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Story and results appear courtesy of GOLFWEEK.COM
Liverpool, England -- In a head-to-head match between two members of the
University of Houston golf team playing on opposite sides and for their
respective countries in the annual Palmer Cup, a college version of the
prestigious Ryder Cup, UH's Andy Sanders may have won one battle for the
United States but fellow Cougar Simon Robinson and the team from Great
Britain won the war.
Sanders, who will be a senior on the UH golf team this fall, defeated
Robinson (a UH sophomore) 3 and 2 in the final round of matches Wednesday
afternoon in Liverpool, England. Sanders and the U. S. team however lost the
fourth-annual Palmer Cup to Robinson and the team from Great Britain/Ireland
by a combined two-day total of 12.5 to 11.5.
Robinson and Sanders are UH teammates every other weekend of the year,
but their match Wednesday marked the first time in Palmer Cup history that
two players from the same university had gone head-to-head or even been
selected to the opposing teams in the same year. The Cougar duo battled in
the final round but Sanders' win was not enough to help the American team in
an extremely close contest.
The U.S. began the afternoon singles matches trailing, 9-7, but appeared
in good shape to retain the Cup when Sanders, Andy Miller (BYU), Nick
Cassini (Georgia) and Chris Wisler (East Tennessee State) all posted
victories.
The U.S. then led, 12-11, with one match remaining between Clemson's
Jonathan Byrd and Phillip Rowe. Rowe needed to win the 18th hole and halve
the match to give his team the Cup, while Byrd needed only to halve the hole
to give his U.S. team the victory.
It came down to the last putt on that last hole.
Both players reached the par-4 18th hole in two. After Byrd lagged to 4
1/2 feet, Rowe conceded the par putt. Needing to make his 20-foot birdie
putt for the victory, Rowe calmly stepped up and nailed it for the 12.5-11.5
win at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. It was the first time the Great
Britain/Ireland team had won the Palmer Cup in the four-year history of the
event.
For the two-day event structured like the Ryder Cup, Sanders was 2-1-1
while Robinson was 1-2-1 OVERALL. Full results appear below.
2000 Palmer Cup competition at Royal Liverpool (England) Golf Club:
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August 15-16
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON SINGLES (GB&I wins, 12.5-11.5)
Graeme McDowell def. Lucas Glover, 1 up
Andy Miller def. Max Harris, 3 and 2
Nick Cassini def. Joel Hendry, 1 up
Chris Wisler def. Kyron Sullivan, 5 and 4
Jamie Elson def. John Engler, 1 up
Mark Booker def. Jeff Klauk, 4 and 3
Andy Sanders def. Simon Robinson, 3 and 2
Phillip Rowe halved with Jonathan Byrd
WEDNESDAY MORNING SINGLES (GB&I leads, 9-7)
Graeme McDowell (GB&I) def. Lucas Glover, 6 and 4.
Joel Hendry (GB&I) def. Andy Miller, 3 and 2.
Max Harris (GB&I) halved with Nick Cassini
Jonathan Byrd (U.S.) def. Jamie Elson, 1-up.
John Engler (U.S.) def. Simon Robinson, 3 and 2
Mark Booker (GB&I) def. Andy Sanders, 3 and 2.
Chris Wisler (U.S.) def. Kyron Sullivan, 3 and 2.
Phillip Rowe (GB&I) def. Jeff Klauk, 1-up
TUESDAY'S RESULTS
MORNING FOUR-BALL MATCHES
(One better ball of two)
Max Harris and Jamie Elson (GBI) def. Andy Sanders and Nick Cassini, 3 & 2.
Andy Miller and Lucas Glover (US) def. Mark Booker and Joel Hendry, 5 & 3.
Graeme McDowell and Kyron Sullivan (GBI) def. Jeff Klauk and Chris Wisler,
2-up.
John Engler and Jonathan Byrd (US) halved with Phillip Rowe and Simon
Robinson.
TUESDAY'S AFTERNOON FOURSOMES
(Alternate shot)
Andy Miller and Andy Sanders (US) def. Max Harris and Jamie Elson, 5 & 3.
Nick Cassini and Jonathan Byrd (US) def. Mark Booker and Joel Hendry, 5 & 4.
Graeme McDowell and Simon Robinson (GBI) def. John Engler and Chris Wisler, 1-up.
Phillip Rowe and Kyron Sullivan (GBI) def. Jeff Klauk and Lucas Glover, 3 & 1.
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