Sunday Singles Recap: Cup decided by close matches

The Sunday singles were a microcosm of the entire PGA Cup competition: Quality golfers contesting a series of tight matches, many of which could have gone either way. GBI won the day, but fell just short of retaining the Llandudno Trophy.

By T.J. Auclair and John Kim, PGA.com

Match 1: Jon Bevan, GBI, vs. Tim Thelen, USA
Result: GBI wins, 1-up

The opening match of the day saw Jon Bevan take an early lead with a birdie on the first hole and never relinquish that lead. The point kept Great Britain & Ireland's hopes alive as it was posted early in the day.

"I played well all week, so I felt good, but being the first match out, you really want to get the team off to a good start," said Bevan. "I played Tim on the first day so I knew he would be tough. We had a great game. He's a fantastic guy and I was able to just come out ahead at the end."

Though he never led in the match, Thelen battled to the end, taking the match all the way to the 18th green. It was indicative of the fighting spirit the U.S. team would show the entire afternoon.

"We lost to a great team," Bevan said about the final result. "They are a good bunch of guys, great golfers, and they earned it. It tinges things for us because we lost, but the overall experience here was just fantastic. This place is heaven on earth."

Match 2: John Dwyer, GBI, vs. Don Yrene, USA
Result: USA wins, 2 & 1

It wasn't easy, but American Don Yrene's ball-striking made it look that way in his 2 & 1 singles victory over John Dwyer Sunday.

Yrene, a 40-year-old PGA Head Professional at The Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., birdied his first hole for a quick lead.

"I made a really good putt on the first hole," he said. "It was a 25-footer that dropped right in the center."

However, by the time the match hit the fourth hole, Yrene was 1-down.

"When he birdied No. 4, I was 1 down going into No. 5," Yrene said. "I think No. 7 is really where the momentum turned."

At No. 7, Dwyer needed two shots to get out of a bunker and conceded a six-foot putt to Yrene after a spectacular bunker shot. That squared the match.

"On No. 9, we both had it in there," Yrene said. "He was about 20 feet and I was about 25 feet. He ended up three-putting and I had about a three-footer for par to win the hole to go to 1-up after nine holes. Then the momentum was turning and my ball-striking started getting even better. I didn't miss a shot on the back."

The highlight of the match for Yrene was his birdie on the par-4 11th hole. After overdrawing a drive that found a left-hand bunker, Yrene stuffed an 8-iron from 147 yards out to within three feet of the hole and made the birdie putt to go 2-up. He eventually closed out the match on the 17th hole when he made a birdie to Dwyer's par.

"Luckily, we got enough points to win," Yrene said. "They've got solid players, we've got a lot of good players on our side too. Everybody played well. I guess I should speak for myself and I particularly played good the whole way. I hit the ball so good, made some good clutch putts and it was a thrill."

Match 3: Paul Wesselingh, GBI, vs. Ryan Benzel, USA
Result: Halved

Until this week, 28-year-old Ryan Benzel had never competed in a team match-play event. After what happened on Sunday in his singles match, the assistant professional from Seattle Golf Club might want to do it a little more often.

Trailing 3-down with three holes to play, Benzel roared back to finish par-birdie-birdie to earn a half-point for the Americans in his match with Paul Wesselingh.

Up against the ropes several times, Benzel never quit. He made two putts from 12 feet and one from eight feet on the final three holes. The sweetest was his birdie on No. 18 -- the only one the Americans recorded all week.

After splitting the fairway with his drive, Benzel joked that he had, ?just a little butter 3-wood in there from 240 yards out.?

At least that's what it looked like. Benzel's approach never left the flagstick and stopped just eight feet short of the cup. When Wesselingh lagged his long birdie putt near the hole, Benzel knocked his down for the halve, threw his hands in the air and let out a scream.

"This was hugely emotional," he said. "By no means did I want to lose today. I didn't putt very well most of the day and it looked kind of bleak for a while. I got a putt to go in on 16 and when I made that stroke, something clicked.

"I knew what I did. The putt on 17 was perfect and on 18, the same thing. The stroke was there when I needed it. I hit some good shots coming down the stretch and, yeah, it was good."

Some good fortune helped Benzel as well. On the par-4 16th hole, he watched as Wesselingh hit his approach shot into the water. Benzel hit his approach into some rocks, but the ball managed to ricochet back into play and he got up and down for par and the win from 50 yards out.

That par got the ball rolling for the heroic come back for the halve.

"Standing on the 18th tee box was probably the most nervous I've ever been," Benzel admitted. "That was the biggest half-point I've ever made."

Match 4: Danny Taylor, GB&I, vs. Mike Small, USA
Result: GBI wins, 4 & 3

Danny Taylor gritted out a win against 2006 PGA Professional Player of the Year Mike Small in the fourth match of the day.

Taylor, the Teaching Professional at Swingers, Lichfield in Staffordshire, England, took the lead with a nice birdie on the sixth hole and never relinquished it as he earned the first full point of the day for the GB&I squad.

"Playing someone of Mike's ability, you know you're going to have a fight on your hand," explained Taylor. "It was a real great match, and we both played well. We both fought hard. But we had some laughs, too. He was an enjoyable partner, and I respect him quite a bit."

Though the GB&I team leaves in defeat, Taylor says he will have only the fondest of memories of the experience.

"Take the nicest golf destination you've ever been to, and multiply by 10," he said. "Then multiply that by 10 and you'll still come up short of what this place [Reynolds Plantation] is. It's been a wonderful experience for all of us."

Match 5: James Whatley, GBI, vs. Chip Sullivan
Result: USA wins, 5 & 4

Chip Sullivan, though playing in the fifth match of the day, was the first on either side to earn a point for his respective squad with an early close-out of GB&I's James Whatley.

Sullivan, the 2007 PGA Professional National Champion, took advantage of some early bogeys by Whatley and some stellar play of his own to build a 6-up lead at the turn. Even with consecutive bogeys on holes 12 and 13, Sullivan was able to close out the match with a par on the 14th hole.

"Being 7-up after 11 holes, boy, what a surprise," Sullivan said. "I just tried to enjoy the moment and take it all in, then close it out and go watch everyone else."

As for setting an early example and inspiration to his teammates with his early point, Sullivan hoped it provided a lift but knew his teammates were focused on their respective tasks.

"I'm sure they were focused on their own matches," explained Sullivan, "but if I could have helped any, that's just icing on the cake."

Match 6: Michael Nesbit, GBI, vs. Ron Philo Jr., USA
Result: USA wins, 3 & 2

Ron Philo Jr., winner of the 2006 PGA Professional National Championship, proved yet again why he's one of the best players the U.S. side has to offer with his 3 & 2 singles win over Michael Nesbit.

Philo never trailed in the match, which ended when he parred the par-4 16th hole.

"I almost holed out on No. 4 and then I had an eagle on No. 7," he said. "We both kind of stumbled on 8, 9 and 10. I made a big putt -- about a 25-footer on 15 -- to go back to 2-up and that was pretty big. It was the first putt I had made all week. It was a relief, it was a good shot of adrenaline and it felt good going into 16 needing to win one more hole to get that point on the board so we could close it out with Chris (Starkjohann)."

Philo said he knew that every match was important on Sunday and it was key for the Americans to get some early wins to get points up on the board.

"You're playing for your country, the 28,000 PGA Professionals across the country and you're really playing for your teammates, the nine other guys that are here," Philo said. "That's who you're playing for. These are guys that have performed well and earned the right to be here. We all have a lot of respect for one another so you want to do well for them. That's a different kind of pressure all together."

The PGA Cup was the second international match play title for the Philo family in the last two weeks. Last week, Philo's sister, LPGA Tour star Laura Diaz, was a member of the U.S. team that won the Solheim Cup in Sweden.

"It's pretty cool to have both trophies here in the States," Philo said.

Match 7: George Ryall, GBI, vs. Butch Sheehan, USA
Result: GBI wins, 1-up

If there's one thing the Great Britain and Ireland team can take away from the 23rd PGA Cup Matches it's this: respect your elders.

George Ryall, a teaching professional from Bristol, England and the oldest player on GBI at 48, was 4-0 in his matches at the Oconee Course.

Ryall capped off the week with a 1-up victory over American Butch Sheehan in their singles match on Sunday. Sheehan was the oldest player on the U.S. side at 57 years old.

Ryall joked afterward that he, ?out-parred Sheehan,? suggesting that neither player was equipped with his best game.

"I've got to be pleased with the week," Ryall said. "I've enjoyed it. I played against some great guys, great characters. Butch was a true gentleman and a great golfer. We had a good game and I think the heat probably got to both of us in the end."

Ryall said his biggest problem on Sunday was his inability to make putts.

"You can only hit it so close and if you don't make any then you're really just waiting for somebody to make a mistake," he said. "We didn't do it. We just kept going par, par, par. It's not bad golf, it's just tough for anyone to win or anyone to lose doing that. In the end, I guess he just ran out on one hole. It could have gone either way."

Ryall had a 2-up lead in the match after he made birdie at No. 14, but Sheehan pulled back to within one after a birdie of his own on No. 15. When the players parred out, Ryall walked away with the 1-up win.

"The week was fantastic," Ryall said. "It's nice to play against so many good American players and you get the feeling that you can compete. That's what it?s all about really, for us to see how good the Americans are and for them to see how good we are. Every game has gone almost to the last hole, so it's all come down to the odd putt. I thoroughly enjoyed it."

Match 8: Andrew Barnett, GBI, vs. Lee Rinker, USA
Result: GBI wins, 2 & 1

Andrew Barnett held off Lee Rinker 2&1 to tally another point for the Great Britain & Ireland team.

The match was an extremely tight affair with the neither play able to gain more than a 1-up advantage on the front nine and 11 of the 17 holes played, leaving the match at all-square. It was only when Barnett was able to birdie the 15th and 16th hole that he was able to take a 2-up lead and ultimately win the match with a par and push on the 17th green.

Match 9: Craig Goodfellow, GBI, vs. Alan Schulte, USA
Result: GBI wins, 2 & 1

In a highly anticipated match, Craig Goodfellow of the Great Britain & Ireland team defeated Alan Schulte 2 & 1 in the penultimate singles match of the afternoon.

After Goodfellow, who had the crowds abuzz all week with his monstrous distance off the tee, seized an early lead with a birdie on the first hole, Schulte battled back to take the lead by hole 5. Schulte even held the lead until No. 13 before Goodfellow won two holes in a row to take the lead.

After both players made good pars on No. 16, Goodfellow then closed out the match with a birdie on the par-5 17th hole.

Match 10: Duncan Muscroft, GBI, vs. Chris Starkjohann, USA
Result: USA wins, 4 & 3

Experience can't be overlooked. That's precisely why U.S. Captain Roger Warren elected to have 51-year-old Chris Starkjohann anchor the Americans in Sunday's singles matches.

That decision proved to be brilliant. Starkjohann, the 2006 Senior PGA Professional Player of the Year and a former winner on the Nationwide Tour, earned what turned out to be the decisive final point the Americans needed to win the PGA Cup.

Starkjohann holed a 4 1/2-foot putt on the 15th hole to defeat Duncan Muscroft, 4 & 3.

"At the time they said that my putt was going to clinch it. I was just trying to play hard all day and get the big lead," Starkjohann said. "I got off to a good start. Duncan didn't play very well the first four, five, or six holes. I never thought coming here that I would have a putt to win it, obviously, but you always dream about it.

"It's like when you're on a putting green and you're like, 'this putt is to win the U.S. Open.' It feels good," he added. "I'm just glad that I was able to bring it home for the team. I think that Captain Warren put me last because I had a little more experience, I guess. God was on my side and when you've got Him on your side, you can do a lot of things."

Starkjohann had a 4-up lead after just five holes. That margin was cut to 2-up after seven holes, but with birdies at Nos. 8 and 9, Starkjohann made the turn with his 4-up lead intact.

The key to the match, Starkjohann said, was when he made a 20-foot putt to save par at the 13th hole for a halve.

"To me that was a big save because it kept me 4-up," he said. "Then I halved 14. I almost won it there, but I knew if I could just make pars and make him make birdies that I was good once I was 4-up. So I was just trying to play solid."

So how wonderful was it to be a member of the PGA Cup team?

"This was awesome," Starkjohann said. "This is better than when I finished eighth at Champions Tour Q-School back in 2005. And that was a big deal then. This is awesome. We have nine great other guys on my team and I'll be a part of them any day."