Jason Levermore qualified for his PGA Cup debut via a third-place finish in the Play-Offs. He went on to play in all five matches and ended the week unbeaten as GB&I won with the final putt
In 2015, Jason Levermore, now 46, was part of the only victorious Great Britain & Ireland team on American soil to date. At Cordevalle, in California, Jon Bevan's side went into the singles with the slenderest of leads and it all came down to the final putt by Ireland's Niall Kearney.
Three wins and two halves saw the Londoner finish as the leading scorer, which included a brilliant come-from-behind win in the singles.
Here, he recalls a truly special week.
“I've seen both ends of the spectrum in my two PGA Cup matches. In 2015, we were the first team to win in America and then I was part of Cam Clark's team in 2019 where we were 10-6 ahead and then only won two of the singles to lose 14-12.
“But 2015 couldn't have been any better, everything went great. The captain was Jon Bevan and his assistants were Albert MacKenzie and Martyn Thompson and, between the three of them, they were really good.
"'Bevs' was very serious, very switched on. There were no fun and jokes with him and he was straight down the line. Then you had Bertie and Martyn, who were much more relaxed and more fun. If it had been Bevs on his own, it would have been quite stressful, but it all worked really well together.
"Every evening we would have a team meal and then we'd have a couple of beers around this big open-pit fire outside. And every night Bertie would tell a story or a joke and it was brilliant. He had us all in tears and we named it Bertie's Bedtime Stories because it was the last thing he would tell us – a little story or a joke before everyone went to bed.
Pictured: Jason Levermore playing at the 2015 PGA Cup
"After the opening ceremony, they had a welcome evening and set up a challenge for both teams on the practice ground. They had a pane of glass about 80 yards out and the winner was the first team to smash the glass with a shot. We went through both teams and no-one could hit it. Lorne Kelly, who was caddying for Graham Fox, was an exceptionally good player and had played on the winning 1999 Walker Cup team with Luke Donald and Paul Casey.
"Lorne stepped up and smashed the glass. So none of the players could manage it but one of our caddies hit it first time.
"Back then, until you had been part of the PGA Cup team, you weren't too aware of it. These days there is definitely more recognition but, in one respect, it was quite good because you were a bit naive and you just went out there with 10 guys who were all great fun.
"When you arrive in the States, you quickly appreciate how big it is and the Americans do it fantastically well.
"From the opening night all the way through the accommodation, the course set-up and all the little touches like the stuff that they leave there for the GB&I players and their partners – it is superb.
“The camaraderie of that team was off the charts – anyone could have played with anyone. It was such a special experience” - Jason Levermore
"The course itself was just second to none. It hosted the US Women's Open the following year and it was an amazing venue down in the valley. There are no hotel rooms but all the lodges look down on the course and they had transfers to anywhere on the property.
"You don't realise the quality of the American players. Most of their PGA Cup team have all played a few Majors here and there and they've all played in big events. For example, Michael Block, who Gareth Wright and I would beat in one of the fourballs, was part of that team and he would go on to do what he did in the PGA Championship in 2023.
"My memory of the Americans was that they were very confident. There were a couple of incidents which niggled us but that just helped to pull us together and you almost got the opinion that their caddies were rooting for us towards the end.
"We had the option to take our own caddies and I took Paul Bate, who knows my game inside out. I partnered Gareth Wright in each of the foursomes and fourballs matches.
Pictured: The 2015 GB&I PGA Cup team
"Gareth and I have always got on and he drove the ball great. He is one of the longest and straightest hitters I've seen. He hit it a long way and I was good with my irons. We just gelled well together for the week with two wins and two halves.
"Being in a pairing and a member of a great team is a big part of the beauty of the PGA Cup. Golf can be such a lonely sport and being able to share those winning experiences is very special. And with the opening and closing ceremonies, you've got the national anthem being played, it's all quite emotional as well.
"I won my singles coming back from three down before winning on the 18th with a birdie. I had five birdies and an eagle in the last nine holes. I holed my second shot on the 11th, followed it with another birdie and then, out of nowhere after a drive down the middle, shanked one into the rubbish. And then I finished eagle-birdie-par-birdie, so it was a pretty amazing win.
"Eventually, it all came down to the last match. Niall Kearney was last out and one up playing the par-5 18th so needed a half for us to make history. Niall's an exceptionally good player and he hit a lovely drive and perfect lay-up to leave himself 90 yards from the first cut. His opponent hit his approach to 50 feet so it looked like a par 5 would be enough.
"We were all standing arm in arm behind the green and then Niall hits it straight over the bunker and over the back of the green. We all think that he's gone in a hazard long but the ball stopped just short. So now he's going uphill to a raised green, over a bunker and back towards the water. It was a horrible shot to have to play under all that pressure but he then hit a fantastic lob shot to about eight feet. His opponent rolled it down there stone dead and Niall holes out, so it was an incredible finish.
"We all went mad. It was so brilliant. The highs and lows of those last 10 minutes were like nothing else. The camaraderie of that team was off the charts – anyone could have played with anyone. It was such a special experience.”
About The PGA Cup
The PGA Cup is regarded as the pinnacle for any PGA Professional, with GB&I and the USA competing in a Ryder Cup format. This will mark the 32nd edition of the biennial match, which first took place in 1973.
Each team consists of 10 players, and the event unfolds over three days of competition, featuring four foursomes and four fourballs on each of the first two days, followed by ten singles matches on the final day.
The 2026 PGA Cup week will begin on Tuesday September 29. The competition proper begins on Friday October 2.
To find out more about the PGA Cup, click here
