Great Britain & Ireland won the Walker Cup for the first time in 11 years in sensationally dramatic fashion in Lahinch – with Josh Hill sinking a four footer on the 18th to seal a 1up win over Tyler Watts and deliver a 13.5 to 12.5 victory for the hosts.
Trailing by three points before the final singles session after being wiped out in the morning foursomes, the GB&I team seized the initiative in the early singles matches, with Ireland’s Stuart Grehan again leading the way against the world’s number one amateur Preston Stout.
Amateur champion Grehan, who’d come from two down with three to play to beat Stout on Saturday, had gotten off to a wretched start on Sunday, shanking his bunker shot on the first to lose the opening hole.
Stout birdied the second to go 2up but as the wind picked up and the weather worsened, Grehan gained the upper hand, winning the fifth and sixth holes to go all square.
The Offaly man seized the initaitive early on the back nine, stitching his second shot to a few feet on the par-five for a gimme eagle to go 1up for the first time. He won the next two holes against a faltering Stout to take a three hole lead.
While Stout rallied to win the 15th, Grehan held firm to win 2&1. It capped off a memorable weekend for the 33-year old former pro, Grehan, who had taken 2.5 points from four matches, winning both his singles matches at the top of the order.
Stuart Grehan and Connor Graham celebrate after Great Britain and Ireland won the Walker Cup
Elsewhere, US Amateur champion Jack Whaley secured the biggest Walker Cup victory since 1979 when he beat William Jennings 8&7.
Luke Poulter, son of Ian, saw off 2025 Amateur Champion Ethan Fang 3&1, while Tyler Weaver dispatched Jay Leng Jr 4&3.
The hosts had nosed in front again but the United States had the edge in the matches lower down the order, with Ryder Cowan and Josiah Gilbert seeing off Ben Bolton and Sam Easterbrook respectively.
Miles Russell held a consistent lead over Connor Graham, while Niall Sheils Donegan was narrowly trailing Kihei Akina for most of their round.
With only three and a half points required to retain the Cup at the beginning of the singles, the visitors looked to have weathered the early storm and wrestled back the momentum.
However, things swung again at the death – as the 18th hole proved the Americans undoing.
Akina missed a short putt at the last, after which Sheils Donegan capitalised to steal a half point.
Great Britain’s Elliot Baker got up and down from left of the 18th green to win his match 1up against Walker Cup veteran Stewart Hagestad, who bogeyed the last after driving into trouble.
Graham won the final two holes of his match against Russell to nab an improbable half – the American missing a 10-footer which would have ensured the US retained the Cup.
By now, it had all come down to the last match on course, between Josh Hill and Tyler Watts, who were all square coming up the treacherously difficult 18th.
A half would have sealed it for the visitors but with both players struggling for pars, Hill Hill produced a stunning up-and-down from the bunker to complete a thrilling comeback and seal the unlikeliest of wins.
The comeback win sparked comparisons to the Medinah Ryder Cup in 2012 and ended a run of five successive victories for the United States. It was Great Britain & Ireland’s first victory in the match since 2015 at Royal Lytham – and their first win on Irish soil at the third attempt.