American Fang, the seventh ranked amateur on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®), faced a tight tussle his opening match with England’s Jamie Van Wyk.
The Oklahoma State University student found himself in trouble early with Van Wyk holding a three-hole advantage after the opening nine holes. However, Fang was able to switch the momentum back in his favour with a birdie on the 11th hole. A further three birdies saw Fang secure a one-hole win in his first trip to Europe.
Fang said, "It feels really good. Jamie got hot pretty early. I think he made three birdies in four holes, so I was a couple down. He was just playing really good. I was three-down through ten and I knew if I just stayed in it and got some momentum, I'd have a chance at the match.
“Honestly, it's my first time in Europe in general, so coming over here to England it's pretty cool. It's a lot different to back home but I’ve got used to it and links golf is amazing.”
Fang’s compatriots, Morrison and Luke Sample went head-to-head in the longest match of the day. The American duo needing five extra holes before Morrison emerged the victor.
Morrison was two-up with three holes to play, before Sample birdied the 16th and 17th holes to square the match. Retaining his composure, Morrison holed a 15-foot par putt to ensure they went to extra holes.
The pair couldn’t be separated, trading pars for four additional holes, but Morrison finally sealed the win on the 23rd hole after Sample’s tee shot went wayward.
Last year’s silver medalist Dominic Clemons held off a fast-finishing Mattias Varjun of Estonia to keep his dream of going one place better alive.