Jimmy Mullen joins trio in record books

• Jimmy Mullen joins Donald and Casey in the record books
• Only the fourth GB&I player to claim four out of four points
• GB&I captain Edwards full of praise for the 21-year-old

Jimmy Mullen joined the likes of Luke Donald and Paul Casey by becoming only the fourth GB&I player in history to claim four points from a possible four at a Walker Cup.

The 21-year-old was swarmed by friends, family and members of Royal North Devon Golf Club after winning his Sunday singles match 3&2 over Denny McCarthy, who he also beat 2UP on Saturday, to join the select group which also includes three-time European Tour winner Andrew Oldcorn, who achieved the feat in 1983.

His singles successes on both days followed foursomes triumphs with fellow Englishman Ashley Chesters – who collected three-and-a-half points himself – and Mullen was decidedly modest when told that he was joining the PGA Tour stars.

“Obviously it’s great, but if I’d lost all four games and had the experience of playing for GB&I in a winning Walker Cup team then it wouldn’t have made a difference whether I’d won all four or lost four,” said Jimmy Mullen, who along with Chesters and Irish trio Paul Dunne, Gavin Moynihan and Gary Hurley, plans to turn professional in the near future.

CONTINUES BELOW…

But victorious captain Nigel Edwards was full of praise for star man Mullen, whose highlight was arguably a four-under-par round on Saturday to beat McCarthy, who himself went two-under-par.

“It was a pleasure to have Jimmy in the team,” Edwards told bunkered.co.uk. “He’s been an integral part of the England team over the past few years so I’ve got to know him through that. He’s just such a great competitor and he’s certainly proved that this weekend.

“He loves the cut and thrust of matchplay golf and he’s lucky to have formed such a great partnership with Ashley. Ashley keeps him under control, reins him in, does a great job of that and I think Jimmy’s learned an awful lot from him.”

CONTINUES BELOW…

McCarthy, who won his Saturday foursomes match partnering Beau Hossler to a 3&1 win over Paul Dunne and Gary Hurley, faced Mullen in his next three and was mightily impressed from what he saw in the reigning Welsh Amateur Open Stroke Play champion.

“He played great all week,” conceded McCarthy, who also plans to professional imminently along with team-mate Hunter Stewart. “I knew I was going to have to play well to beat him this afternoon but I just came out of the gates flat and I think I got a little fatigued both mentally and physically.

“He just put it in the fairways. He drove the ball extremely straight and hit a lot of greens and when you do that, you’re going to play well in most matches.”

Jimmy Mullen :: A future star?

After Jimmy Mullen‘s impressive Walker Cup, do you think he can go on to play at the highest level? Leave your thoughts in the ‘Comments’ section below.