WALKER CUP:PAUL CUTLER bid farewell to the amateur ranks yesterday in the most sensational style by boasting an unbeaten record as Great Britain and Ireland won the Walker Cup for the first time since 2003.
Three wins and a half over the challenging Royal Aberdeen links in north-east Scotland during a pulsating weekend helped the hosts edge to a dramatic 14-12 success but the 22-year-old Irish champion from Portstewart looked like making it four wins out of four.
The 2010 Lytham Trophy winner was dormie four on the world’s number one amateur Patrick Cantlay in the final match in yesterday afternoon’s closing session but the match was already won and he lost the last four holes to some scintillating golf to settle for a share of the spoils.
“It was like a dream come true. I said on Friday this was how I wanted to end my amateur career and it’s worked out fine,”said Cutler. Great Britain and Ireland captain Nigel Edwards declared “Paul has played brilliantly – he and Dunbar in the foursomes and then the singles performances. It is really fantastic.”
The home side were always in the driving seat winning the Saturday foursomes 3-1, sharing the afternoon singles to lead by two points overnight, then taking a stranglehold in yesterday’s foursomes winning them 3½-½ to go five clear and holding on during a tense final afternoon.
While Great Britain and Ireland always seemed to have the edge the pendulum swung substantially late in the day and it was only when both Cutler and Pugh became dormie the Walker Cup was almost definitely returning to these shores.
But it was actually when English champion Steven Brown won the closing hole to halve with Blayne barber that victory was sealed.
Cutler was in irrepressible form lining up with Dunbar for an opening foursomes win by 5 and 4, defeating US Amateur champion Kelly Kraft by 2 and 1 and recording another foursomes success with Dunbar before the finale.
Cantlay produced amazing golf over the closing holes collecting two birdies and a par and finishing with an eagle three to force Cutler to settle for a half. Only the Portstewart man and Welsh teenager Rhys Pugh were unbeaten over the two days. Pugh said: “I couldn’t have dreamt of better – I’ve never felt anything like this before.”
Dunbar was five down at the turn against Chris Williams but battled back bravely without ever squaring and in the end lost by a hole.
During the weekend the wind blew hard and it rained for lengthy periods but this helped the mainly links-playing home golfers.
Former Irish captain Michael Burns, now a Walker Cup selector had reason to be proud. “What a great win, a marvellous team performance and the Irish boys played their full part,” he said.
While Cutler turns professional and prepares for European Tour school, Dunbar is biding his time and may even look to the 2013 Walker Cup in the States when Great Britain and Ireland will be defending, although he could take the plunge next year.
Victory ended a run of three successive defeats for Britain and Ireland and was their biggest margin since the 15-9 victory in 2001, when the team included current world number one Luke Donald and last year’s US Open champion Graeme McDowell.
What this team will go onto achieve remains to be seen, but they can be pretty sure they had got the better of some future stars – amateur world number one Cantlay has already had a 60 on the PGA Tour.
