Team USA overcame their determined hosts, and a windswept Royal Lytham and St Annes to bag the honours in the Simpson Cup fourball matches, establishing a priceless 4-2 advantage after a tremendous day's golf on Tuesday.

With the course at its most brutal, players from both sides dug deep to put on a real exhibition of golf, with birdies flying in from everywhere. It could just as easily have been the Brits who finished the day on top, but the visitors held a proud record in this format coming into the event (36-24), and they once again had too much for GB in the betterball contest.

Although the rain mercifully stayed away, the players had to contend with a stiff breeze all day, which, on paper, was something the home side would have been more accustomed to. But full credit must go to the Americans, who adapted their games to the conditions to carve out a crucial lead in their quest for 10 points to regain the trophy.

The top match saw Team GB ever-present Ian Bishop re-unite with Tim O'Reilly for a second-successive year. Opposite them were the experienced Jake Nelson, along with Maryland's Jerome Taylor, and it was the latter duo who began to ease away after a tight first few holes. While Taylor held the fort initially, it was Nelson who began to come into his own, as they raced to a five-hole lead by the turn. Bishop and O'Reilly were unable to halt the rampage, and in the end it was Nelson who closed out an impressive 6&5 victory with a birdie on the 13th hole - recording the first point of the 2023 Simpson Cup.

The second game was something of a rollercoaster, as Britain's Mike Browne - a professional golfer - surged into a two-hole lead by the 10th with partner Raj Thapa. But another Marylander in Charles Young, alongside rookie Eli Villanueva, got it going on the back nine, with a couple of birdies helping them pick up four holes out of five from the 11th. They would ultimately hold on for a 2&1 win.

That was the same scoreline in the third match too - a topsy-turvy affair, which saw Shauna Snyder and Justin Lynn relinquish a three-hole lead at the halfway mark, only to once again get their noses in front thanks to some clutch pars down the stretch to chalk up the W against Lee Jenkins and former Royal Lytham mechanic Dave Hughes.

The USA machine continued to rumble on, as Chad Pfeifer put in another formidable performance at the Simpson Cup to steer him and Cole Paulk to a comfortable 4&2 success over Sam Stoddart and Raju Midhun - driving their team into an imperious 4-0 lead.

But the hosts finally stopped the bleeding in the penultimate match, as the experienced pairing of Neil Flynn and Chris Paterson saw off a late charge from KC Mitchell and Justin Castellanos to take the honours by a score of 2&1. Now in his fourth Simpson Cup, Scotland's Paterson remains unbeaten, and he and Flynn dovetailed superbly with three birdies between them. 

In the the final game, the American combination of Alex Happer and double-amputee Jesse Williamson won the daunting first hole, but local duo Andy Stevens (Fleetwood) and Marc Litherland (Liverpool) soon hit their stride. After the turn, they won three holes out of four, which took it away from their opponents, and went on to secure a 2&1 triumph - incidentally, the fourth result of the day by that margin.



Those two matches at the bottom have given the hosts a vital lifeline, especially as they only need 9.5 points to retain. It leaves things well poised after a terrific first day's golf, but for USA captain Marty Caraway, it could hardly have gone much better. The skipper has been vocal about his determination to avoid going 0 for 2 as captain, and his charges have certainly laid a great platform as they seek only a second Simpson Cup victory on British soil.

That said, Ward can call upon some great omens, given that Team GB have a strong record in the singles matches historically (66-57), and he'll have every confidence that his group can turn the tide. Although no team in Simpson Cup history has ever come from behind to win the event after losing the fourball matches, so Team GB will have their work cut out if they are to take a 6-5 lead in the overall series.

But that's the funny thing about matchplay and team events - anything can happen, and when the momentum turns, it can turn quickly. The hosts have a proud record on their home turf too, so they aren't going to give up without a fight tomorrow.



Singles lineups revealed

After a breathless day's golf, the captains convened to unveil their lineups (see screenshot below) for the Wednesday singles matches. And, as expected, there are some enticing encounters to look forward to when things get under way (09:30 BST - brought forward due to inclement weather).

With 13 points up for grabs, this thing is still wide open. Will the Brits have enough in the tank to pull off a comeback victory on the final day? Or will the visitors get the job done in what could be some difficult weather conditions?

You can follow all the action via live scoring tomorrow by clicking here, or via Golf Genius here. Additionally, the Team GB and Team USA Twitter accounts, along with our Instagram account, will bring it all to your screen, as it happens. What a final day we have in store - make sure you don't miss a beat!