1971 Walker Cup
The 1971 Walker Cup, the 23rd Walker Cup Match, was played on 26 and 27 May 1971, on the Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland. The event was won by Great Britain & Ireland 13 to 11, their first win in the event since 1938.
| Dates | 26–27 May 1971 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Old Course at St Andrews | ||||
| Location | St Andrews, Scotland | ||||
| Captains |
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| Great Britain & Ireland wins the Walker Cup | |||||
Although Great Britain and Ireland won all the first morning foursomes, the United States won six of the eight singles and held a one point lead after the first day.[1] The United States lead increased to two points after the second day foursomes. However Great Britain and Ireland won six of the eight singles matches to win the Walker Cup for the first time since World War II.[2]
Format
The format for play on Wednesday and Thursday was the same. There were four matches of foursomes in the morning and eight singles matches in the afternoon. In all, 24 matches were played.
Each of the 24 matches was worth one point in the larger team competition. If a match was all square after the 18th hole extra holes were not played. Rather, each side earned ½ a point toward their team total. The team that accumulated at least 12½ points won the competition. If the two teams were tied, the previous winner would retain the trophy.
Teams
Ten players for the United States and Great Britain & Ireland participated in the event. Great Britain & Ireland had a playing captain, while the United States had a non-playing captain.[3]
Great Britain & Ireland
& 
Playing captain: 
Michael Bonallack
- Roddy Carr
- Rodney Foster
Charlie Green- Warren Humphreys
- Scott Macdonald
- George Macgregor
- Geoff Marks
- David Marsh
- Hugh Stuart
United States
Captain: John M. Winters
- William C. Campbell
- John Farquhar
- Jim Gabrielsen
- Vinny Giles
- Bill Hyndman
- Tom Kite
- Steve Melnyk
- Allen Miller
- Jim Simons
- Lanny Wadkins
Wednesday's matches
Morning foursomes
| & |
Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Bonallack/Humphreys | 1 up |
Wadkins/Simons |
| Green/Carr | 1 up |
Melnyk/Giles |
| Marsh/Macgregor | 2 & 1 |
Miller/Farquhar |
| Macdonald/Foster | 2 & 1 |
Campbell/Kite |
| 4 | Foursomes | 0 |
| 4 | Overall | 0 |
Afternoon singles
| & |
Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Green | 1 up |
Lanny Wadkins |
| Michael Bonallack | 1 up |
Vinny Giles |
| Geoff Marks | 1 up |
Allen Miller |
| Scott Macdonald | 3 & 2 |
Steve Melnyk |
| Roddy Carr | halved | Bill Hyndman |
| Warren Humphreys | 1 up |
Jim Gabrielson |
| Hugh Stuart | 3 & 2 |
John Farquhar |
| Rodney Foster | 3 & 2 |
Tom Kite |
| 1½ | Singles | 6½ |
| 5½ | Overall | 6½ |
Thursday's matches
Morning foursomes
| & |
Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Marks/Green | 1 up |
Melnyk/Giles |
| Stuart/Carr | 1 up |
Wadkins/Gabrielson |
| Marsh/Bonallack | 5 & 4 |
Miller/Farquhar |
| Macdonald/Foster | halved | Campbell/Kite |
| 1½ | Foursomes | 2½ |
| 7 | Overall | 9 |
Afternoon singles
| & |
Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Bonallack | 3 & 1 |
Lanny Wadkins |
| Hugh Stuart | 2 & 1 |
Vinny Giles |
| Warren Humphreys | 2 & 1 |
Steve Melnyk |
| Charlie Green | 1 up |
Allen Miller |
| Roddy Carr | 2 up |
Jim Simons |
| George Macgregor | 1 up |
Jim Gabrielson |
| David Marsh | 1 up |
Bill Hyndman |
| Geoff Marks | 3 & 2 |
Tom Kite |
| 6 | Singles | 2 |
| 13 | Overall | 11 |
References
- Jacobs, Raymond (27 May 1971). "Americans hit back for lead after British clean sweep in foursomes". Glasgow Herald. p. 6.
- Jacobs, Raymond (28 May 1971). "Britons stay the course and repeat Walker Cup triumph of 33 years ago". Glasgow Herald. p. 6.
- "1971 – St. Andrews". walkercup.co.uk. Retrieved 26 November 2018.