Association with
HISTORY
The History of the Walker Cup
The United States Golf Association International Challenge Trophy was originally intended to be presented to the winners of a contest to which all golf playing nations would be invited. However, as The R&A tactfully pointed out to their counterparts in the USGA in 1921, the only two countries capable of entering a team were Britain and America.
By this simple process of elimination the trophy presented by USGA President George Herbert Walker became the focal point of a biennial series between the finest amateur players of the two countries. The first unofficial match was played in 1921 on the eve of the Amateur Championship at Hoylake, when 19-year-old Bobby Jones helped the American team to a 9-3 victory. For the next three years the event was played annually, but settled into its biennial pattern after 1924.
It was not until 1938 at St Andrews that Great Britain & Ireland recorded a first victory. In 1965 there was an 11-11 tie on American soil and St Andrews was again the venue for the next GB&I triumph in 1971.
Only after the first success in America, with a 12˝ - 11˝ victory at Peachtree in Georgia in 1989, did the GB&I team finally end American domination of the matches. In the years that followed there were home wins at Porthcawl in 1995 and Nairn in 1999, a triumph that was successfully defended two years later at Sea Island in Georgia by a convincing 15-9 margin. There was a further win for GB&I at Ganton in 2003.The man after whom the trophy and the matches are named, has another claim to a place in world history. His grandson, George Herbert Walker Bush, and great grandson have both held office as Presidents of the United States of America.
Great Britain & Ireland v United States (Unoffcial) |
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| Year | GB&I | USA | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 (May 21) | Foursomes 0 Singles 3 Total 3 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 5 Total 9 |
Royal Liverpool |
The Walker Cup (Instituted 1921) |
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| Year | GB&I | USA | Venue |
| 1922 (Aug 28-29) | Foursomes 1 Singles 3 Total 4 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 5 Total 8 |
Long Island, New York |
| 1923 (May 18-19) | Foursomes 3 Singles 2 1/2 Total 5 1/2 |
Foursomes 1 Singles 5 1/2 Total 6 1/2 |
St.Andrews |
| 1924 (Sept 12-13) | Foursomes 1 Singles 2 Total 3 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 6 Total 9 |
Garden City, New York |
| 1926 (June 2-3) | Foursomes 1 Singles 4 1/2 Total 5 1/2 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 3 1/2 Total 6 1/2 |
St.Andrews |
| 1928 (Aug 30-31) | Foursomes 0 Singles 1 Total 1 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 5 1/2 Total 11 |
Chicago, Illinois |
| 1930 (May 15-16) | Foursomes 1 Singles 1 Total 2 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 7 Total 10 |
Royal St. George’s |
| 1932 (Sept 1-2) | Foursomes 0 Singles 2 1/2 Total 2 1/2 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 5 1/2 Total 9 1/2 |
Brookline, Massachusetts |
| 1934 (May 11-12) | Foursomes 1 Singles 1 1/2 Total 2 1/2 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 6 1/2 Total 9 1/2 |
St.Andrews |
| 1936 (Sept 2-3) | Foursomes 1 Singles 1/2 Total 1 1/2 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 7 1/2 Total 10 1/2 |
Pine Valley, New Jersey |
| 1938 (June 3-4) | Foursomes 21/2 Singles 5 Total 7 1/2 |
Foursomes 11/2 Singles 3 Total 4 1/2 |
St.Andrews |
| 1947 May (16-17) | Foursomes 2 Singles 2 Total 4 |
Foursomes 2 Singles 6 Total 8 |
St.Andrews |
| 1949 (Aug 19-20) | Foursomes 1 Singles 1 Total 2 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 7 Total 10 |
Winged Foot, New York |
| 1951 (May 11-12) | Foursomes 1 Singles 3 1/2 Total 4 1/2 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 4 1/2 Total 7 1/2 |
Royal Birkdale |
| 1953 (Sept 4-5) | Foursomes 1 Singles 2 Total 3 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 6 Total 9 |
Kittansett, Massachusetts |
| 1955 (May 20-21) | Foursomes 0 Singles 2 Total 2 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 6 Total 10 |
St.Andrews |
| 1957 (Aug 30-31) | Foursomes 1 1/2 Singles 2 Total 3 1/2 |
Foursomes 2 1/2 Singles 6 Total 8 1/2 |
Minikahda, Minnesota |
| 1959 (May 15-16) | Foursomes 0 Singles 3 Total 3 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 5 Total 9 |
Muirfield |
| 1961 (Sept 1-2) | Foursomes 0 Singles 1 Total 1 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 7 Total 11 |
Seattle,Washington |
From 1963 Foursomes and Singles matches were played on both days, each match over 18 holes. |
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| 1963 (May 24-25) | Foursomes 1 Singles 7 Total 8 |
Foursomes 6 Singles 6 Total 12 |
The Ailsa Course,Turnberry |
| 1965 (Sept 3-4) | Foursomes 4 Singles 7 Total 11 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 8 Total 11 |
Baltimore, Maryland |
| 1967 (May 19-20) | Foursomes 3 Singles 4 Total 7 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 9 Total 13 |
Royal St. George’s |
| 1969 (Aug 22-23) | Foursomes 3 Singles 5 Total 8 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 7 Total 10 |
Milwaukee,Wisconsin |
| 1971 (May 26-27) | Foursomes 5 1/2 Singles 7 1/2 Total 13 |
Foursomes 2 1/2 Singles 8 1/2 Total 11 |
St.Andrews |
| 1973 (Aug 24-25) | Foursomes 1 Singles 9 Total 10 |
Foursomes 7 Singles 7 Total 14 |
Brookline, Massachusetts |
| 1975 (May 28-29) | Foursomes 3 Singles 5 1/2 Total 8 1/2 |
Foursomes 5 Singles 10 1/2 Total 15 1/2 |
St.Andrews |
| 1977 (Aug 26-27) | Foursomes 3 Singles 5 Total 8 |
Foursomes 5 Singles 11 Total 16 |
Shinnecock Hills, New York |
| 1979 (May 30-31) | Foursomes 4 Singles 4 1/2 Total 8 1/2 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 11 1/2 Total 15 1/2 |
Muirfield |
| 1981 (Aug 28-29) | Foursomes 4 Singles 5 Total 9 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 11 Total 15 |
Cypress Point, California |
| 1983 (May 25-26) | Foursomes 4 1/2 Singles 6 Total 10 1/2 |
Foursomes 3 1/2 Singles 10 Total 13 1/2 |
Royal Liverpool |
| 1985 (Aug 21-22) | Foursomes 3 Singles 8 Total 11 |
Foursomes 5 Singles 8 Total 13 |
Pine Valley, New Jersey |
| 1987 (May 27-28) | Foursomes 1 Singles 6 1/2 Total 7 1/2 |
Foursomes 7 Singles 9 1/2 Total 16 1/2 |
Sunningdale |
| 1989 (Aug 16-17) | Foursomes 6 Singles 6 1/2 Total 12 1/2 |
Foursomes 2 Singles 9 1/2 Total 11 1/2 |
Peachtree,Atlanta |
| 1991 (Sept 5-6) | Foursomes 3 Singles 7 Total 10 |
Foursomes 5 Singles 9 Total 14 |
Portmarnock, Dublin |
| 1993 (Aug 18-19) | Foursomes 0 Singles 5 Total 5 |
Foursomes 4 Singles 15 Total 19 |
Interlachen, Edina, Minnesota |
| 1995 (Sept 9-10) | Foursomes 3 1/2 Singles 10 1/2 Total 14 |
Foursomes 4 1/2 Singles 5 1/2 Total 10 |
Royal Porthcawl |
| 1997 (Aug 9-10) | Foursomes 1 Singles 5 Total 6 |
Foursomes 7 Singles 11 Total 18 |
Quaker Ridge, New York |
| 1999 (Sept 11-12) | Foursomes 5 Singles 10 Total 15 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 6 Total 9 |
Nairn, Scotland |
| 2001 (Aug 11-12) | Foursomes 5 1/2 Singles 9 1/2 Total 15 |
Foursomes 2 1/2 Singles 6 1/2 Total 9 |
Ocean Forest, Sea Island, Georgia |
| 2003 (Sept 6-7) | Foursomes 5 Singles 8 Total 12 1/2 |
Foursomes 3 Singles 8 Total 11 1/2 |
Ganton |
| 2005 (Aug 13-14) | Foursomes 3 1/2 Singles 8 Total 11 1/2 |
Foursomes 4 1/2 Singles 8 Total 12 1/2 |
Chicago GC, Illinois |
