Andrade Comes up Clutch to Lift Team USA to World Champions Cup
Rhode Island’s Billy Andrade came up clutch on Sunday afternoon to help lift Team USA to a victory at the inaugural World Champions Cup on at The Concession Golf Club in Florida.
Team USA won the event with a total of 221 points, coming back in the final few holes to edge the International team by two.
“So happy for this team, these guys are awesome. Billy Andrade won on the ninth hole, David Toms, number eight. We were two and a half points down in two of the last three holes,” said U.S. Captain Jim Furyk in the U.S. press conference after the round.
The U.S. actually trailed by as many as six points on Sunday afternoon with just a few holes to play before rallying.
Andrade in the Clutch
By the time Andrade’s group got to the ninth and final hole, the U.S. had rallied to cut the International’s lead to one point.
In this format, the player with the highest score on a hole does not get a point.
So, in Andrade’s group, Europe’s Miguel Angel Jimenez made a par, while the International’s Vijay Singh made a bogey.
Andrade had a birdie putt and ran it by about a foot.
He made the comebacker and secured 1.5 points and a lead for the U..S., with just one match on the course.
“I did not know that that short putt that I had was “the” putt. I thought I actually had to make the birdie putt, that’s why I was a little more aggressive with it. If I knew that, I would have left it five feet short,” Andrade said afterward.
Andrade compiled 11 points in the final nine-hole match of the tournament, outscoring Singh by four points in the round.
Toms Finishes it
In the final group, David Toms basically just could not lose the hole to the International’s Retief Goosen.
That was basically taken care of when Goosen put his second shot in the water and made a double-bogey six on the hole.
“Relief gave us a gift there on the last hole. I was fortunate to get a point there and came out on top. This is a long road. I can’t believe it came down to me making a bogey on the last hole,” said Toms after the round.
Tom ended up with a tap-in bogey to gain another 1.5 point and seal the win.
Andrade & Quigley Reflect
For RI’s Brett Quigley, he posted eight points in the final session to help keep the U.S. alive.
Quigley played with the International’s Ernie Els and Europe’s Robert Karlsson.
“Absolutely amazing. Intense. I’m still a little jumpy right now now, my heart rate’s still up. I knew I had to play two pretty good holes coming in and fortunately I did. It’s a lot of pressure. You feel it for your teammates and just an amazing format. I’m so pleased that I’m lucky enough to be here,” Quigley told ESPN after the round.
Andrade was a vice captain on the team and was “thrown” into playing action after Jim Furyk was unable to play.
“You’ve got to understand when you haven’t played Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, which I haven’t for whatever reason, to get a second chance like this out here on the Champions Tour is just unbelievable experience, unbelievable to be able to go through this. Hell, I’m going to be 60 next year, so this is pretty damn cool, I’ll tell you that,” said Andrade.
Now he and Quigley look toward next year’s U.S. Senior Open at Newport.