(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Americans Dominate Walker Cup with Record Singles Victory at Cypress Point
The United States secured their fifth consecutive Walker Cup win with a commanding 17-9 victory over Great Britain & Ireland at Cypress Point on Sunday. Playing under sunshine and thick morning fog, the Americans delivered a historic performance in singles, winning eight of the ten matches and halving another.
U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell capped an incredible week by halving his match with Connor Graham, finishing 2-0-1 for the tournament. Veteran Stewart Hagestad sealed a key 4-and-3 win, while Preston Stout held off Luke Poulter for an outright victory.
Fog briefly delayed play on the par-3 16th, but the outcome was never in doubt. U.S. captain Nathan Smith praised his team, saying, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a Walker Cup team bring it like they did this afternoon in singles.”
Adding extra motivation, Bryson DeChambeau addressed the team the night before, giving a pump-up speech that energized the players for Sunday’s dominant performance.
This victory marks the longest winning streak for the Americans since they won eight in a row from 1973 to 1987. The 8-1-1 record in Sunday singles is the best since the Walker Cup expanded to ten matches in 2009.
In the morning foursomes, Howell also starred with a 35-foot birdie putt and an impressive fairway finish on the 17th. Jackson Koivun and Tommy Morrison turned a likely defeat into a 1-up win, leaving the U.S. with a one-point lead heading into singles.
Under blue skies, the American team quickly took control, making it difficult for GB&I to gain traction. Despite the loss, GB&I captain Dean Robertson remained positive, saying, “I’m really proud of my players. They’ll grow from this. As much as losing sucks, if it didn’t, the winning wouldn’t matter.”
With this win, the U.S. now leads the series 40-9-1 dating back to 1922. Highlighting the depth of talent, the Americans positioned four of the top five world-ranked amateurs at the start of singles, including Howell, who earned his place by winning the U.S. Amateur at San Francisco’s Olympic Club.
Koivun, the world’s No. 1 amateur, recovered from an early loss to win his next three matches, while Morrison went undefeated in singles. Stout, ranked No. 5, maintained consistent form to close out his match convincingly.
Captain Smith summed it up, “I just kind of found a shady tree, let the horses run, and they delivered.”
The Walker Cup 2025 will be remembered for U.S. dominance in singles and the continuation of their impressive winning streak on home soil.
