IRVINE, Scotland (June 26, 2008) - Former ETSU All-American Gareth Shaw (Lisburn, Northern Ireland) and his European teammates began playing Thursday in the Palmer Cup presented by Monster at Glasgow Golf Club Gailes Links. After play in the morning four-ball sessions and the afternoon singles matches, the United State currently leads 6.5 to 5.5 in this Ryder Cup-style team competition which matches the best collegiate players from the U.S. and Europe.

Building a lead of as many as five holes in the morning matches, Shaw and teammate Jonathan Caldwell ultimately halved their match with 2008 NCAA Champion Kevin Chappell of UCLA and Aaron Goldberg, as the Americans rallied on the back nine. In his singles match with Derek Fathauer, Shaw battled neck and neck and squared the match on No. 15, but eventually fell with Fathauer's par on 18.

The second and final day of play in the Palmer Cup is scheduled to begin with the third round foursome matches set for 7:30 a.m. Friday. Fans can watch live scoring of the event by clicking on the link provided above.