Beyond the Green: The Walker Cup

Sep 6

The international stage is set as amateur golfers from both sides of the Atlantic prepare to meet this weekend at Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Hoylake) for the 47th Walker Cup Match between the USA and Great Britain & Ireland.

At first glance, the United States appears to have dominated the tournament since its inception in 1921 at Hoylake, with a winning record of 35-9-1, including the most recent decisive 19-7 win at Los Angeles Country Club in 2017.

However, upon closer inspection, this year’s victors are far from a foregone conclusion. Since 2011, the home team has won and GB&I certainly intends to continue the trend at Royal Liverpool this weekend. It is worth noting that the United States team claimed victory in 1983, the last time that the Walker Cup was held at Royal Liverpool.

The competitive stakes are clearly high for both teams; however, the competition itself was born, in the wake of World War I, from the desire to encourage golf interest on both sides of the Atlantic. Key moments in the history of the Cup include:

1919-1920: The seeds for international competition are planted from early matches between the United States and Canada. During this period, USGA Executive Committee meets with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews Rules Committee to discuss modifying various rules of the game. Among the participants was George Herbert Walker, USGA President in 1920.

Upon the Executive Committee's return to the United States, discussions are initiated regarding international team matches. The idea so appealed to Walker that he soon presented a plan and offered to donate a trophy. The press dubbed the trophy, the Walker Cup in honor of Mr. Walker, a low handicap player and ardent advocate of the game.

1921: The USGA invites all golfing nations to send teams to compete for the Cup, but no country was able to accept that year. The Americans stuck to their mission, under the leadership of William C. Fownes, the 1910 U.S. Amateur champion, who had twice assembled the amateur teams that played against Canada. Fownes rounded up a third team in the spring of 1921 and took it to England. At Hoylake, the American team defeated a British team, 9 and 3, in an informal match the day before the British Amateur.

The Match was played on an annual basis until 1924, when it was decided that the financial strain of annual encounters was too severe. It was also believed that interest might drop if the matches were played too frequently. A decision was made to meet in alternate years.

The series was interrupted by World War II after the 1938 Match at St. Andrews, Scotland. When the Match resumed, in 1947, St. Andrews was again selected as the site. Under normal peacetime conditions, the Match would have been played in the United States, but postwar economic conditions would have made the trip difficult for the British.

The following 37 American Walker Cup players have subsequently played in the Ryder Cup: Tommy Aaron, Bryson DeChambeau, David Duval, Brad Faxon, Rickie Fowler, Fred Haas, Jay Haas, Scott Hoch, J. B. Holmes, Dustin Johnson, Anthony Kim, Tom Kite, Matt Kuchar, Justin Leonard, Gene Littler, Davis Love III, Phil Mickelson, Ryan Moore, Bob Murphy, Jack Nicklaus, Jeff Overton, Jerry Pate, Corey Pavin, Chris Riley, Bill Rogers, Mason Rudolph, Scott Simpson, Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth, Craig Stadler, Curtis Strange, Hal Sutton, Justin Thomas, Ken Venturi, Scott Verplank, Lanny Wadkins, Tiger Woods.

Play begins Saturday, September 7th, through Sunday, the 8th. Each of the two competition days feature foursomes, alternate shot, matches in the morning followed by single matches in the afternoon. On Saturday, there are eight singles matches, while all 10 players from each side compete in singles on Sunday. One full point is awarded for each victory, while a half-point is earned for matches that are all square after 18 holes. Watch and see if the USA will garner the 13 points to retain the Cup, or if GBI will earn the 13.5 points to reclaim victory (highlights are on Golf Channel each evening). More details regarding the Walker Cup can be found at http://www.walkercup.org.