U.S. Team extends lead to 6-2 after Day 1 at PGA Cup

LOCH LOMOND, Scotland -- Former PGA Professional National Champion Scott Hebert knocked home a 21-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Friday afternoon, capping a rally by the United States in four-balls and fueling a 6-2 lead over Great Britain & Ireland in the opening day of the 24th PGA Cup.

It marks the best opening-day "road" performance by a U.S. Team in the biennial competition that is the showcase international event for PGA Professionals.

Captain Brian Whitcomb trusted his formula of experience and youth in building the pairings for the 24th PGA Cup at The Carrick on Loch Lomond, even if things didn't begin as smoothly as he had anticipated.

"I believed in the system of blending experience with youth and you saw what our national champion and what those others with a vast amount of experience can do -- they make the most of chances when its comes time for them to perform," said Whitcomb, the PGA honorary president from Bend, Ore. "Of course, I'm very proud of my players and you saw the quality of golf today, which was exceptional among both teams. It came down to a putt here, a sand shot there."

Hebert, the 2008 National Champion and PGA head professional at Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Acme, Mich., was the last player among his foursome to approach the 422-yard, par-4 18th green. The Americans were clinging to a one-hole advantage while six-time PGA Cup veteran Paul Wesselingh of Derby, England preceded Hebert with an approach shot that came to within three feet of the flagstick.

Hebert's teammate, 1995 PGA Professional national Champion Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah, had missed the green left and was facing an uphill pitch.

Hebert then slightly pulled his 9-iron approach from 132 yards left to the fringe, leaving him an uphill, left to right 21-foot birdie attempt. He looked it over several times before stroking the ball home. A round of hugs by teammates and their wives soon followed.

"I came up the fairway and Steve said to me, 'We're due,'" said Hebert, making his PGA Cup debut. "We really didn't make a putt all day. I had wedge yardage out there, but chipped a 9-iron and slightly pulled it. Before that, someone had yelled that Paul Wesselingh's ball was in the hole. It looked to me standing out there that it was against the flagstick as I was walking up.

"Those guys really hung in there tough against us. We were 3-up with four to go, and had to get that point. I had a good read, read it right and I finally hit a good putt."

It was a deflating start for Gary Alliss, who is in his second consecutive role as Great Britain & Ireland Captain.

"I felt the guys played very well but it's one of those courses with difficult greens," said Alliss. "If you fall behind and start chasing it, they are not greens that allow you to force the ball in. If you do, the putts tend to horseshoe and suddenly you've got a four-footer.

"It's early, and it's not quite at the fat lady singing time and there is time for us to turn it 'round. I'd love us to have the score in our favor, but the players are disappointed yet are not down and out and beaten at all. They are very much up for it."

The U.S. Team matched its Morning Foursomes record by capturing three of four matches in the afternoon. Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Ga. and Kyle Flinton of Edmond, Okla., ended an unbeaten day with a 3-and-1 triumph over Jon Bevan of Dorset, England and Craig Matheson of Falkirk, Scotland.

Reigning PGA Professional National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., and Mark Sheftic of Ambler, Pa., were defeated by Andrew Barnett of Denbighshire, Wales and James Lee, the reigning Glenmuir PGA Champion from South Wales, 4 and 3.

In the day's finale, Lee Rinker of Jupiter, Fla., and Eric Lippert of Marina, Calif., downed Jamie Harris of Kent, England and Paul Simpson of West Berkshire, England, 2 and 1. Simpson had missed the morning session due to overnight bout with a form of stomach flu.

"This is my third PGA Cup and this is the best I've seen from any one I've played in," said Rinker, the PGA head professional at Emerald Dunes Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. "Two years ago, I thought I was playing well, but we were just getting beat. To be honest, I was tired of losing.

"It was great to have had Eric as a partner. He's such a positive person and he kept me up. I really enjoyed his personality, and he made a great up and down on five to halve the hole when it looked like we were going to watch them beat us with a birdie and go two down. The next hole, we made birdie, as I hit a 7-iron to three feet, and we're one down. Suddenly, they bogey nine, I birdie 10 and we're 1-up. Things got going for us after that."

Rinker birdied the 16th from six feet and both teams halved the 17th to end the duel.

"These tournaments always come down to the putting, unfortunately," said Simpson. "We've got to do the same as what the Americans did to us and then we're back all square again. If that happens, it will be a good weekend.

"It changes round quick in these things; it's all about momentum, in any match play event as soon as momentum gets going you can feed off that a little bit. But, we didn't quite get it going with the putter. We played quite nicely but didn't do the important thing at the end."

The Americans' morning euphoria was tempered by a collective sigh of relief by the team and Captain Whitcomb as Skinner avoided what could have been a serious injury.

Skinner, 49, the oldest member of the U.S. Team and a PGA teaching professional at River Pointe Golf Club in Albany, Ga., partnered with Flinton for a 6-and-5 victory over GB&I's Harris and Barry Taylor of St. Helens, England.

During the round, however, he survived a scary moment on the 11th fairway when he was involved in a golf car mishap.

The bizarre chain of events began when Flinton, the PGA head professional at Quail Creek Golf & Country Club in Oklahoma City, hit his tee shot in the alternate shot format into thick rough right of the fairway, and later determined the ball was lost. The U.S. twosome was on a roll at the time, owning a 5-up advantage through 10 holes.

Skinner became a passenger in a golf car to be driven back to the tee to hit a provisional ball. The golf car, driven by PGA Rules Panel member Nic Gilks of Nuneaton, England, sped down the fairway. As car neared the crest of the fairway which hid a deep pot bunker, Skinner instinctively jumped from the vehicle, landing into a section of the bunker and then tumbling several times in the fairway.

"We were busy talking on the ride and all of a sudden comes this dad gum bunker," said Skinner. "I did what I thought I had to do -- jump and then roll. I'm thankful that none of us were hurt. You play this game long enough and you will see and do about everything. But, that is the first time I've fell out of a cart.

"That roll shook me up, because I didn't expect it. My left foot bothers me a little bit."

Gilks had plowed into the sand, taking a hard jolt, but remained upright in the vehicle. He reported that he was uninjured.

"Guilty as charged," said Gilks. "It never should have happened, but the best thing is that the player was OK."

Skinner and Flinton conceded the hole, trimming their lead, but the deficit didn't last long. After allowing another foursome to pass through, Skinner declared himself fit to continue play. He stepped up to the par-3 12th tee and hit a 4-hybrid 198 yards to within a foot of the hole.

That shot moved the U.S. duo to 5-up, and closed out Harris and Taylor with a conceded par putt to win the 13th hole and post a 6 and 5 victory.

"Sonny hit the prettiest hybrid shot I've seen," said Flinton. "That goodness he was OK. I never should have hit my tee ball where I did, but we got through it. We got a 5-up lead through seven holes and just held things together after that."

The U.S. morning domination included wins by Hebert and Craig Thomas of White Plains, N.Y.; and by Small and Sheftic.

Hebert and Thomas closed out Andrew Barnett and James Lee, 3 and 2; while Small and Sheftic downed Paul Wesselingh and Jeremy Robinson, 2 and 1.

Hebert birdied the opening hole to set the pace in a duel with Lee and Barnett.

Thomas, the PGA head professional at Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, N.Y., birdied the par-5 11th and held a 3-up advantage until Hebert missed a five-foot par putt on the 15th. They closed out the match at 16, when Lee hit his tee shot wide left of the green into heavy rough and Barnett was only able to hit the second shot a few inches. Lee followed to punch the ball out to the side of the green and Barnett then chipped it in for a bogey-4.

Hebert lagged a 30-foot birdie putt from off the fringe to three feet, from where Thomas rolled it home for a winning par.

"It worked pretty good," said Thomas. "We enjoyed our playing together and it was good to get off to a good start."

Small, the reigning PGA Professional National Champion, said that he and Sheftic ended up playing different but effective roles.

"I was the guy on the par 3s and Mark was the driver today," said Small, the men's golf coach at the University of Illinois. "Mark played very well, and he was driving it so straight."

The duo overcame bogeys at the third and fourth holes to collect four birdies in a six-hole stretch between the sixth and 11th holes. They took a 2-up lead into the 16th hole and finished with two consecutive halved pars to seal the victory.

"We won as a team and Mike hit a lot of great putts and I was driving the ball well," said Sheftic, the PGA assistant professional at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., who made his PGA Cup debut. "They [Wesselingh and Robinson] played well, too, but I think that it motivated us to play even harder.

"I can't describe how nervous I was on the first tee. I've never been that nervous in golf. You see your teammates and a great Captain [Brian Whitcomb] there and the 'USA' up on the scoreboard. Because of those three letters, you know that you are playing for your country. I knew that I was playing with a great champion and knew that he was going to play well. That made me go out and play more at ease."

Great Britain & Ireland avoided a morning shutout when Jon Bevan and Will Barnes downed Ryan Benzel and Lee Rinker, 4 and 2.

"To be fair to the guys, they didn't make anything," said Bevan, who competed on the 2007 GB&I Team and is a teaching professional at Wessex Golf Centre in Dorset, England. The birdie at nine was a key."

Barnes, winner of this year's Wales Open, and making his PGA Cup debut "wasn't nervous until I took the club backwards on the first tee, and then got bleary."

24th PGA CUP -- DAY ONE RESULTS

MORNING FOURSOMES

Sonny Skinner, Sylvester, Ga. & Kyle Flinton, Edmond, Okla. (USA) def. Jamie Harris, Kent, England & Barry Taylor, St. Helens, England, 6 and 5

Jon Bevan, Weymouth, Dorset, England & Will Barnes, Lancashire, England (GB&I) def. Ryan Benzel, Bothell, Wash. & Lee Rinker, Jupiter, Fla., 4 and 2

Scott Hebert, Traverse City, Mich. & Craig Thomas, White Plains, N.Y. (USA) def. Andrew Barnett, Denbighshire, Wales & James Lee, South Wales, 3 and 2

Mike Small, Champaign, Ill. & Mark Sheftic, Ambler, Pa. (USA) def. Paul Wesselingh, Derby, England & Jeremy Robinson, Evesham, England, 2 and 1

USA 3, Great Britain & Ireland 1

AFTERNOON FOUR-BALLS

Sonny Skinner & Kyle Flinton (USA) def. Jon Bevan & Craig Matheson, Falkirk, Scotland, 3 and 1

Scott Hebert & Steve Schneiter, Sandy, Utah (USA) def. Paul Wesselingh & Barry Taylor, 1-up

Andrew Barnett & James Lee (GB&I) def. Mike Small & Mark Sheftic, 4 and 3

Eric Lippert, Marina, Calif. & Lee Rinker (USA) def. Jamie Harris & Paul Simpson. West Berkshire, England, 2 and 1

USA 3, Great Britain & Ireland 1

Day One Total: USA 6, Great Britain & Ireland 2