KARUIZAWA, Japan – Denny McCarthy’s 8-under-par 64 and Bryson DeChambeau’s 9-foot birdie putt on the 18th green for a 73 clinched the Eisenhower Trophy for the USA, which staved off a final-round charge from Canada at Karuizawa 72 Golf East on Saturday to successfully defend their 2012 title and win the World Amateur Team Championship (WATC) for the 15th time.
“It was very exciting right down to the last putt,” USA captain Jim Hyler said. “I’m so thrilled for these three young men. They played really hard all four days. We had different people count each day and it is a team event and I think the way it worked out for us really highlights what a great team event it is.”
The Americans won with a record score of 38-under-par 534, eclipsing the 554 total of the Netherlands in 2006 by 20 strokes
Canada won the silver medal, two strokes behind the USA at 536 and Spain, fueled by the lowest 72-hole individual score in history (263) by Jon Rahm, won the bronze medal at 537.
McCarthy, a semifinalist at last month’s U.S. Amateur, was 8 under through eight holes on the par-72 Iriyama Course and set the WATC mark for lowest nine-hole score when he made the turn in 28. He was the only member of the gold-medal team to record all four scores in the 60s. Beau Hossler, the 2014 Western Amateur champion, posted a non-counting 75 for the USA in the fourth round.
“I knew my score was counting for sure so my game plan on the back nine was to not do anything stupid or crazy and not drop any shots,” said McCarthy, a senior All-American at the University of Virginia. “At the same time, I still needed to be aggressive and give myself chances because he (playing competitor Adam Svensson) was making birdies and I knew he was going to count for Canada.”
Canada, which began the day six strokes behind the USA, used a 7-under 65 from Svensson, an All-American at Barry University in Miami, Fla., and a 4-under 68 from 2014 U.S. Amateur runner-up Corey Conners for a team total of 133.
Canada and the USA were tied at 37 under par when DeChambeau and Conners, playing in the last group, reached the 18th tee.
Both players hit their drives in the fairway on the 443-yard, par-4. DeChambeau, who shot a WATC-record 61 in Friday’s third round, played first and hit a 50-degree wedge from 110 yards. Conners’ approach settled 35 feet from the hole on the back collar.
"I didn't know about the scores and I wasn't sure if his would be counting or not,” said Conners, a 2014 Kent State University graduate. “There was never a doubt that he was going to make it. It was a pretty nice-looking putt."
Conners left his birdie attempt short, which set the stage for DeChambeau’s winning birdie.
“I knew where we stood when I was on the l8th tee box and I knew that I needed a birdie on the last,” said DeChambeau, an All-American at Southern Methodist University, “I striped my drive and hit a wedge in there and nailed that nine-footer. I said that I needed to make birdie and I went out and made birdie”
"We fought back really hard today,” said Canadian captain Graham Hill. “We knew that we were going to have to play well to have a chance and we played great and brought it right to the last hole. Obviously, it didn't work out the way that we wanted but we're really proud of the guys for the way they played and the way they handled themselves. It's a good finish for us, disappointing not to win but we're happy with it."
Sweden was fourth at 538; Argentina was fifth at 539; Australia, England and France were tied for sixth at 540; Scotland was ninth at 542 and Switzerland was 10th at 544. Japan, the host team, finished tied for 29th.
The previous mark for low individual score for 72 holes was held by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who shot 269 in 1960 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., site of the 2013 U.S. Open. Rahm’s four rounds were 70-64-62-67 for 23-under-par 263
“I’m about ready to cry right now because, honestly, Jack Nicklaus is a hero,” said Rahm, an All-American at Arizona State. “I can’t really explain how good it feels to beat his record. It’s just unbelievable.”
The USA, which also won in Turkey in 2012, has now recorded 27 top-five finishes in 29 Eisenhower Trophy competitions.
“There’s personal achievements that we’ve all had but it’s in a different league to play for your country and represent your country well,” said Hossler, who posted counting scores of 68 and 66 in the first two rounds. “We’re very proud of what we’ve done this week. Denny and Bryson played incredibly these last two days and for me to reap the benefits of that is nice. I struggled today but it’s definitely an honor to represent your country and get a W.”
All three American players enjoyed the experience of playing for their country and the wonderful hospitality shown by the host nation.
“The people are so nice even though the language barrier is pretty thick,” said Hossler. “There’s always someone there to help you out and get you what you need and for me that was huge.”
Added DeChambeau: “My experience in Japan was unbelievable. The people here were amazing. They were selfless and cared about us and taking care of everyone so for that I thank them.”
Forty-two of the 67 teams posted 72-hole totals that were under par.
The World Amateur Team Championship is a biennial international amateur competition conducted by the International Golf Federation (IGF), which comprises 137 national governing bodies in 131 countries. The competition, which is being held for the 26th time, is rotated among three geographic zones: Asia-Pacific, Americas and Europe-Africa.
This year’s event is hosted by the Japan Golf Association. The teams play for the Eisenhower Trophy. The IGF is the international federation for golf for the International Olympic Committee and will conduct the Olympic golf competition in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. In each round, the total of the two lowest scores from each team constitutes the team score for the round. The four-day (72-hole) total is the team’s score for the championship.
The 2016 World Amateur Team Championship will be played in Cancun, Mexico, and the 2018 championship will be played outside Dublin, Ireland.
KARUIZAWA, Japan -- Results of Saturday’s fourth round of the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship played at the par-71, 7,010-yard Oshitate Course (OC) and the par-72, 7,008-yard Iriyama Course (IC) at Karuizawa 72 Golf East.
1. United States of America (USA) - 136 IC-133 OC-128 OC-137 IC--534 (-38)
Denny McCarthy 68-68-67-64--267
Bryson DeChambeau 69-67-61-73--270
Beau Hossler 68-66-68-75--277
2. Canada (CAN) - 134 IC-136 OC-133 OC-133 IC--536 (-36)
Adam Svensson 69-69-66-65--269
Corey Conners 66-69-67-68--270
Taylor Pendrith 68-67-69-70--274
3. Spain (ESP) - 138 IC-133 OC-132 OC-134 IC--537 (-35)
Jon Rahm 70-64-62-67--263
Mario Galiano 68-69-70-67--274
Daniel Berna 75-69-77-69--290
4. Sweden (SWE) - 134 IC-135 OC-131 OC-138 IC--538 (-34)
Marcus Kinhult 65-66-67-70--268
Adam Blomme 72-69-68-68--277
Hannes Ronneblad 69-74-64-73--280
5. Argentina (ARG) - 135 IC-133 OC-136 OC-135 IC--539 (-33)
Alejandro Tosti 68-67-64-67--266
Jaime Lopez Rivarola 67-66-74-70--277
Matias Simaski 72-70-72-68--282
T6. Australia (AUS) - 137 OC-136 IC-132 OC-135 IC--540 (-32)
Lucas Herbert 69-64-67-66--266
Ryan Ruffels 68-73-65-69--275
Geoff Drakeford 71-72-71-69--283
T6. England (ENG) - 136 IC-135 OC-137 OC-132 IC--540 (-32)
Benjamin Stow 67-67-68-68--270
Ryan Evans 72-68-69-64--273
Ashley Chesters 69-72-69-72--282
T6. France (FRA) - 140 IC-134 OC-135 OC-131 IC--540 (-32) Victor Perez 69-65-66-66--266
Clement Sordet 71-69-70-69--279
Robin Sciot Siegrist 72-78-69-65--284
9. Scotland (SCO) - 138 IC-133 OC-138 OC-133 IC--542 (-30) Bradley Neil 72-65-71-65--273
Grant Forrest 68-68-69-74--279
Chris Robb 70-74-69-68--281
10. Switzerland (SUI) - 134 IC-135 OC-140 OC-135 IC--544 (-28) Benjamin Rusch 68-66-70-67--271
Mathias Eggenberger 66-69-75-68--278
Marco Iten 72-70-70-73--285
11. Ireland (IRL) - 138 IC-138 OC-132 OC-137 IC--545 (-27)
Gavin Moynihan 69-70-64-70--273
Paul Dunne 70-70-68-67--275
Gary Hurley 69-68-74-70--281
12. Germany (GER) - 137 OC-137 IC-138 OC-134 IC--546 (-26)
Hurly Long 67-69-68-72--276
Maximilian Rottluff 71-71-70-65--277
Maximilian Mehles 70-68-71-69--278
T13. Belgium (BEL) - 138 OC-138 IC-140 OC-132 IC--548 (-24)
Kevin Hesbois 70-68-71-66--275
Thomas Detry 68-70-76-66--280
Samuel Echikson 75-75-69-76--295
T13. Denmark (DEN) - 133 OC-140 IC-138 OC-137 IC--548 (-24) Martin Leth Simonsen 67-70-66-69--272
Nicolai Kristensen 66-70-72-68--276
Niklas Noergaard Moeller 72-70-76-73--291
T13. Italy (ITA) - 140 IC-134 OC-139 OC-135 IC--548 (-24)
Renato Paratore 69-67-68-66--270
Enrico Di Nitto 71-70-73-69--283
Guido Migliozzi 75-67-71-71--284
16. Chinese Taipei (TPE) - 137 OC-137 IC-135 OC-140 IC--549 (-23) Cheng-Tsung Pan 70-70-67-69--276
Chun-An Yu 67-67-75-71--280
Wei-Lun Wang 75-73-68-74--290
17. Mexico (MEX) - 138 IC-136 OC-135 OC-141 IC--550 (-22)
Gerardo Ruiz De La Concha 68-67-66-73--274
Aaron Terrazas Morales 70-71-69-68--278
Alvaro Ortiz Becerra 71-69-70-74--284
18. Republic of Korea (KOR) - 142 OC-138 IC-135 OC-136 IC--551 (-21)
Eun-Ho Youm 71-67-69-66--273
Nam-Hun Kim 71-71-68-70--280
Tae-Hyun Kong 73-74-67-71--285
T19. Austria (AUT) - 140 IC-135 OC-138 OC-141 IC--554 (-18)
Lukas Lipold 72-66-69-72--279
Robin Goger 69-69-72-70--280
Markus Maukner 71-72-69-71--283
T19. Chile (CHI) - 136 OC-139 IC-138 OC-141 IC--554 (-18) Matias Dominguez 67-68-68-72--275
Guillermo Pereira 69-71-70-69--279
Martin Cancino 69-77-72-73--291
21. Colombia (COL) - 141 OC-141 IC-135 OC-138 IC--555 (-17)
Santiago Gomez 71-72-66-68--277
Nicolas Echavarria 70-69-71-70--280
Ricardo Celia 71-77-69-70--287
T22. Czech Republic (CZE) - 135 OC-141 IC-136 OC-145 IC--557 (-15)
Simon Zach 67-67-68-73--275
Vitek Novak 68-74-68-72--282
Michal Pospisil 76-78-68-75--297
T22. New Zealand (NZL) - 144 IC-137 OC-139 OC-137 IC--557 (-15)
Joshua Munn 72-69-70-67--278
Tae Koh 72-69-69-70--280
Vaughan McCall 74-68-72-71--285
T22. Poland (POL) - 142 IC-144 OC-135 IC-136 OC--557 (-15)
Adrian Meronk 72-73-66-65--276
Mateusz Gradecki 70-71-69-71--281
Jan Szmidt 79-73-74-73--299
T25. Finland (FIN) - 144 IC-143 OC-137 IC-134 OC--558 (-14) Albert Eckhardt 73-73-69-62--277
Linus Vaisanen 72-70-68-72--282
Kristian Kulokorpi 72-73-73-72--290
T25. Norway (NOR) - 141 IC-139 OC-136 OC-142 IC--558 (-14)
Kristian Johannessen 71-68-66-73--278
Kristoffer Ventura 70-71-70-69--280
Andreas Halvorsen 74-78-70-73--295
T25. Singapore (SIN) - 142 IC-138 OC-136 OC-142 IC--558 (-14) Jonathan Woo 70-67-70-71--278
Johnson Poh 72-73-73-71--289
Marc Ong 81-71-66-76--294
T25. Slovenia (SLO) - 140 OC-141 IC-135 OC-142 IC--558 (-14)
Tim Gornik 67-73-69-69--278
Zan Luka Stirn 73-68-70-75--286
Enej Sarkanj 74-75-66-73--288
T29. India (IND) - 141 IC-142 OC-140 OC-137 IC--560 (-12)
Udayan Mane 68-70-67-67--272
Feroz Garewal 73-72-75-70--290
Manu Gandas 76-76-73-76--301
T29. Japan (JPN) - 138 IC-140 OC-144 OC-138 IC--560 (-12)
Kazuya Koura 69-71-74-69--283
Takashi Ogiso 71-69-72-71--283
Kenta Konishi 69-74-72-69--284
T31. Puerto Rico (PUR) - 137 IC-142 OC-142 OC-140 IC--561 (-11)
Jeronimo Esteve 67-73-71-70--281
Robi Calvesbert 72-69-71-70--282
Edward Figueroa 70-74-73-74--291
T31. Venezuela (VEN) - 139 IC-141 OC-138 OC-143 IC--561 (-11) Jorge Garcia 66-68-68-73--275
Gustavo Morantes 78-75-70-70--293
Alejandro Perazzo 73-73-74-73--293
T33. Brazil (BRA) - 140 OC-147 IC-141 IC-135 OC--563 (-9)
Andre Tourinho 68-75-71-66--280
Thomaz Pimenta 72-72-72-69--285
Herik Machado 74-82-70-74--300
T33. Thailand (THA) - 140 OC-145 IC-136 OC-142 IC--563 (-9) Suradit Yongcharoenchai 68-71-69-73--281
Chanachok Dejpiratanamongkol 74-74-67-69--284
Nattawat Suvajanakorn 72-75-71-75--293
T35. Malaysia (MAS) - 143 IC-143 OC-140 IC-138 OC--564 (-8) Gavin Kyle Green 68-72-69-66--275
Low Khai Jei 75-71-71-72--289
Abdul Manaf Muhammad Wafiyuddin 75-76-75-72--298
T35. Portugal (POR) - 143 IC-142 OC-142 OC-137 IC--564 (-8)
Joao Carlota 69-69-74-67--279
Goncalo Costa 74-73-75-71--293
Tomas Silva 80-76-68-70--294
T35. Wales (WAL) - 138 OC-145 IC-136 OC-145 IC--564 (-8)
David Boote 70-73-65-73--281
Michael Hearne 68-72-71-75--286
Rhys Pugh 70-73-72-72--287
38. People's Republic of China (CHN) - 142 IC-138 OC-140 OC-145 IC--565 (-7) Zecheng Dou 68-72-70-72--282
Zhengkai Bai 75-69-70-73--287
Jin Zhang 74-69-72-74--289
T39. Hong Kong, China (HKG) - 141 OC-145 IC-145 IC-136 OC--567 (-5) Shinichi Mizuno 73-71-73-68--285
Matthew Cheung 70-74-74-68--286
Martin Liu 71-82-72-72--297
T39. Netherlands (NED) - 142 OC-147 IC-139 IC-139 OC--567 (-5)
Lars Van Meijel 72-74-68-69--283
Michael Kraaij 71-73-75-70--289
Robbie Van West 71-76-71-71--289
41. Slovakia (SVK) - 144 IC-144 OC-141 IC-141 OC--570 (-2) Peter Valasek 75-72-70-69--286
Jan Friesz 72-72-71-72--287
Oliver Gabor 72-78-72-76--298
42. Guatemala (GUA) - 148 IC-139 OC-144 IC-140 OC--571 (-1)
Jose Pablo Rolz 74-69-71-71--285
Sebastian Barnoya 74-70-73-73--290
Daniel Gurtner 79-71-73-69--292
43. South Africa (RSA) - 144 IC-142 OC-145 OC-142 IC--573 (+1) Zander Lombard 68-71-71-71--281
Jason Smith 78-71-74-71--294
Gerlou Roux 76-73-77-74--300
44. Costa Rica (CRC) - 146 IC-140 OC-144 IC-145 OC--575 (+3)
Jose Mendez 71-70-69-71--281
Alvaro Ortiz 75-70-75-74--294
Manuel Jimenez 84-84-80-84--332
45. Bermuda (BER) - 142 IC-142 OC-147 OC-148 IC--579 (+7)
Jarryd Dillas 71-70-72-74--287
Will Haddrell 73-72-76-74--295
Mark Phillips 71-80-75-74--300
46. Turkey (TUR) - 152 IC-144 OC-151 IC-140 OC--587 (+15) Ediz Kemaloglu 76-73-74-65--288
Serkan Akarsu 77-71-82-75--305
Ali Altuntas 76-77-77-77--307
47. Philippines (PHI) - 148 OC-149 IC-150 IC-147 OC--594 (+22) Rupert Zaragosa 74-74-73-73--294
Kristoffer Arevalo 75-75-77-75--302
Raymart Tolentino 74-80-87-74--315
T48. Guam (GUM) - 144 OC-146 IC-152 IC-153 OC--595 (+23)
Devin Hua 72-68-74-77--291
Louie Sunga 72-78-78-85--313
Daryl Poe 76-83-81-76--316
T48. Uruguay (URU) - 150 OC-151 IC-148 IC-146 OC--595 (+23) Juan Alvarez 71-74-71-70--286
Facundo Alvarez 79-77-77-79--312
Agustin Acosta 81-81-79-76--317
T50. Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) - 144 OC-161 IC-146 IC-145 OC--596 (+24)
Behrod Keshtavar 74-81-70-76--301
Hassan Karimian Noshahr 70-83-77-72--302
Ali Khazanbeik 78-80-76-73--307
T50. Malta (MLT) - 146 OC-150 IC-149 IC-151 OC--596 (+24)
Andrew Borg 72-76-74-75--297
Daniel Holland 77-74-75-80--306
John Verlest Micallef 74-76-80-76--306
52. Fiji (FIJ) - 143 OC-155 IC-153 IC-146 OC--597 (+25)
Sam Lee 71-77-76-73--297
Olaf Frank Grant Allen 72-78-77-79--306
Abid Hussain 81-80-81-73--315
53. Russian Federation (RUS) - 144 OC-154 IC-154 IC-146 OC--598 (+26)
Mikhail Morozov 70-78-74-70--292
Nikita Ponomarev 74-77-80-76--307
Pavel Goryainov 77-77-81-77--312
T54. Dominican Republic (DOM) - 152 IC-147 OC-153 IC-151 OC--603 (+31)
Ernesto Vitienes 75-79-76-73--303
Francisco Pichardo 81-71-77-78--307
Juan Jose Guerra 77-76-78-79--310
T54. Serbia (SRB) - 154 IC-148 OC-157 IC-144 OC--603 (+31)
Cedomir Ilic 77-70-78-70--295
Ilija Djurdjevic 77-79-79-74--309
Ranko Helc 81-78-81-75--315
56. Jamaica (JAM) - 149 OC-156 IC-152 IC-151 OC--608 (+36)
Sean Morris 72-79-76-77--304
Jonathan Newnham 77-77-76-74--304
Keith Stein 77-85-79-78--319
T57. Estonia (EST) - 156 IC-146 OC-157 IC-152 OC--611 (+39) Martin Jarve 76-78-76-75--305
Marten Palm 80-71-81-77--309
Sander Aadusaar 81-75-83-77--316
T57. United Arab Emirates (UAE) - 156 IC-157 OC-152 IC-146 OC--611 (+39) Khalid Al Jasmi 74-77-78-71--300
Rashid Hamood 82-80-74-75--311
Sohail Al Marzouqi 82-82-78-80--322
59. Mauritius (MRI) - 155 OC-159 IC-151 IC-148 OC--613 (+41) Ludovic Bax 78-82-73-69--302
Ian Espitalier Noel 77-77-78-79--311
Brent Sussens 87-85-94-83--349
60. Greece (GRE) - 149 OC-159 IC-159 IC-152 OC--619 (+47)
Vasileios Koumpakis 70-76-84-80--310
Nikolaos Efthymiadis 79-86-78-72--315
Stamatios Kavadas 79-83-81-85--328
61. Bahrain (BRN) - 154 OC-156 IC-157 IC-156 OC--623 (+51) Hamad Mubarak 76-76-77-78--307
Abdulla Sultan 78-80-80-83--321
Nasser Yacoob 79-81-84-78--322
62. Qatar (QAT) - 153 IC-161 OC-162 IC-151 OC--627 (+55) Saleh Al Kaabi 76-82-83-74--315
Ali Al Shahrani 77-79-79-84--319
Abdul Rahman Al Shahrani 90-82-88-77--337
63. Ghana (GHA) - 164 OC-162 IC-164 IC-167 OC--657 (+85) Maxwell Owusu-Bonsu 81-78-78-86--323
Peter Amenyo 83-84-86-81--334
64. Ukraine (UKR) - 170 OC-178 IC-165 IC-160 OC--673 (+101)
Artur Badiuk 82-89-84-77--332
Fedir Karhapolov 88-92-81-88--349
Emir Priadko 89-89-88-83--349
65. El Salvador (ESA) - 179 OC-169 IC-171 IC-160 OC--679 (+107) Gerardo Alvarez 90-84-85-79--338
Sebastian Bettaglio 89-85-86-81--341
Ricardo Reyes 100-97-100-93--390
66. Gabon (GAB) - 174 OC-176 IC-165 IC-169 OC--684 (+112)
Kevin Aboumi Mouba 88-85-80-82--335
Thomas Mba Agostino 86-99-85-90--360
Leon-Paul Lobo 88-91-95-87--361
67. Kyrgyzstan (KGZ) - 189 OC-186 IC-185 IC-170 OC--730 (+158) Konstantin Surikov 97-96-85-81--359
Sergey Kim 92-100-100-89--381
Andrey Sazanov 97-90-103-92--382