Great Britain & Ireland Takes 6-2 Lead Over U.S. After Day 1 of the 2026 PGA Cup

After an even split in the morning foursomes, the Great Britain & Ireland Team swept the afternoon four-ball matches to take a 6-2 lead over the United States as the rain poured on the first day of the 32nd PGA Cup.

“The morning session was great, a lot of good matches and the teams did well out there,” said U.S. Captain Ben Polland, PGA Director of Golf at Shooting Star of Jackson Hole. “We knew it was going to happen this afternoon in terms of the weather, and it got pretty bad. I think it was just a slog, and our guys don't have quite as much experience playing in the weather that is over here very often. The GB&I players all just played great. I was watching a lot of the matches and they were hitting great shots, making great putts.”

While it was not the start the Americans had hoped for, the team remains determined heading into day two of play at The K Club in County Kildare, Ireland.

“Not even close to half the points have been up for grabs just yet,” said Polland. “A four-point deficit can be erased in one session. Fortunately, all the guys on the team know what this game is like, and they know what can happen. I just came out of the team room right now and they're pretty fired up.”

The teams were knotted at 2-2 following Friday morning’s foursomes. Ben Kern (Columbus, Ohio), one of just two veterans on the team, and Michael Kartrude (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) started the U.S. off strong with a 5&4 victory over GB&I’s Simon Thornton and Matt Ford. 

“It was awesome,” said Kern of the hot start. “Michael hit some great shots. I did the same. We were vibing real well. He hit some great drives. I hit some irons on the green, and then he started rolling putts. We just went back and forth and didn't let off.”

The match was tied through eight holes before Kern and Kartrude scored four birdies in a row to go 4-up after 12. The lead moved to 5 after Thornton and Ford double-bogeyed the par-4 13th, and Kern and Kartrude secured the U.S.’s first point after both teams bogeyed the par-4 14th to end the match. 

GB&I responded with a big win of their own as Gavin Hay and Graeme Robertson won 4&3 over Austin Hurt (Bainbridge Island, Wash.) and Ryan Lenahan (New Hudson, Mich.). Hay and Robertson were 1-up after the first hole and never lost the lead in a match highlighted by their eagle on the par-5 7th.

The closest match of the morning was between Zach Haynes (Bowling Green, Ky.) and Garrett Sapp (Cypress, Calif.) for the U.S. and GB&I’s Gareth Davies and James Freeman. The foursome repeatedly traded the lead as they battled all the way to the 18th green. Haynes and Sapp were up by as much as two through 13 before two late birdies secured a 1-up victory and GB&I’s second point.  

The other morning foursomes win for the U.S. came from a pair of past PGA Professional Champions, Tyler Collet (Vero Beach, Fla.) and Jesse Droemer (Houston, Texas). They were tied with GB&I’s Toby Hunt and Ben Amor through 13 before back-to-back birdies on the par-4 14th and 15th holes moved them to 2-up. A bogey by Hunt and Amor at the 16th secured the 3&2 victory for the Americans. 

“I thought we played really well,” said Droemer, the 2026 PGA Professional Champion, making his PGA Cup debut. “We had the momentum early, we were never down in the match. We just made it tough for them. We played great alternate shots. I'm really looking forward to going out with Tyler again.”

As the rain picked up, GB&I swept Friday afternoon’s four-ball matches, with just one match coming down to the wire. 

“Everyone played great this afternoon and you can see the numbers were strong on the board,” said GB&I Captain David Scott. “Great support, great teamwork. The weather's getting an awful lot better. So, I'm pretty sure the Americans will have a word or two to say about tomorrow and come back firing with all cylinders. We'll be ready for them, though. We're excited to be in this position, but we'll absolutely keep our feet on the ground and stay in the present.”

Americans Brian Bergstol (Nazareth, Pa.) and Brandon Bingaman (Plano, Texas) were 1-up early in their four-ball battle against Thornton and Ashley Mansell before Thornton evened things up with a birdie at the par-4 5th. The GB&I pair were 2-up when Bingaman’s par on 16 moved the Americans back within one, but Mansell’s eagle on the par-5 18th secured GB&I’s 2-up victory. 

In a rematch of the morning foursomes, GB&I’s Hunt and Amor turned the tables against Collet and Droemer for a 5&3 victory in the last match of the day. 

“GB&I played great this afternoon in the rain,” said Droemer. “In our match, they played exceptional. They earned the win, and you have to give credit when credit's due. We were just a little off, and sometimes the scorecard doesn't show that, but we weren't too far off. We're looking forward to getting out there and playing well in the morning.”

Four GB&I players went 2-0-0 Friday, with Hay and Robertson earning their second point of the day with a 3&2 win over Kern and Kartrude in the afternoon. Davies and Freeman added a 5&4 victory over Sapp and Hurt, with Freeman carding a hole-in-one on the par-3 2nd.

“There are so many points left on the board,” said Kern, who helped the U.S. to a historic comeback victory in the 2019 PGA Cup. “There's a ton of golf left. I know our guys’ heads are high and they're ready to go. We're playing for our country, we're playing for the PGA of America, it's a different feeling and it means the world to us.” 

“We've lost our fair share of sessions in the last three Cups that I played in and we've always bounced back,” added Polland. “I think that's just the dynamic. We'd expect the same dynamic if we were up 6-2, they’d be coming out strong. It's a tug of war. I feel good about what we have lined up for tomorrow.”

The 32nd PGA Cup resumes on Saturday at The K Club with morning foursomes and afternoon four-ball. The matches conclude with singles on Sunday.

For additional information on the PGA Cup, visit here.