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.
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.”
Irish pair Hugh Foley and Matthew McClean will be looking to prevent three successive Bridges Cup titles for USA when they tee it up for the International side on Monday in Haesley, South Korea.
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.
Foley and McClean are one of seven countries represented on the 12-man International side.
The matches are played over three competitive days. The first tournament day includes fourball and foursomes matches. The second day consists of fourball matches and the final day includes twelve singles matches.
“Looking forward to it big time,” said Foley. “I know it used to be the club World Cup or something and it was always featuring in the top-100 golf courses in the world to get them to Korea to mix and connect and play some competitive golf. They have great recognition and history at the Nine Bridges Club.
“I guess they wanted to branch out a bit further and continue with mid-am golf and promote it so they changed it to USA vs International and it’s the third time, it’s really cool the hospitality and how they have looked after us is incredible.”
Foley of Royal Dublin and McClean of Malone Golf Club have formed a formidable partnership on Irish teams over the last few years and they could prove to be a crucial pairing for the International side this week.
Both players have found the American mid-amateur circuit to their liking with McClean beating Foley in the 2022 US Mid-Amateur final two years ago.
“It’s great to have Matt here, one of the best mid-am golfers in the world since the 2022 US Mid-Am and we have played a lot of foursomes and fourbal together, we are good partners, we have only lost once or twice when I was sick at the Octagonal. I don’t think we have lost in major tournaments in foursomes. It’s great to have Irish representation in the International team,” explained Foley.
“Mid-am golf is really big in America and they are trying to promote it more around the world and they do that by hosting great events every year and looking after us really well and hosting us at top golf courses like Pine Valley, Seminol and now this trip is too good to turn down.
“There are great connections and friendships made at the events so it would be great to get that in the UK and Ireland and it kept improving and you probably do that by playing at the top golf courses like they do in the US. The tournaments don’t have a lot of history but the only way to get it is by playing in them.”
Belfast based optometrist McClean has enjoyed his fair share of elite team events with last year’s Walker Cup at St Andrews the highlight of his amateur career so far.
“I love team golf,” McClean told Golf.com, adding that he’s excited to meet most of his teammates for the first time this week. “The best event for me all of last year was the Walker Cup.
“Growing up in Ireland, we played quite a bit of team golf in club level. And then also in the last few years at national level,” he continued. “Everyone’s there for the same reason, you know, all good golfers, every golfer, no matter what their level, any sort of decent golfer wants to win, no matter what.”