Great Britain and Ireland hold a four-point lead over Continental Europe at the halfway mark of the St Andrews Trophy at Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro in Spain, but it was a disappointing day overall for the two Irish players featured in the nine-man GB&I side.
Recent Amateur Championship runner-up Gavin Tiernan was the man left out of the morning’s four foursomes matches, and the County Louth man was forced to watch from the sidelines as the away side secured three-and-a-half points from the four matches.
Stuart Grehan, who previously appeared in the 2016 edition before joining the pro ranks, teamed up with England’s Eliot Baker and found themselves 2UP through 12 and 1UP playing the last against Danish duo Claes Thrane Borregaard and Kristian Hjort Bressum but lost the hole to a par-five.
Both Grehan and Tiernan featured in the eight afternoon singles matches, but Tiernan fell 2&1 to Frenchman Hugo LeGoff, while Grehan fell behind early and never got back on level terms with Germany’s Tim Wiedemeyer who closed out a 3&2 victory.
Nevertheless, GB&I hold an 8-4 advantage going into the final day where Tiernan will again sit out the foursomes session before taking on Swede Alfons Bondesson in the singles.
Grehan resumes his partnership with Baker and they’ll face Bondesson and LeGoff, before a mouthwatering battle of the big hitters when he faces Estonian Richard Teder who Tiernan defeated in the Amateur Championship quarter final in singles action.
The reigning Irish Amateur Open champion, who is playing as a captain’s pick, has the opportunity to send another reminder to Walker Cup captain Dean Robertson, who is also GB&I captain this week, that he should be in the side that takes on the United States at Cypress Point in early September.
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