The Golfing Union of Ireland gave youth its chance when they selected one of the youngest sides in recent years to compete for the Carey Cup against the Metropolitan Golf Association of New York and were suitably rewarded with a 11 points-to-five win at the Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, New York, last week.
After almost clean sweeping the morning foursomes on the opening day the GUI team took a 5½ to 2½ lead into the eight singles on the second day - needing just 3½ points to retain the trophy won at Portmarnock Links two years ago.
In the foursomes Mark O'Sullivan and Mark Campbell were five-up through 10 holes against Andrew Svoboda, of Winged Foot, and Michael Quagliano and despite a brief rally by the Americans, closed out the match on the 17th.
Brian McElhinney and Darren Crowe took the lead for the first time on the sixth against Patrick Pierson and Pete Meurer before going on to win 3 and 1.
Michael McGeady and Johnny Foster added another points with a 3 and 2 win over Allan Small and Peter Zukow of the host club before Ireland were deprived of a clean-sweep when Niall Turner and Clancy Bowe three-putted the 18th to give Adam Fuchs and Mark Thompson a half.
The afternoon fared better for the Americans with the exception of the Fuchs-Thompson team, who were closed out 7 and 6 by Crowe and Foster.
Two halved matches followed before the MGA recorded their first win of the day when veterans Small (53) and Zurkow (50) edged out Campbell and Turner on the 18th to share the fourballs 2-2.
Needing six points from the singles the MGA team looked as if they might make a fight of it when Small beat McElhinney by one hole but two of the next three matches went Ireland's way with O'Sullivan and Crowe beating Peter Meurer and Pat Pierson respectively.
O'Sullivan, who holed a 50-foot putt on the 18th to square his match on the first day, holed his bunker shot to birdie the hole against Peter Meurer and Pat Pierson to earn the Irish their first point of the day.
Crowe beat Pierson 3 and 2 and in a strong tail the GUI took 3½ points from the last four matches for their 11-5 win.
MGA veterans Small and Zurkow shared the team's best record of 2-1. Crowe and Foster shared the GUI's best record of 3-0, without losing a match over the two-day tournament.
The Carey Cup matches were inaugurated in 1996 by former New York State Governor Hugh L Carey to foster sportsmanship and goodwill between the two countries.
The matches alternate bi-annually between the Met Area and Ireland and feature the top eight golfers from both sides in a two-day Walker Cup-style competition.
Bob Lewis Junior, of Pepper Pike, Ohio, a four-time USA Walker Cup team member and captain of this year's USA squad that lost 12½ to 11½ to Britain and Ireland, will renew rivalry with Ireland's Garth McGimpsey after the American was reappointed captain of the United States squad for the 2005 Walker Cup match at Chicago Golf Club, Wheaton, on August 13th and 14th.
Lewis (59) played on winning USA teams in 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1987 and compiled a 10-4 overall individual record.
Only eight golfers have been named to more USA Walker Cup teams than Lewis. A successful amateur since his reinstatement in 1974, Lewis was the runner-up at three USGA championships and reached the semi-finals on two other occasions. In 1980, at age 35, he lost to Hal Sutton in the U.S. Amateur final.
He was also the runner-up at the 1981 US Mid-Amateur to Jim Holtgrieve, a former Walker Cup player and now a PGA Champions Tour player, and the 1984 Mid-Amateur to Mike Podolak. He was the joint winner at the 1984 Mid-Amateur along with twice Walker Cup captain Danny Yates.
Also a semi-finalist at the 1981 and 1986 Amateur championships, Lewis lost to the eventual champion, Buddy Alexander, in 1986. In addition, he reached the third and fourth rounds of matchplay at the 1985 and 1984 Amateurs, respectively.
He played in seven Masters Tournaments during the 1980s and was the low amateur in the 1987 field. He also has qualified for three US Opens, in 1978, 1983 and 1986. In addition to his four international appearances as a Walker Cup team member, Lewis played on two US World Amateur teams. The 1982 squad won the world title and the 1986 team finished second.
As a foursomes partner with Holtgrieve, Lewis shares the record for the biggest winning margin of victory (7 and 6) in a Walker Cup match.
Most recently, he also has qualified for the three USGA Senior Amateurs (2000-2002), the national championship for golfers age 55 and older.
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