TURNBERRY — The Internationals made history at Trump Turnberry on Wednesday, routing the United States 20-12 on the iconic Ailsa Course to win the fourth Bridges Cup and end the Americans' three-edition winning streak in the premier mid-amateur match-play competition.
Holt's squad led 6.5-3.5 after Day 1 on Monday at the demanding King Robert The Bruce course and stretched the advantage to 12.5-7.5 heading into Wednesday's 12 singles matches after winning both the morning fourball and afternoon foursomes sessions 3 and 2 on Tuesday. U.S. captain Jeff Fujimoto said before the event, "I think we are going to go in and upset them," while International skipper Simon Holt retorted, "I'd probably disagree that they are underdogs." After the loss, Fujimoto said, "Overall, watching the International team play, I felt like they made a lot more putts," adding, "If we could've made a few more putts, I think it would've been a closer match."
The U.S. needed a fast start in singles on a windswept Ailsa Course where Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus authored the "Duel in the Sun," but the Internationals won the first four matches to put the competition away. Daniel Faccini beat Drew Kittleson 4 and 3, Jonathan Bale edged John Peterson — the 2011 NCAA individual champion at LSU — 1 up, Andrew Davidson rallied to beat Andrew Price 1 up after birdies at 16 and 17, and Dennis White clinched the Cup by beating James Bull 1 up when Bull bogeyed the demanding par-4 18th after going long over the green.
With the Cup secured at 15.5 points, the Internationals added an exclamation point for a 7.5-4.5 singles win. Drew Stoltz earned the Americans' first point with a 2-up win over Caolan Rafferty, but Colm Campbell answered with a 7 and 5 win over Peter Tomasula, Jacob Austin dispatched Cody Massa 2 and 1 and Angus Carrick handled Scott Strickland 4 and 2. Hoyt McGarity beat Gavin Dear 4 and 3 and Andrew Medley won the anchor match over Calum Hill 2 and 1, while DJ Lanz and Lukas Mitchell tied.
Trump Turnberry shone as host on the Ailsa Course, GOLF's 18th-ranked course in the world following a sparkling 2025 renovation led by the Trump Organization and architect Martin Ebert that further cemented the resort on GOLF's Top 100 Resorts in the World list. The fifth Bridges Cup is set for Nine Bridges in South Korea in 2027. As the team doused Holt with champagne, Jacob Austin told Holt, "On behalf of all of us, we want to recognize the incredible time, commitment and preparation you put into [this team]," adding, "Thanks for bringing us all together. It's a pleasure to be united with all of these great players. On behalf of all of us, a huge thank you — and we did it!"