Max Kennedy hit the shot of the day and arguably the shot of the Arnold Palmer Cup so far as he drove the ball to seven feet on the par-4 13th. But more importantly he lit the touch paper for a back nine rally that saw himself and Sara Byrne complete a comeback and earn a crucial win for the International side.
The scores are 18-18 heading into a Sunday singles showdown with the USA in Lahinch. The International side fought back on the closing stretch and Kennedy and Byrne led the fight coming from 2DN through 12 holes to win 2UP against Ben James and Amanda Sambach.
The Royal Dublin star who finished tied second at the European Amateur Championship last week, stepped up to the 13th tee and drilled a cut into the right to left wind and as he willed it to be good, the ball came to rest seven feet from the flag and it kickstarted a run that saw the pair win three holes in a row to wrestle back the momentum in the match.
“It was class! Me and Sara just grinded it out all day and didn’t give them a whole lot at the start and ended up making a couple of birdies coming in and then sealing the deal on the last was fantastic,” said Kennedy.
“The shot into 13 is up there it was pretty cool in the moment, we needed something to get us going in the right direction.”
It’s back-to-back wins for Kennedy and Byrne and they have proved a very successful pairing to the delight of co-head coach Barry Fennelly.
“Two for two, dream team! I knew Sara a little bit before this but we are outgoing people and we get on together so that’s a good combination in golf,” continued Kennedy.
There’s no place to hide in foursomes but there’s no doubt that the pair dovetail very nicely. Byrne’s long game was on song while Kennedy showed a keen touch around the greens to help them over the line.
“It wasn’t easy out there, four ball was a lot easier yesterday because I hit a couple of terrible shots and Sara was able to make some good birdies but today you had to be all over every single shot.”
Kennedy is making his second appearance in the Palmer Cup having impressed on debut in Laurel Valley last year despite coming out on the losing side.
The Louisville student has had his fair share of near misses this summer, finishing second at the East and second at the European Amateur which cost him a place at the Open Championship in Royal Troon and he could think of no better time for his luck to change.
“It would mean the world for us to get the win, last year in America we missed out by a couple of points so to do it on home soil this week would be fantastic.
“Looking forward to it, should be another tough day but confident we can get the win.”
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