Men add another golf, women claim bronze on final day of 20-nation tourney

TRINITY – When Nathan Smith drove the green on the par-4 14th hole en route to a tap-in eagle; the United States was well on its way to winning the gold medal at The Spirit International.

And by the time Austin Ernst’s 35-foot downhill birdie putt fell in the cup on the final hole, the Americans already had begun a mild celebration. Ernst and teammate Emily Tubert held up the American flag as they crossed the bridge to the 18th green. One group later, Smith and Kelly Kraft did the same for the U.S. men, much to the delight of fans at Whispering Pines Golf Club.

There was plenty to cheer about on Saturday for the Americans, who built on their three-stroke lead after the third round to win the international team competition.

10-stroke lead

A final-round, 8-under combined score from Smith and Kraft was more than enough for the U.S. team, one of 20 nations participating in the biennial event. The Americans’ four-day total in the four-ball, stroke play format was 31 under, 10 shots ahead of Mexico and Argentina, who shared the silver medal.

“This is great,” said Kraft, the U.S. Amateur champion who represented the U.S. in the Walker Cup. “Any time you get to play for the United States and compete against other countries. And win, that’s special.”

The U.S. also won gold in the men’s division at 18 under, and Kraft and Smith tied for the most birdies in the four-day event with 13. The U.S. won bronze in the women’s division at 13 under as Korea won gold at 15 under and Argentina took silver at 14 under.

“It was a perfect team, a perfect week,” said Smith, 33, a three-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion from Pittsburg. “It’s a tough format. You have to play well as a team, and we did that.”

Ernst, a sophomore at LSU, who won the NCAA women’s championship as a freshman, said winning the Spirit while representing her country was better.

Aggressive approach

And Smith’s drive on 14 that landed within a foot of the hole capped off Smith’s final round. Smith’s eagle was set up by a drive by Kraft that was just off the green. That allowed Smith to take advantage of an aggressive line on his tee shot.

“I knew he (Kraft) hit a good one and he was up there and he was going to make par or birdie, and I said the heck with it I’m going to take it right at the green and right at the trees, maybe ill get over it,” Smith said. “And sure enough I hit it hard, I hit it good.”

Victoria Tanco of Argentina had a hole-in-one on the 159-yard par-3 No. 3 hole. She was the women’s individual winner with 16 birdies and an eagle for the week.

Source: This article was in the Houston Chronicle.