Fast start, familiar finish: Amateur team front-loads and wins a record sixth Underwood Cup in a row
Steve Carter wanted to step on the gas, and his team hummed like a finely-tuned luxury car.
The Underwood Cup amateur captain frontloaded his singles lineup on Tuesday at the San Jose Country Club and they responded by winning the first four matches on the way to a 14.5-9.5 victory over the Northern Chapter PGA team, their sixth consecutive victory in the First Coast’s oldest match-play event.
More: Chilly start, strong finish at San Jose for professionals in 31st Underwood Cup Matches
The Amateurs have an overall 18-10-3 record in the Underwood Cup, which began in 1992.
Former University of North Florida All-ASUN player Jordan Batchelor started the day with an 8 and 7 victory over Cary Splane and in short order, Devon Hopkins beat Clint Avret 2 and 1; Matt Kleinrock topped Hayes Farley 3 and 2; and Chris Henderson beat Josh Wolfe 3 and 1 to give the amateurs an 11-7 lead, one point away from retaining the Cup.
Jeff Golden secured that point when opponent Gerry James conceded, down three holes and after hitting his tee shot at the 11th hole out of bounds. The Amateurs clinched the match outright when Mark Spencer made a 4-foot par putt at No. 18 to halve with Bob Wallace.
The six victories in a row broke the record for the most consecutive years winning or tying, set in the first six years of the event when the professionals went 5-0-1.
“There’s a risk of frontloading if you don’t get those early wins,” said Carter, who holds the Amateur record for points and matches played but served as the captain this year. “But we had some heat at the back end also [the amateurs won the last three matches] and Jordan got us off to the best start we could have hoped for.”
Batchelor combined with Golden on Monday to tie the record for the most lopsided doubles result in the history of the Underwood Cup with an 8 and 7 victory over Farley and Russell. He then matched that in singles, winning seven holes in a row after he and Splane halved the first two.
“We knew they were putting their best guys at the top but we had some of our good players up there and we were hoping for a 50-50 split,” said pro captain Tim Peterson. “Most of the matches both days were competitive and I think we played as hard as we could.”
The pros got singles victories from Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth, Jake Etherton, Blanton Tessin and Jeff Hanson, with Connelly-Eiswerth posting a 3-0 match record in her first year on the team.
Peterson said he’s encouraged by the fact that Connelly-Eiswerth, Etherton and Josh Wolfe, three of his rookies, combined to go 6-3.
“We made some progress this year,” he said, referring to two losses of 16-8 in 2020 and 2021. “We’re getting younger, and our younger players did very well this week. Stephanie was awesome.”
That wasn’t lost on Carter, who will return to captain the 2023 team, as will Peterson.
“They played well this year, and last year’s score was very deceptive because most of the singles matches were close,” he said. “Just like we get some younger players every few years, it looks they are too.”
31st Underwood Cup Matches
At San Jose Country Club
Amateurs 14.5, Professionals 9.5
Tuesday's singles matches
Jordan Batchelor (A) d. Cary Splane (P) 8 and 7.
Devon Hopkins (A) d. Clint Avret (P) 2 and 1.
Matt Kleinrock (A) d. Hayes Farley (P) 3 and 2.
Chris Henderson (A) d. Josh Wolfe (P) 3 and 1.
Stephanie Connelly-Eiswerth (P) d. Nate Mosby (A) 3 and 2.
Jake Etherton (P) d. Kevin McConald (A) 1-up.
Blanton Tessin (P) d. Michael Smith (A) 5 and 4.
Jeff Golden (A) d. Gerry James (P), concession.
Mark Spencer (A) halved with Bob Wallace (P).
Jeff Hanson (P) d. David Anthony (A) 1-up.
Duke Butler IV (A) d. Carl Miller (P) 4 and 2.
Toby Ragland (A) d. Aaron Russell (P) 4 and 2.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Amateurs capture record sixth consecutive Underwood Cup Matches
