US defeats Internationals for third consecutive Bridges Cup victory

In an exciting final session, America’s middleweight elite team held on to defeat the international team, 17-15, to win its third consecutive Bridges Cup.

The 12-man US team came out firing in Monday’s opening session at Haesley Nine Bridges in South Korea, but the Internationals bounced back from the three-day tournament to get within two points to start Wednesday’s session.

But with 12 points to spare, it really was anybody’s game. And at the start of Wednesday’s games, the international team seemed to ride that momentum to make a comeback.

“After nine holes, it looked like the Internationals had a chance to choke it,” said Simon Holmes, champion golfer and commentator for the Bridges Cup this week.

The Internationals – after a strong opening trio of Matthew McClean, Hugh Foley and Lukas Michel – won the early contests, but Drew Kittleson finally put red on the board with a 2-1 win over Jacob Austin.

Fragments then began to fall into American territory.

They took five of their last eight games – Scott Anderson, Andrew Medley and Drew Stoltz all won their games 5 and 4 – to remain unbeaten in three Bridges Cup games.

“The Internationals came with nothing exciting, and they didn’t play early, and they were behind by so many points that they thought the game was lost,” said Holmes. “But the way they were counted, the intensity of the competition, the pressure created today on the players and the captain, shows that the Bridges Cup, the combination of 8AM and CJ, and this concept of the Bridges Cup. The team golf in the am was an absolute winner.”

Even after the US scored the 16 points needed to retain the trophy, Joseph Deraney, who was 2 under after nine holes in the anchor match against Angus Carrick, won three holes on the back nine, including 18 with a birdie long putt, for 1 victory and a straight win for the US The singles session ended as a 6-6 tie between the two teams.

For full results of the 2024 Bridges Cup, click here. Below are the full results from the singles session on Day 3.

DAY 3 ONE RESULTS:

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is the equipment editor at GOLF. A native of Pennsylvania, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was the captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as the head coach. Jack is also *still* trying to stay competitive with the local novices. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a reporter/multimedia reporter, but also producing, anchoring and presenting even the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.