Walker Cup The


HOYLAKE AND THIS TROPHY HAVE BEEN


INTERTWINED SINCE THE ‘TRIAL’ MATCH OF 1921


AS WE PREPARE TO HOST THE 2019 USA AND GB&I TEAMS, LIAM


CONNOLLY CONCLUDES HIS FOUR PART HISTORY.


Match 36 1997, QUAKER RIDGE, NEW YORK, USA. Quaker Ridge features in the history of the Revolutionary War in so far as it was where General George Washington rested on the night prior to doing battle with the British forces under Sir William Howe back in 1776. The British were victorious but allowed Washington to escape and thus the war continued. The Club was also the home of


professional Johnny Farrell who defeated Bobby Jones in a playoff for the 1927 US Open at Olympia Fields. A. Downing Grey was captain of the US team. He played in 3 Walker Cups in the 1960’s and was low amateur at the Masters in 1965. Stalwarts on the US team were John Harris, US Amateur champion in 1993 and competing in his fourth Walker Cup, and Buddy Marucci Jr., runner up in the 1995 Amateur championship


to Tiger Woods and


competing in his second Walker Cup. The Welshman Clive Brown captained


the GB&I team which included Barclay Howard and Craig Watson who will captain the 2019 team (see page 16), Justin Rose and Gary Wolstenholme who would go on to play in six Walker Cup matches and win the most points of any GB&I player in the history of the


54 ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB MAGAZINE 2019–2020


competition. Day 1 - Foursomes: US 4, GB&I 0. Singles: US 4½, GB&I 3½. Day 2 - Foursomes: US 3, GB&I 1. Singles: US 6 ½, GB&I 1 ½. The overall match result was US 18, GB&I 6.


Match 37 1999, NAIRN, SCOTLAND. Nairn, on the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland, was the venue for the 37th Match. It was the home Club of Willie Whitelaw, career politician and deputy Prime Minister to Margaret Thatcher; together with David Blair, twice a Walker Cup player and past captain of the R&A. The US team was captained by Danny Yates, the noted Georgia golfer and nephew of Charlie Yates who won the Amateur


in 1938 defeating Irishman


Cecil Ewing. The US team included Matt Kuchar who has gone on to forge a wonderful professional career, winning 9 PGA events and amassing in excess of $45 million in prize money. The GB&I captain was Peter McEvoy, of


one the most successful amateur


golfers in history of the game and twice Amateur champion. His team included Gary Wolstenholme playing in his third match; Paul Casey who is playing so well in 2019 and has won in excess of $40 million; Luke Donald who was world number one and has won in excess of $50 million; and Philip Rowe who pursued a different career in golf by becoming Associate Head Coach at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. Day 1 - Foursomes: US 2, GB&I 2. Singles: US 5, GB&I 3. Day 2 - Foursomes: US 1, GB&I 3. Singles: US 1, GB&I 7. It is worth noting that match stalwarts


Wolstenholme, Casey, Donald and Rowe were unbeaten in all of their games and achieved 10 points between them. The overall match result was US 9, GB&I 15.


Match 38 2001, OCEAN FOREST, SEA ISLAND, GEORGIA, USA. The Ocean Forest Course was only six years in existence when it hosted the Walker Cup and is unique in this regard. It is situated on Sea Island which has two other magnificent courses. The Murphy family, headed by Reg, himself a past President of the USGA, undertook the planning


and construction of Ocean


Forest in the early 1990s. It was ready for play by 1995. The USGA were so impressed with the course and its other facilities they readily accepted the invitation to stage the 2001 Walker Cup there.


second


Danny Yates was US captain for a time. Three members


of the


Yates family have won the Georgia State Amateur at Sea Island. Danny won in 1989, his


father Dan won in


1939, and his uncle Charlie won in 1931. Members of the US team included John Harris who had played in three previous matches; Bryce Molder who retired as a professional in 2017 with winnings of around $12 million; and Lucas Glover who went on to win the 2009 US Open and accumulate prize winnings in excess of $20 million. Peter McEvoy was GBI captain for a second time.


He won the Amateur


championship in 1977 and 1978 and played in five Walker Cups. Members of the GBI team included Luke Donald; Gary Wolstenholme playing in his fourth match; Graham McDowell who would go on to win the US Open at Pebble Beach in 2010; and Nigel Edwards who was selected for the first time at the age of 33. Day 1 - Foursomes: US 1½, GB&I 2 ½. Singles: US 5, GB&I 3. Day 2 - Foursomes: US 1, GB&I 3. Singles: US 1 ½, GB&I 6 ½. The overall match result was US 9, GB&I


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