Great Britian win for only 5th time

England natives Luke Donald and Paul Casey each won two matches again Sunday to rally the Great Britain and Ireland amateur team to 10 of 12 points on the day for a come-from-behind 15-9 win over the United States team in the 37th Walker Cup Match held at Nairn Golf Club. It was most points GB&I has ever scored in the competition, beating the 14-10 win it had in 1995 at Royal Portcawl Golf Club in Wales.

GB&I claimed the Cup when reigning British Amateur champion Graeme Storm beat Jonathan Byrd, 1-up, while three singles matches were still on the course. A team was awarded one point for each match won, and a half point for each tied match.

"This is the proudest moment of my golfing life," said GB&I captain Peter McEvoy, a two-time British Amateur champion and five-time Walker Cup player. "I said all along we had a great team and I think they proved that today. I've never known a day like today."

Donald and Casey, collegiate players at Northwestern University and Arizona State University respectively, each won a singles match in the afternoon after pairing to win a foursomes (alternate shot) match in the morning.

Together, they beat reigning U.S. Amateur champion David Gosset and Tim Jackson, 1-up. Donald then came back in the afternoon to beat Bryce Molder, 3 and 2. Casey beat John "Spider" Miller, 3 and 2. Each finished 4-0 or the competition. Teammate Gary Wolstenholme, playing in his third Walker Cup, and Philip Rowe, were 3-0.

Other singles winners for GB&I were Paddy Gribben, Graham Rankin, Rowe and Wolstenholme. The only American singles winner was Ed Loar, who defeated Simon Dyson, 5 and 4.

The U.S. had led 7-5 after Saturday's matches, but slipped into an 8-8 tie after losing three of the four foursomes matches Sunday morning. The lone winning pair for the Americans was Hunter Haas and John "Spider" Miller, who took the final hole with a par 5 for a 1-up decision over Dyson and Gribben.

Other GB&I winners in foursomes were Graham Rankin and Graeme Storm, who defeated Loar and Tom McKnight, 4 and 3; and Rowe and Wolstenholme, who defeated Molder and Matt Kuchar, 4 and 3.

Begun in 1922, the Walker Cup Match is played every other year, alternately in Great Britain and the United States. The next Match is set for Aug. 11-12, 2001, at Ocean Forest Golf Club on Sea Island, Ga. The series record is 31-5-1 in favor of the United States teams.