Sam Cyr, the 20-year-old NAIA All-American All-Region PLNU golfer helped Team USA defeat China in the inaugural Friendship Cup match 25.5 to 10.5 at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont, Calif., on July 29.
“It was an awesome experience and a blessing from God to participate in the tournament,” Cyr said.
Cyr teamed with Texas A&M’s Bronson Burgoon to defeat Fu Zhongyang and Yang Wenzhang 4-2, and Su Dong in single-match play 4-3. Cyr then partnered up with Cameron Triangle of Georgia Tech to claim victory over He Zeyu and Wu Ashun 6-4.
In Cyr’s opening match, he was two strokes down after eight holes, but rebounded with four birdies in five holes (9-13) to defeat Ye Jianfeng 2-1.
“After I was down I thought I had to get my act together if I’m going to win. It was very exciting,” Cyr said.
His come-from-behind victory helped the Americans charge out to a commanding lead by taking the first eight matches in the first round.
The PLNU sophomore was able to post the lowest stroke average (73.5) during the combined fall and spring seasons as a freshman. He commented on how Team USA matches up with the Chinese team.
“There were more similarities than differences in terms of playing styles between our team and the Chinese team. The only difference is that their guys were younger and taller on the average,” he added.