Stevens Point, Wisconsin, United States: The first-of-its-kind match for American golf got underway at SentryWorld with the newly-developed US National Junior Team hosting Australia’s High Performance Team for a two-day friendly competition.
“This match is another milestone in advancing the vision of the US National Development Programme by providing elite juniors with a chance to play on the international stage,” said Chris Zambri, Head Coach of the US National Teams.
“To provide our players with the opportunity to compete under the same formats as the Walker Cup/Curtis Cup and Ryder Cup/Solheim Cup Matches is great preparation for their future as we look to strengthen golf in the United States and bring more trophies home to America,” he added.
After a long day of travel, inclusive of a delayed flight and missed connection, the Australian team arrived in the early morning hours of Monday. Both teams took to the course for their first look at SentryWorld, which hosted the 2019 US Girls’ Junior and 2023 US Senior Open, and will next year host the 2025 Rolex Girls Junior Championship.
“It’s a great experience. The course is amazing,” said Sam Cascio, of Australia. “Everything is in great condition. Tee boxes, fairways and greens are rolling perfectly.”
Each team brought 12 players to the match, six boys and six girls. Day one featured four-ball matches in the morning and foursomes matches in the afternoon.
The United States took control in the four-ball portion of the competition, winning all six of the matches.
“It was super fun. Scarlett [Schremmer] and I work really well together, and we play really similarly,” said Nikki Oh, who teamed with Schremmer for a 2&1 victory over Australia’s Shyla Singh and Amelia Harris.
“It’s fun being partners with her. There were a lot of fist pumps and handshakes out there. The conditions were hard, but we played solidly,” said Oh.
The closest matches during four-ball were both on the boys’ side, with the duos of Chase Oberle/Sam Cascio and Tyler Mawhinney/Will Hartman as well as Josiah Edwards/Kayun Mudadana and Blades Brown/Tyler Watts all needing 18 holes to decide outcomes.
Oberle/Cascio found themselves three-down at the turn before rallying to one-down after a birdie on 17. A halved 18th hole secured the points for the US team.
Edwards/Mudadana held a one-up lead over the home team at the turn, before Brown, who made his PGA Tour debut at this year’s Myrtle Beach Classic, where he made the cut, and Watts won holes 12 through 14 to grab a two-up advantage.
The Australians won 16, with a birdie on SentryWorld’s signature flower hole, but once again the Americans tied the 18th hole to secure the point and the morning sweep.
The afternoon foursomes matches, an alternate shot format in which the US traditionally struggles on international stages, were a bit of a different story, as the Australians came out of the gate hot, picking up their first point of the match with the first tee time of the session. Rachel Lee/Reagan Denton defeated Chloe Kovelesky/Ryleigh Knaub two-up.
Lee said: “It’s an honour to be here. “It’s my first time in the US, and it’s a great experience for all of us. Australia is a nice place to compete but competing against the US is just different. Reagan and I were able to do well. It’s nice to be able to play well on top of the overall experience.”
The side of Hamish Farquharson/Spencer Harrison picked up Australia’s second point of the day, defeating the American duo of Henry Guan/Phillip Dunham, 3&2.
Sarah Hammett and Ella Scaysbrook followed with a win of their own, defeating 2022 US Girls’ Junior runner-up Gianna Clemente and US Women’s Open low amateur Asterisk Talley, one-up.
The American teams of Schremmer/Oh, Mawhinney/Hartman and Brown/Watts all picked up their second points of the day with commanding wins. At day’s end, the Americans led 9-3.
Wednesday will feature 12 singles matches. The match is a World Amateur Golf Ranking-sanctioned event.
Four-Ball Matches
(US teams first)
Chloe Kovelesky/Ryleigh Knaub beat Rachel Lee/Reagan Denton, 2-up
Scarlett Schremmer/Nikki Oh beat Shyla Singh/Amelia Harris, 2&1
Gianna Clemente/Asterisk Talley beat Sarah Hammett/Ella Scaysbrook, 3&2
Henry Guan/Phillip Dunham beat Hamish Farquharson/Spencer Harrison, 4&2
Tyler Mawhinney/Will Hartman beat Chase Oberle/Sam Cascio, 1-up
Blades Brown/Tyler Watts beat Josiah Edwards/Kayun Mudadana, 1-up
Foursomes Matches
(US teams first)
Chloe Kovelesky/Ryleigh Knaub lost to Rachel Lee/Reagan Denton, 2&1
Scarlett Schremmer/Nikki Oh beat Shyla Singh/Amelia Harris, 4&3
Gianna Clemente/Asterisk Talley lost to Sarah Hammett/Ella Scaysbrook, 1-down
Henry Guan/Phillip Dunham lost to Hamish Farquharson/Spencer Harrison, 3&2
Tyler Mawhinney/Will Hartman beat Chase Oberle/Sam Cascio, 4&3
Blades Brown/Tyler Watts beat Josiah Edwards/Kayun Mudadana, 3&2
