foursomes 5 to 3 and the singles 10½ to 5½. The overall Match result was US 15½, GB&I 8½. Henry Longhurst, that doyen of British writers and broadcasters, reminded us in the Match programme of Bobby Jones’ love affair with St Andrews and his stated view: “If I were allowed to play only one course for the rest of my life I should choose the Old course at St Andrews.”


Match 26: 1977, SHINNECOCK HILLS, LONG ISLAND, USA. This was the Match in which Fred Ridley, US Amateur champion in 1975, President of the USGA in 2004/2005 and now Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, got the better of nineteen year old Sandy Lyle twice in the singles. Sandy, of course, went on to win the Open championship and the Masters. The foursomes went the usual way, US 5, GB&I 3. The singles went very much in favour of the US, 11 to 5. The overall Match result was US 16, GB&I 8. The Match, played on a links comparable to many in the British Isles, revealed the discrepancy in standards between the teams. The best example of the inadequacy of the preparation of the GB&I team was when Peter McEvoy and Sandy Lyle were paired together in the foursomes and they arrived on the first tee and only then realised that Peter was playing the small ball and Sandy the large ball.


Match 27: 1979, MUIRFIELD, SCOTLAND. This Match marked the second Walker Cup appearance of Jay Sigel, who went on to play in a total of nine Matches (1977 to 1993). Scott Hoch, the perpetual runner up, was also on the US team. The foursomes over the two days were shared equally and, in trailing by just one point going into the final singles,


there was


a cautious optimism that perhaps this underrated GB&I team might spring a surprise and win the Match. Alas that was not to be as the US were victorious in all but one of the final day’s singles. The overall Match result was US 15½, GB&I 8½. Home advantage and knowledge of the wonderful links of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers proved to be no advantage to GB&I.


‘sport at its best, people at their best, the world at its best’


Right: George Macgregor


Match 28: 1981, CYPRESS POINT, CALIFORNIA, USA. Cypress Point is one of the most renowned and aesthetically pleasing golf courses in the world. It was designed primarily by Dr Alister MacKenzie who said, on first viewing the property, “Cypress Point has interested me more than any land I have ever had to deal with. For the sake of my reputation I should like to make you the best golf links in existence.” The Match was notable from a GB&I viewpoint in that the foursomes over the two days were equally shared. There were two young Irish players on the GB&I team, Ronan Rafferty and Philip Walton, as well as twice amateur champion Peter McEvoy. The Irish pairing recorded two wins in the foursomes over experienced Jay Sigel and Hal Sutton on day one, and James Holtgrieve and Frank Fuhrer III on day two. The singles went very much in favour of the US (11 to 5). The overall Match result was US 15, GB&I 9.


Match 29: 1983, HOYLAKE, ENGLAND. At Royal Liverpool George Macgregor made the third of his five appearances as a GB&I player. Philip Walton was the only survivor of the 1981 Match and notably he recorded a foursomes and a singles victory over Jay Sigel. Philip won 6 of the 8 games he played in the 2 Matches. The US team included other high quality players like Willie Wood, Brad Faxon and Nathaniel Crosby - who will captain the USA team at Hoylake in 2019. (To read a profile of Nathaniel please see page 16.) Exemplary play by the GB&I team insured a rare 4½ to 3½ lead from the foursomes. After losing the first day’s singles 5½ to 6½, all was to play for in the final session of singles. The US team came out on top by a margin of 5½ to 2½. The overall Match result was US 13½, GB&I 10½, to read more about the Walker Cup of 35 years ago please visit page 4.


Match 30: 1985, PINE VALLEY, NEW JERSEY, USA. Playing at Pine Valley, nearly always at or near the top of any world ranking of golf courses, is one of the toughest challenges


any golfer can face. The


course had previously hosted Match 9 in 1936 which resulted in a 9-nil victory for the US. Had halved games counted for a half point at that time (this was introduced for Match 23 in 1971) the result would have been US 10½, GB&I 1½. With players of the calibre of Jay Sigel, Davis Love III and Scott Verplank, confidence was high on the US side. The GB&I side included Colin Montgomerie, Peter


McEvoy, George and Irishman Garth McGimpsey,


Macgregor the


reigning Amateur champion. The sides were all square at the end of the first day, GB&I winning the foursomes 2½ to 1½ and the US winning the singles 4½ to 3½. The foursomes on day two were the downfall of GB&I. They could only manage a half point giving the US a three point lead going into the singles. Colin Montgomerie was unlucky to lose by 1 hole. Garth McGimpsey was equally unlucky to only half his match, and with


ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB 2018–2019 MAGAZINE 29


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