The United States won its 16th World Amateur Team Championship and first since 2014 when it earned victory on Saturday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.
The trio of David Ford, Nick Dunlap and Gordon Sargent combined for a 36-under team total to put the Americans 11 strokes clear of Norway and Australia. It was a true team effort as each player had at least two counting scores in the four-round stroke-play event.
“I just feel so happy for these guys,” U.S. captain Mark Newell said. “This is a great championship filled with lots of good players, and they really earned their victory with great play all four rounds, and especially today.”
The event has all three players competing each day, but only the top two scores count toward the team total. The Americans were incredibly balanced throughout the competition, never having a performance worse than 7-under.
Sargent (67) and Ford (68) kicked things off in round one, but then it was Dunlap (67) and Sargent (70) picking up Ford on day two. Sargent (67) and Dunlap (69) were again the counting scores on the third day, but Ford saved his best for last with a closing 64 to pair with Dunlap’s 68.
Ford opened his final round with four birdies and an eagle in his first six holes. It was a statement moment that cemented victory for the U.S. His 64 was the second-lowest individual final-round score in event history.
“I’ve never been 6-under through six before,” said Ford, who carded a 29 on the front side. “I didn’t look at the leaderboard until about hole 13. I wanted to see where we were, and then I just tried to make as many birdies as I could coming in.”
The U.S. receives custody of the Eisenhower Trophy until the next World Amateur Team Championship, which will be held in 2025 in Singapore. Members of the winning team receive gold medals, and members of the two second-place teams receive silver medals.
Although there is no official recognition, New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori, the 2023 Western Amateur champion, was the low individual at 16-under 272.
RESULTS
Colby Harwell of San Antonio, Texas, shot a closing 2-under 70 to win the Stocker Cup by two strokes on Saturday at The Preserve Golf Club in Carmel-By-The-Sea, California.
After rounds of 71-66, Harwell began the final day two strokes behind Californian Geoff Gonzalez. The leaderboard was crowded, with several players having a chance to win.
Harwell broke out of that logjam with a phenomenal front nine that included birdies on Nos. 2, 4 and 9 to go along with an eagle on No. 8. By the time he rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt at the ninth, Harwell had climbed to 12-under overall and separated himself from the pack.
Despite a relative struggle on the back nine – Harwell made a bogey at No. 10 and a double bogey at No. 18 – he was never challenged.
Gonzalez, a member at The Preserve, made bogeys on his final seven holes to fall to a tie for eighth. Jimmy Castles of Cupertino, California, took solo second after a closing 72 that included pars on his final 10 holes.
Among other notables, former winner Michael Jensen finished fourth, John Sawin earned a tie for fifth and Joe Deraney settled for a T12 result.
Sean Fairholm