In the third iteration of the Bridges Cup, the team of elite mid-amateurs from the United States barely held on in the final session to best the Internationals, 17-15, at Haesley Nine Bridges in South Korea. The victory represents the third straight in this competition for the Americans.
The Bridges Cup is a partnership between South Korean conglomerate CJ Group and 8AM Golf that features two teams in a Ryder Cup-style competition over three days. The first iteration was held at CJ-owned Nine Bridges (No. 87 in GOLF’s world ranking), on Jeju Island in 2022. The next year, the competition moved to Les Bordes (No. 83) in France.
Each team is hand-selected by their captains and comprised of high-level amateur golfers with résumés that include USGA championships and major tournament experience. All of that talent was on display at Haesley.
The 12-man American team came out firing in the opening session Monday, posting a 5-1 lead in the four-ball matches. But the Internationals clawed back in the three-day competition to get within two points to begin Wednesday’s singles session, and, with 12 points up for grabs, it was truly anyone’s tournament. Early on, it seemed that the International squad was riding that momentum for a potential comeback.
“After nine holes, it really looked as though the Internationals could have had a chance to squeak it,” said Simon Holmes, a golf professional and Bridges Cup commentator.
Matthew McClean, Hugh Foley and Lukas Michel won tightly contested morning matches, but the U.S.’s Drew Kittleson finally put red on the board with a 2-and-1 win over Jacob Austin.
The pieces then started falling into place for the U.S. They took five of the last eight matches as Scott Anderson, Andrew Medley and Drew Stoltz all won 5 and 4.
“We never thought it was ever lost,” said International captain Simon Holt. “We rallied like mad, but, in the end, we simply ran out of holes.” Added Holmes, “The way they fought back, the intensity of the competition, the amount of stress that was created for the players and certainly the captains, just goes to show that the Bridges Cup, the combination of 8AM and CJ and this concept of mid-am team golf, is an absolute winner.”
For the third year in a row, the United States defeated the Internationals at the Bridges Cup The Club at Haesley Nine Bridges in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Session one of Four-Ball was the difference in the Cup, as the United States jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and held off the Internationals for the rest of the week, winning 17-15 and getting out of Sunday Singles with a 6 to 6 tie.
The International team won the second session, which was foursomes, 3-1, to make the score 6-4 after day one in favor of the United States. The rest of the tournament was a tie, with the United States holding onto that two-point through the last two days.
The Internationals made a late push in the Sunday Singles, earning four of the last five points to make it close, but Joe Deraney won the final match to give the United States the outright win at 17-15. If the final were 16-16, the United States would have retained the cup since the International needed 16.5 to win it for the first time.
Deraney won the 2023 Canadian Mid-Amateur, the 2023 Devils Elbow Invitational, and the 2024 Lupton Memorial.
The Internationals were led by top mid-amateurs Matthew McClean and Hugh Foley. McClean is currently ranked No. 1 in the AmateurGolf.com Mid-Amateur Rankings. Foley is ranked No. 6.
The Bridges Cup is three years old, and the USA won 19-11 in 2023 and 14-12 in 2022.
The Bridges Cup is the premier mid-amateur golf match, uniting elite players from around the world in a Ryder Cup-style competition held annually at world-class golf courses. It provides a platform for players to compete at the highest level of mid-amateur golf while strengthening bonds between global golfing communities.
The Bridges Cup is the premier mid-amateur golf matches, uniting elite players from around the world in a Ryder Cup - style competition held annually at world-class golf courses. The Bridges Cup provides a platform for players to compete at the highest level of mid-amateur golf, while strengthening bonds between global golfing communities.
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In what turned out to be a thrilling final session, the U.S. team of elite mid-amateurs held onto its lead to defeat the International squad, 17-15, to win its third straight Bridges Cup.
The 12-man American team came out firing in the opening session Monday at Haesley Nine Bridges in South Korea, but the Internationals clawed back in the three-day competition to get within two points to begin Wednesday’s singles session.
But with 12 points up for grabs, it was truly anyone’s game. And early on in Wednesday’s matches, it seemed the International squad was riding that momentum for a potential comeback.
“After nine holes, it really looked as though the Internationals could have had a chance to squeak it,” said Simon Holmes, a golf professional and Bridges Cup commentator on-site this week.
The Internationals — behind a strong opening trio of Matthew McClean, Hugh Foley and Lukas Michel — won tightly contested matches early, but the U.S.’s Drew Kittleson finally put red on the board with a 2-and-1 win over Jacob Austin.
The pieces then started falling into place for the Americans.
They took five of the last eight matches — Scott Anderson, Andrew Medley and Drew Stoltz all won their matches 5 and 4 — to remain undefeated in the three playings of the Bridges Cup.
“The Internationals arrived with no real sparkle, and they didn’t perform early, and they were behind so many points that they thought the game was lost,” Holmes said. “But the way they fought back, the intensity of the competition, the amount of stress that was created today for the players and certainly the captains, just goes to show that the Bridges Cup, the combination of 8AM and CJ, and this concept of mid-am team golf is an absolute winner.”
Even after the U.S. clinched the 16 points needed to retain the cup, Joseph Deraney, who was 2 down after nine holes in the anchor match against Angus Carrick, won three holes on the back nine, including the 18th with a long birdie putt, to clinch a 1-up victory and the outright win for the U.S. The singles session ended as a 6-6 split between the two teams.
For full results from the 2024 Bridges Cup, click here. Below are the complete results from the singles session on Day 3.
DAY 3 SINGLES RESULTS:
FINAL RESULT:
Jack Hirsh is the associate equipment editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.
The outcome of the third annual Bridges Cup will culminate in a singles showdown on Wednesday, as the U.S. team of 12 mid-amateurs holds a narrow 10-8 advantage over their International counterparts.
At Haesley Nine Bridges in Korea, a dominant performance in the opening four-ball matches on Monday gave the Americans an early 5-1 lead. The International squad fired back in the afternoon, winning three of four foursomes matches for a total Day 1 score of 6-4 to the Americans.
On Tuesday, 10 more points were up for grabs, with six four-ball matches in the morning and four foursomes matches in the afternoon.
The sides split the morning fourball sessions, 3-3; in the afternoon foursomes only two matches were completed, with each side winning one, before darkness suspended play. The still-to-be-finished matches are Match 1, which the Internationals are 1 up with one hole remaining, and Match 3, in which the Americans are 1 up with three holes to play.
Those matches will be finished ahead of the singles session on Wednesday, and will be extremely consequential to the outcome of the Bridges Cup. The International team is seeking its first victory in the event after falling to the Americans in 2022 and 2023.
“The International team was way more boosted by the success they had in that second session on Monday,” said Simon Holmes, a golf professional and Bridges Cup commentator who is onsite this week in Korea. “So that was kind of like a catalyst moment for them, maybe to have a bit more belief, show up, back themselves a bit more. So it was a bit of an emotional change more than a technical change or suddenly playing better golf. I think they just felt like they belonged a bit more, and they were more comfortable to show themselves.”
The Internationals were anchored on Tuesday by standout performances courtesy of an Irish duo: Hugh Foley and Matthew McClean, won their four-ball and foursomes matches 5 and 4, and 5 and 3, respectively.
“You could just tell they’re so comfortable in that format that it was it wasn’t even like a blip for them,” Holmes said of Foley and McClean. “They moved into it so smoothly.”
Americans Taylor Wood and Scott Anderson delivered the foursomes session’s most dominant performance, posting a 7-and-6 victory over the International side’s Harry Bolton and Darragh Coghlan.
Day 3 of the Bridges Cup will feature the remaining foursomes matches and 12 singles matches. With 30 total points up for grabs over the three days of competition, the U.S. needs 15 points to retain the Cup, while the Internationals need 15.5 points to claim it.
For full results and live scoring from the 2024 Bridges Cup, click here. Below are the complete results from the four-ball and foursomes sessions from Day 2.
DAY 2 FOURBALL RESULTS:
Jessica Marksbury
As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her original interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.
Through the first of three days of play at the 2024 Bridges Cup, the U.S.’s team of 12 elite mid-amateurs finds itself in a familiar position: atop the leaderboard, with a 6-4 advantage over the International side.
With 10 matches — and 10 points — up for grabs at Haesley Nine Bridges in Korea on the opening day, the Americans, who prevailed in the first two editions of the event, won five of six of matches in the morning fourball sessions before the Internationals charged back in the afternoon foursomes sessions, winning three of four available points.
Lukas Michel and Jacob Austin of the Internationals won the opening match in the morning fourballs, but the U.S. dominated the rest of the session. All five of the remaining matches went the way of the Americans, with each being closed out before the 18th hole. By the time the teams adjourned for lunch, the U.S. held a commanding 5-1 lead.
“Team USA definitely had more strut this morning,” said Simon Holmes, a golf professional and Bridges Cup commentator who is onsite this week in Korea. “They just sprinted ahead and won their matches convincingly.”
In much the same fashion as the Internationals at last month’s Presidents Cup, this team of International showed plenty of pluck in the second session. After a pep talk from captain Simon Holt, they returned for the afternoon foursomes session with a renewed sense of urgency.
“We’ve really kind of thrown the kitchen sink at it,” Holt said. “But we’ve got a team full of leaders and four pairs who are playing well with each other … All we can [do] is see what happens this afternoon.”
Once again, the team of Michel and Austin came out in the first match of the session and blitzed their opponents, winning 4 and 3. But this time, the rest of the team capitalized on the positive momentum as the Internationals won three of the four afternoon matches to pull within two points of the U.S. by day’s end.
“The Internationals had a good pep talk and showed some grit in the afternoon,” Holmes said. “Team USA was super comfortable with the fast start, but the Internationals showed their talent by the end of the day.”
Dat 2 of the Bridges Cup will feature six fourball matches, followed by 12 singles matches on Day 3. With 30 points up for grabs, the U.S. needs 15 points to retain the Cup, while the Internationals need 15.5 points to claim it.
For full results and live scoring from the 2024 Bridges Cup, click here. Below are the complete results from the first two sessions:
DAY 1 FOURBALL RESULTS:
DAY 1 FOURSOMES RESULTS:
Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.
The 2024 Bridges Cup is about to get underway in South Korea, with elite mid-amateur golfers teeing it up at Haesley Nine Bridges.
While the U.S. team has won the first two installments of the Ryder Cup-style tournament, could the Internationals swing things in their favor this year? We’ll have to see which players step up during the most nerve-wracking moments.
Because the pressure often peaks on the most challenging holes, we tapped an expert on Haesley Nine Bridges, Simon Holmes, to explain the three most crucial holes at this year’s competition.
These course-management tips might help you playing any golf course, but if you ever happen to find yourself playing Haesley Nine Bridges, they’ll definitely come in handy.
“I just think [Haesley] is a great venue for this kind of elite match play,” Holmes says. “If you’ve got stroke play, you can kind of shelter it, because you can play the layup. But in match play, if your opponent hits a great shot, then you’ve got to stand up and match it. So if you’re not in form or aren’t ready to go, we’re going to immediately see that and you’re going to lose a point.”
“What’s interesting about these kind of match-play events is that it’s basically golf’s version of the 100 meters,” Holmes says, comparing it to a sprint. “The first six holes are the most important, with stats from the Ryder Cup showing that. If you’re up after six holes, you win nearly 67 percent of the time.”
Which three holes will be the most critical at this year’s Bridges Cup? Holmes lists his choices below.
“No. 15 is, man, it’s just tough,” Holmes says. “It plays across a hill. I suppose you could get greedy and try to get up there [off the tee], but a lot of guys are going to leave themselves about 140 yards in [instead of risking it with the driver]. But the guy who goes for it is going to have an advantage, no doubt.”
