-winning par at the second then a birdie at the long third to give him and fellow Englishman Chris Gill an early cushion.

Their opponents, Mike Small and Faber Jamerson, delivered back-to-back birdies at the ninth and tenth to square matters, though only briefly as the GB&I duo edged in front again with a 2 at the 12th, where Little trundled in an eight-footer. That match was back in the melting pot after Small holed from slightly closer for a birdie at the short 16th. And, though Gill put GB&I back in front with a birdie at the next, Small’s birdie at the last earned the Americans a half.

Two down early on in the third match, John Wells and Gary Brown had their first success of the day at the sixth. Brown holed a good putt for a halve at the eighth then produced a miraculous up and down from thick rough through the green to repeat the feat at the next.

Danny Balin, who was partnering Scott Erdmann, won the 12th with a birdie and also the 13th, though, on this occasion, a par-4 proved good enough for the American. But, just when it seemed that one was slipping away, the GB&I pair won three holes in a row from the 15th to secure a vital point.

Down at the bottom of the order, Craig Goodfellow, the Glenmuir Club Professional champion, and Irishman Robert Giles were two up after eight before the sight of the sun for the first time coincided with Rob McClellan and Marty Jerson starting to warm up and the Americans went on to win that with a last hole birdie.