Stephen Gallacher's gallant juniors give Americans a scare

Two years after masterminding a thumping 20.5-9.5 victory over the Americans in Rome, Gallacher’s team trailed by one point at the end of the opening day at Nassau Country Club on Long Island.

The home team, which was being captained by Suzy Whaley, then extended their lead to two points after day two at the Glen Cove venue.

The last-day singles had been scheduled to be played on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park alongside the final practice round for the 45th Ryder Cup.

However, the decision was taken to play them instead at Nassau Country Club when it became apparent that heavy rain was set to cause some disruption.

Gallacher had hoped that might work in his team’s favour and, after nine holes, they were up in nine of the 12 matches, before seeing the Americans show real grit and determination on the back nine. They ended up winning the session 7.5-4.5 to record an overall 17.5-12.5 victory in the 13th edition of the event.

“I’m very proud of my team,” said Gallacher, who was assisted by compatriot Scott Knowles. “They fought extremely hard until the end, and they are not only fantastic golfers but also fantastic human beings. Their body language, commitment to the team from every one of them was so professional.”

‘Team effort’ hailed by winning captain

Whaley was delighted to see her team reclaim the trophy and is now hoping to see Keegan Bradley’s side emulate the feat in the main event.

“Being a captain of a team holds a lot of responsibility, but it wasn’t just me,” she said. “This was a team effort for Team USA to bring that Cup home and set the tone for tomorrow’s Ryder Cup, and that’s exactly what we did.”