Walker Cup

Walker Cup

Tournament information
Location	2015: Lytham St Annes
Established	1922
Course(s)	2015: Royal Lytham & St Annes
Par	70
Length	7,118 yd (6,509 m)
Format	Match play
Current champion
United States
2013 Walker Cup

The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland. The event, officially called the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches", unlike the professional Ryder Cup Matches), is co-organised by The R&A and the United States Golf Association, and is named in honor of George Herbert Walker (grandfather and namesake of George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States, and great-grandfather of George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States), who was president of the USGA in 1920 when the series was initiated. There was an unofficial event in 1921 at Royal Liverpool and annual events from 1922 to 1924. From that time on it became a biennial event, and after World War Two it switched to odd numbered years. It is played alternately on either side of the Atlantic.

Unlike the Ryder Cup, which also began as a competition between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the Walker Cup has never been expanded to make all European amateur golfers eligible to compete. There is little present competitive reason to do so: although the United States leads the series 35 to 8, with one halved match, through 2013, the two teams have been far more evenly matched in recent decades. Starting with the 1989 Match in which Great Britain and Ireland ended USA's eight-match winning streak, the United States have won 7 to Great Britain and Ireland's 6. The 1989 Match and the three matches between 2003 and 2007 were all decided by one point.

Founding of the Cup

Hoylake 1921

A team of American amateur golfers travelled in Britain in 1921, their objective being to win The Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool (Hoylake). A match between American and British amateur golfers was played on May 21, immediately before The Amateur Championship. This match was announced in The Times on May 10. The Times reports that the match was arranged by Gershom Stewart M.P., Chairman of Royal Liverpool Golf Club.^[1]

Format

The Walker Cup employs a combination of foursomes (alternate-shot) and singles competition and was originally the format used for the professional equivalent Ryder Cup. Up to 1961, 36 holes matches were played: four foursomes on the first day and eight singles matches on the second day. From 1963, 18 hole matches were played. four foursomes and eight singles matches on each day. In 2009, the number of singles matches on the second day was increased to 10, so that all members of the team play on this final afternoon.^[2]

Results

Half points for halved matches were first awarded in 1971. Note that in the following table half points for halved matches are included in the total scores prior to 1971 for consistency with later years. The following scores include halved matches: 1923: 1, 1926: 1, 1932: 3, 1934: 1, 1936: 3, 1938: 1, 1951: 3, 1957: 1, 1963: 4, 1965: 2, 1967: 4, 1969: 6

Source:^[3][4][5]

Year	Venue	Winning Team	Score		Losing Team	Captains
2015	Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club					John "Spider" Miller  Nigel Edwards
2013	National Golf Links of America	United States	17	9	Great Britain &  Ireland	Jim Holtgrieve  Nigel Edwards
2011	Royal Aberdeen Golf Club	Great Britain &  Ireland	14	12	United States	Jim Holtgrieve  Nigel Edwards
2009	Merion Golf Club	United States	16½	9½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Buddy Marucci  Colin Dalgleish
2007	Royal County Down Golf Club	United States	12½	11½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Buddy Marucci  Colin Dalgleish
2005	Chicago Golf Club	United States	12½	11½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Bob Lewis  Garth McGimpsey
2003	Ganton Golf Club	Great Britain &  Ireland	12½	11½	United States	Bob Lewis  Garth McGimpsey
2001	Ocean Forest Golf Club	Great Britain &  Ireland	15	9	United States	Danny Yates  Peter McEvoy
1999	Nairn Golf Club	Great Britain &  Ireland	15	9	United States	Danny Yates  Peter McEvoy
1997	Quaker Ridge Golf Club	United States	18	6	Great Britain &  Ireland	Downing Gray  Clive Brown
1995	Royal Porthcawl Golf Club	Great Britain &  Ireland	14	10	United States	Downing Gray  Clive Brown
1993	Interlachen Country Club	United States	19	5	Great Britain &  Ireland	Vinny Giles  George MacGregor
1991	Portmarnock Golf Club	United States	14	10	Great Britain &  Ireland	Jim Gabrielsen  George MacGregor
1989	Peachtree Golf Club	Great Britain &  Ireland	12½	11½	United States	Fred Ridley  Geoffrey Marks
1987	Sunningdale Golf Club	United States	16½	7½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Fred Ridley  Geoffrey Marks
1985	Pine Valley Golf Club	United States	13	11	Great Britain &  Ireland	Jay Sigel  Charles Wilson Green
1983	Royal Liverpool Golf Club	United States	13½	10½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Jay Sigel  Charles Wilson Green
1981	Cypress Point Club	United States	15	9	Great Britain &  Ireland	Jim Gabrielsen  Rodney Foster
1979	Muirfield	United States	15½	8½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Dick Siderowf  Rodney Foster
1977	Shinnecock Hills Golf Club	United States	16	8	Great Britain &  Ireland	Lewis Oehmig  Sandy Saddler
1975	Old Course at St Andrews	United States	15½	8½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Ed Updegraff  David Marsh
1973	The Country Club	United States	14	10	Great Britain &  Ireland	Jess Sweetser  David Marsh
1971	Old Course at St Andrews	Great Britain &  Ireland	13	11	United States	John M. Winters  Michael Bonallack
1969	Milwaukee Country Club	United States	13	11	Great Britain &  Ireland	Billy Joe Patton  Michael Bonallack
1967	Royal St George's Golf Club	United States	15	9	Great Britain &  Ireland	Jess Sweetser  Joe Carr
1965	Baltimore Country Club	United States	12	12	Great Britain &  Ireland	John Fischer  Joe Carr
1963	Turnberry	United States	14	10	Great Britain &  Ireland	Richard Tufts  Charles Lawrie
1961	Seattle Golf Club	United States	11	1	Great Britain &  Ireland	Jack Westland  Charles Lawrie
1959	Muirfield	United States	9	3	Great Britain &  Ireland	Charles Coe  Gerald Micklem
1957	The Minikahda Club	United States	8½	3½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Charles Coe  Gerald Micklem
1955	Old Course at St Andrews	United States	10	2	Great Britain &  Ireland	William C. Campbell  G. Alec Hill
1953	The Kittansett Club	United States	9	3	Great Britain &  Ireland	Charles R. Yates  Tony Duncan
1951	Royal Birkdale Golf Club	United States	7½	4½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Willie Turnesa  Raymond Oppenheimer
1949	Winged Foot Golf Club	United States	10	2	Great Britain &  Ireland	Francis Ouimet  Percy Lucas
1947	Old Course at St Andrews	United States	8	4	Great Britain &  Ireland	Francis Ouimet  John B. Beck
1940-46: Not held due to World War II
1940	Town & Country Club	1940 event was awarded to The Town & Country Club of St. Paul, Minnesota but the matches were canceled one month prior due to World War II
1938	Old Course at St Andrews	Great Britain &  Ireland	7½	4½	United States	Francis Ouimet  John B. Beck
1936	Pine Valley Golf Club	United States	10½	1½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Francis Ouimet  William Tweddell
1934	Old Course at St Andrews	United States	9½	2½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Francis Ouimet  Michael Scott
1932	The Country Club	United States	9½	2½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Francis Ouimet  T.A. Torrance
1930	Royal St George's Golf Club	United States	10	2	Great Britain &  Ireland	Bobby Jones  Roger Wethered
1928	Chicago Golf Club	United States	11	1	Great Britain &  Ireland	Bobby Jones  William Tweddell
1926	Old Course at St Andrews	United States	6½	5½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Robert A. Gardner  Robert Harris
1924	Garden City Golf Club	United States	9	3	Great Britain &  Ireland	Robert A. Gardner  Cyril Tolley
1923	Old Course at St Andrews	United States	6½	5½	Great Britain &  Ireland	Robert A. Gardner  Robert Harris
1922	National Golf Links of America	United States	8	4	Great Britain &  Ireland	William C. Fownes Jr.  Robert Harris

USA have won 35 matches, Great Britain and Ireland have won 8 with 1 match tied.

Future sites

• 2015 – Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club (Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England)^[6]
• 2017 – Los Angeles Country Club (Los Angeles, California, USA)^[6]
• 2019 – Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Merseyside, England)^[7]
• 2021 – Seminole Golf Club (Juno Beach, Florida)

See also

• List of American Walker Cup golfers
• List of Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup golfers
• List of sports competitions between teams representing continents

References

External links

• Official site