Collin Morikawa, Norman Xiong, Stewart Hagestad help U.S. win back Walker Cup

LOS ANGELES – The United States won back the Walker Cup from Britain and Ireland on Sunday with decisive performances by three Southern Californians and the 2017 NCAA individual champion at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course.

The United States went into the afternoon singles matches needing only 2 1/2 points to win the amateur biennial event. It got them quickly.

Collin Morikawa of La Canada Flintridge beat British Amateur champion Harry Ellis 2 and 1 to go 4-0 in the two-day competition. Norman Xiong of Canyon Lake came painfully close to also being perfect before halving his match with Scott Gregory.

Stewart Hagestad, a junior member at LACC who played at Southern California, won 2 and 1 against Jack Singh Brar. NCAA individual champion Braden Throneberry of Ole Miss, rolled past Paul McBride, 6 and 5.

Xiong had been up 2 with two holes to play before Gregory caught him.

The Americans clinched the cup with six singles matches still in progress.

Earlier Sunday, Morikawa and Xiong beat Connor Syme and McBride 2 up in the foursomes. Morikawa, who plays at California, and Xiong, who had an outstanding freshman season at Oregon, also won their foursomes match and singles matches Saturday.

The United States leads the series, 36-9-1.

LACC North, which sits between Beverly Hills and Westwood, with the high-rises of Wilshire Boulevard in the background, will host the U.S. Open in 2023.