British-Irish Golf Team Holds On for Walker Cup Victory Over U.S.

James Milligan, the 1988 Scottish Amateur champion, won two of the last three holes to tie Jay Sigel Thursday, giving Britain and Ireland a 12 1/2-11 1/2 victory over the United States in the 32nd Walker Cup competition.

It was the first win on U.S. soil for the British-Irish team and ended a string of eight consecutive American victories in this biennial international golf series.

The Americans had won five singles matches Thursday afternoon and appeared on the verge of overcoming an 11-5 deficit after the morning foursomes until Sigel lost the day’s finalmatch.

Milligan, 25, chipped in for a birdie to square the match on the 17th hole after winning the 16th when Sigel bogeyed. Both players bogeyed the final hole.

The U.S. lead in the series was cut to 28-3-1.

The British-Irish team needed strong comebacks from Eoghan O’Connell and Andrew Hare to avoid blowing the big lead and to set the stage for Milligan’s victory.

O’Connell, trailing by one hole with two to play, got even when Phil Mickelson bogeyed the 17th hole. The players then halved the match with par fours on No. 18, with Mickelson sinking an eight-foot putt and O’Connell getting a one-foot concession.

O’Connell is an Irishman who plays golf at Wake Forest. Mickelson won the NCAA championship this year as a freshman at Arizona State.

Hare had to win the last two holes to even his match with Doug Martin, who led Oklahoma to the NCAA team title this year.