Stuart Grehan delivers and Great Britain and Ireland take 1-point lead over USA in Walker Cup

COUNTY CLARE, Ireland (AP) — British Amateur champion Stuart Grehan didn't flinch when he was 3 down after three holes against the No. 1 amateur in golf. The Irishman rallied to beat Preston Stout on the 18th hole Saturday as Great Britain and Ireland took a one-point lead over the Americans in the Walker Cup.

Luke Poulter of England held off 17-year-old Miles Russell in the last singles match on the course, giving GB&I a 6 1/2-5 1/2 lead going into the final day at Lahinch as it tries to beat the Americans for the first time since 2015.

GB&I had a three-point lead after the opening day its last time on home soil, in 2023 at St. Andrews, only for the Americans to win 10 of the 14 matches on Sunday. The Americans had a one-point lead last year at Cypress Point and lost only one of the 10 singles matches in a 17-9 win.

“We're ahead, but we need to reset for tomorrow,” said Poulter, the son of Ryder Cup stalwart Ian Poulter and a senior at Florida. He turned the match in his favor with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole and a stellar up-and-down on the par-3 16th.

The crowd created a big atmosphere as it walked the fairways behind matches and surrounded the greens on the fabled links along the Atlantic coast in the west of Ireland.

“It's so fun to have them on our back and we’re going to give them a show tomorrow,” Poulter said.

The biggest cheer was for Grehan. Stout hit his approach to 6 inches on the 15th hole to go 2 up. But Grehan saved par to win the 16th, won the 17th with a par to square the match when Stout got in trouble off the tee and won the 18th with a 15-foot birdie. It was the only time he led all match.

William Jennings heard that cheer and promptly holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th for his first lead of the match, which carried him to a 1-up victory over Connor Graham of Scotland.

Niall Shiels Donegan of Scotland won two points for GB&I, beating 18-year-old Tyler Watts in singles and teaming with Josh Hill for a foursomes victory Saturday morning over Ryder Cowan and Josiah Gilbert in a match that featured one awkward moment.

Donegan missed a 6-foot par putt on the ninth hole and immediately scooped the golf ball back toward him before the American side could concede a 15-inch putt. The match referee awarded the hole to the Americans.

“It was completely on me,” Donegan told Golf Channel. "I hit the 6-footer and missed it like an idiot. I had a foot back, and I just dragged it away like I’m in a Sunday bounce game, but those aren’t the rules of golf. And you screw up, but it’s not about how you screw up, it’s about how you bounce back, and we bounced back amazingly.”

Donegan and Hill were 4 up at that point and wound up winning, 4 and 3.

Splitting the afternoon singles was key for GB&I as it faced an American team that had six of the top 10 players in the world amateur ranking in its singles lineup.

Sunday features four matches of foursomes in the morning, with 10 singles matches to follow.

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