Great Britain & Ireland hold three-point Walker Cup advantage after day one

Great Britain and Ireland lead the USA 7.5 to 4.5 after day one of the 49th Walker Cup at St Andrews.

Stuart Wilson's side are bidding to win the trophy back after three consecutive defeats in the biennial encounter and take a three-point lead into Sunday's second day at the home of golf.

In glorious conditions in front of large crowds, John Gough and Calum Scott were the stand-out performers for GB&I after delivering two points each from the first day of play.

The morning foursomes saw the hosts build a 3-1 lead after coming out on top in some tight matches.

While the USA began positively and put the opening point on the board, the hosts gradually clawed their way back.

Gordon Sargent and Dylan Menante birdied two of the first three holes yet it remained a close tussle with Kilkenny's Mark Power and Barclay Brown until the 12th. Power pulled his tee shot at the short par-four into a gorse bush and a lost ball allowed the USA to edge one up. A bogey from GB&I at the next and a winning seven-foot birdie putt from Sargent on the 16th sealed a 3&2 triumph.

Scott and Connor Graham were also down early against Caleb Surratt and Ben James but then found their groove, especially on the greens. Cheered on by a strong home crowd, they were ahead after a birdie at the par-five 5th and made four further birdies in seven holes from the ninth before the USA found trouble at the 16th to concede for a 3&2 loss.

There was little in the meeting between Gough and Malone's Matthew McClean and their tussle with Preston Summerhays and David Ford before Gough’s five-foot birdie putt at the 16th edged GB&I ahead.

Ford’s save from the Road Hole bunker took the match up the last, but Summerhays missed a short birdie putt to hand GB&I a one-hole win.

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