Tournament information | |
---|---|
Location | 2023: St Andrews, Scotland |
Established | 1922 |
Course(s) | 2023: Old Course at St Andrews |
Organized by | The R&A and United States Golf Association |
Format | Match play |
Month played | September |
Current champion | |
United States | |
2023 Walker Cup |
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is organised by The R&A and the United States Golf Association (USGA). In 1921 the Royal Liverpool Golf Club hosted an unofficial contest which was followed by official annual contests from 1922 through 1924. From 1925 they became biennial, held on even-number years. After World War II they switched to odd-numbered years. From 2026 it will be held in even-numbered years following the switch of the Eisenhower Trophy to odd-numbered years to avoid that event clashing with the Olympic Games. [1] They are held alternately in the U.S., and Ireland or Britain.
The cup is named after George Herbert Walker who was president of the USGA in 1920 when the match was initiated. Walker is the grandfather and namesake of George H. W. Bush and great-grandfather of George W. Bush, the 41st and 43rd Presidents of the United States, respectively.
Unlike the Ryder Cup, which similarly began as a competition between the U.S. and the United Kingdom, the Walker Cup has never been expanded to include all European amateur golfers.
As of 2023, the U.S. lead the Walker Cup series 39 to 9, with one match tied, but the two teams have been more evenly matched since 1989 when the Great Britain and Ireland team ended the U.S. team's eight-match winning run. The 1989 match and the three matches from 2003 to 2007 were all decided by a single point.
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 male 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. [2]
The British team was: Tommy Armour, Colin Aylmer, Ernest Holderness, James Jenkins, Reymond de Montmorency, Gordon Simpson, Cyril Tolley and Roger Wethered. The American team was Chick Evans, William C. Fownes Jr. (Captain), Jesse Guilford, Paul M. Hunter, Bobby Jones, Francis Ouimet, J. Wood Platt, Fred Wright. The Americans won the match 9–3. [3]
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, with 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. [4]
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
Year | Venue | Winning team | Score | Losing team | Captains | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Old Course at St Andrews | United States | 141⁄2 | 111⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Mike McCoy Stuart Wilson | |||
2021 | Seminole Golf Club | United States | 14 | 12 | Great Britain & Ireland | Nathaniel Crosby Stuart Wilson | |||
2019 | Royal Liverpool Golf Club | United States | 151⁄2 | 101⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Nathaniel Crosby Craig Watson | |||
2017 | Los Angeles Country Club | United States | 19 | 7 | Great Britain & Ireland | Spider Miller Andy Ingram | |||
2015 | Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club | Great Britain & Ireland | 161⁄2 | 91⁄2 | United States | 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 | 161⁄2 | 91⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Buddy Marucci Colin Dalgleish | |||
2007 | Royal County Down Golf Club | United States | 121⁄2 | 111⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Buddy Marucci Colin Dalgleish | |||
2005 | Chicago Golf Club | United States | 121⁄2 | 111⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Bob Lewis Garth McGimpsey | |||
2003 | Ganton Golf Club | Great Britain & Ireland | 121⁄2 | 111⁄2 | 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 | 121⁄2 | 111⁄2 | United States | Fred Ridley Geoff Marks | |||
1987 | Sunningdale Golf Club | United States | 161⁄2 | 71⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Fred Ridley Geoff Marks | |||
1985 | Pine Valley Golf Club | United States | 13 | 11 | Great Britain & Ireland | Jay Sigel Charlie Green | |||
1983 | Royal Liverpool Golf Club | United States | 131⁄2 | 101⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Jay Sigel Charlie Green | |||
1981 | Cypress Point Club | United States | 15 | 9 | Great Britain & Ireland | Jim Gabrielsen Rodney Foster | |||
1979 | Muirfield | United States | 151⁄2 | 81⁄2 | 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 | 151⁄2 | 81⁄2 | 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 | Johnny 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 | 81⁄2 | 31⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Charles Coe Gerald Micklem | |||
1955 | Old Course at St Andrews | United States | 10 | 2 | Great Britain & Ireland | William C. Campbell Alec Hill | |||
1953 | The Kittansett Club | United States | 9 | 3 | Great Britain & Ireland | Charlie Yates Tony Duncan | |||
1951 | Royal Birkdale Golf Club | United States | 71⁄2 | 41⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Willie Turnesa Raymond Oppenheimer | |||
1949 | Winged Foot Golf Club | United States | 10 | 2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Francis Ouimet Laddie Lucas | |||
1947 | Old Course at St Andrews | United States | 8 | 4 | Great Britain & Ireland | Francis Ouimet John Beck | |||
1940–1946: 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 due to World War II | |||||||
1938 | Old Course at St Andrews | Great Britain & Ireland | 71⁄2 | 41⁄2 | United States | Francis Ouimet John Beck | |||
1936 | Pine Valley Golf Club | United States | 101⁄2 | 11⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Francis Ouimet William Tweddell | |||
1934 | Old Course at St Andrews | United States | 91⁄2 | 21⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Francis Ouimet Michael Scott | |||
1932 | The Country Club | United States | 91⁄2 | 21⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Francis Ouimet Tony 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 | 61⁄2 | 51⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Robert Gardner Robert Harris | |||
1924 | Garden City Golf Club | United States | 9 | 3 | Great Britain & Ireland | Robert Gardner Cyril Tolley | |||
1923 | Old Course at St Andrews | United States | 61⁄2 | 51⁄2 | Great Britain & Ireland | Robert Gardner Robert Harris | |||
1922 | National Golf Links of America | United States | 8 | 4 | Great Britain & Ireland | William C. Fownes Jr. Robert Harris |
Of the 49 matches, USA has won 39 matches, Great Britain and Ireland have won 9 with 1 match tied.
From 2026, matches will be held in even-numbered years. Venue for the 2030 event has not yet been announced. [13]
The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named after the English businessman Samuel Ryder who donated the trophy. The event is jointly administered by the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, the latter a joint venture of the PGA European Tour (60%), the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland (20%), and the PGAs of Europe (20%).
The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably older event, the Ryder Cup.
The following is a partial timeline of the history of golf.
The Curtis Cup is the best known team trophy for women amateur golfers, awarded in the biennial Curtis Cup Match. It is co-organised by the United States Golf Association and The R&A and is contested by teams representing the United States and "Great Britain and Ireland". The same two teams originally contested the Ryder Cup, but unlike that competition, the Curtis Cup has not widened the Great Britain and Ireland team to include all Europeans. Many women who have gone on to become stars of women's professional golf have played in the Curtis Cup.
Frederick J. Daly, MBE was a Northern Irish professional golfer, best known for winning The Open Championship in 1947 at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake. Born in Portrush, County Antrim, he was the first Irishman from either side of the border to win the Open and the first to play in the Ryder Cup. He remained the only Irish winner of the Open until Pádraig Harrington won it in 2007 and the only Northern Irish major winner until Graeme McDowell won the U.S. Open in 2010.
The Arnold Palmer Cup is an annual team golf competition for college/university golfers. From 2018 it has been contested between a United States team and an International team representing the rest of the world. The teams consist of 12 men and 12 women. The teams are selected on the basis of nationality, not according to the location of the players' universities.
Norman Vico Drew was a Northern Irish professional golfer. He had a successful amateur career, winning a number of Irish championships and playing in the 1953 Walker Cup. In the 1959 season, he won the Yorkshire Evening News Tournament and played in the Ryder Cup. Drew later represented Ireland in the Canada Cup, becoming the first golfer to play in the Walker Cup, Ryder Cup and Canada Cup. He was renowned for his short game.
The 12th Ryder Cup Matches were held 4–5 October 1957 at Lindrick Golf Club near Worksop, England. The Great Britain team, led by captain Dai Rees, beat the United States team by a score of 71⁄2 to 41⁄2 points, and won the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1933.
The 42nd Walker Cup Match was played on September 12 and 13, 2009 at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Team United States won 16½ to 9½ for its third consecutive win.
Arthur Lees was an English professional golfer who played from the 1930s to 1960s. He was a member of four Great Britain Ryder Cup teams in the late 1940s and 1950s, and won several tournaments in Europe during his career. In addition, he spent nearly 30 years as the head professional of Sunningdale Golf Club, holding the position until he was almost 70 years old.
The 44th Walker Cup Match was played on September 7 and 8, 2013 at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York. The United States won 17 to 9.
The 1922 Walker Cup, the first Walker Cup Match, was a team golf match played on August 28 and 29, 1922 at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York. The United States won 8 to 4. There had been heavy rain for several days before the event and course was very wet.
The 45th Walker Cup Match was played on 12 and 13 September 2015 at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. Great Britain and Ireland won 16½ to 9½.
The 2000 Palmer Cup was held on 15–16 August 2000 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. Great Britain and Ireland won 12½–11½. At the final hole of the final match, Phil Rowe holed a 20-foot putt for a birdie, to halve his match and win the Palmer Cup.
The 34th Curtis Cup Match was played on July 29 and 30, 2006, at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort near Bandon, Oregon. The United States won 111⁄2 to 61⁄2 on the Pacific Dunes course. This was the last two-day Curtis Cup, which expanded to three days in 2008.
The 46th Walker Cup Match was played September 9 and 10, 2017 at the Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, California. It was the second Walker Cup Match played in California, the previous occasion being in 1981 at Cypress Point Club. Great Britain and Ireland were the holders of the cup. The United States won the match 19 points to 7.
Ronald James White was an English amateur golfer. He was one of the leading amateur golfers of the post-World War II period. He played in five consecutive Walker Cup matches from 1947 to 1955. In the four matches from 1947 to 1953 Great Britain and Ireland won 12 and halved 3 of the 48 individual matches of which White contributed 6 wins and a half in his 8 matches, winning all his four singles matches.
The 1983 Walker Cup, the 29th Walker Cup Match, was played on 25 and 26 May 1983, at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, England. The event was won by the United States 13½ to 10½.
The 47th Walker Cup Match was played 7 and 8 September 2019 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, Merseyside, England. Royal Liverpool hosted the 1983 Walker Cup. The United States won by 15½ points to 10½. They trailed 7½ to 8½ coming in to the final day singles but won 8 of the 10 matches to win convincingly.
The 48th Walker Cup Match was held May 8–9, 2021, in the United States at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida. It was the first time the Walker Cup was played in Florida. The United States won by 14 points to 12.