2021 Walker Cup
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.[1]
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| Dates | May 8–9, 2021 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Seminole Golf Club | ||||
| Location | Juno Beach, Florida | ||||
| Captains |
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| United States wins the Walker Cup | |||||
| Location Map | |||||
  Seminole GC Location in the United States  Seminole GC Location in Florida | |||||
Format
On Saturday, were four matches of foursomes in the morning and eight singles matches in the afternoon. On Sunday, there were again four matches of foursomes in the morning, followed by ten singles matches (involving every player) in the afternoon. In all, 26 matches were played.
Each of the 26 matches was worth one point in the larger team competition. If a match was all square after the 18th hole extra holes are not played. Rather, each side earned ½ a point toward their team total. The team that accumulated at least 13½ points won the competition. In the event of a tie, the previous winner retained the Cup.[2]
Teams
U.S. team
Tyler Strafaci was the first player to qualify for the team, by winning the 2020 U.S. Amateur. Ricky Castillo, John Pak and Davis Thompson were the next players to make the team, as the top three Americans in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as on February 10, 2021. The remaining members of the team were announced on March 1, 2021. Two alternates for the team were also announced: Mac Meissner and Garett Reband.[3] Reband later decided not travel to the venue and was replaced as the second alternate by Cooper Dossey.[4]
 USA | |||
| Name | Rank | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nathaniel Crosby | 59 | non-playing captain | |
| Ricky Castillo | 10 | 20 | |
| Pierceson Coody | 2 | 21 | |
| Quade Cummins | 16 | 25 | |
| Austin Eckroat | 11 | 22 | |
| Stewart Hagestad | 17 | 30 | Played in 2017 and 2019 |
| Cole Hammer | 14 | 21 | Played in 2019 |
| William Mouw | 34 | 20 | |
| John Pak | 4 | 22 | Played in 2019 |
| Tyler Strafaci | 9 | 22 | |
| Davis Thompson | 3 | 21 | |
| Mac Meissner | 19 | 22 | Alternate |
Great Britain and Ireland team
The Great Britain and Ireland team was announced on March 30, 2021. Joe Long gained automatic selection by winning the 2020 Amateur Championship. Two more players were automatic selections as the leading two in the World Amateur Golf Ranking: Sandy Scott and Alex Fitzpatrick. The travelling reserves were Jack Dyer and Jake Bolton.[5] Scott later withdrew because of a wrist injury and was replaced by Dyer, Joe Pagdin being added as the second reserve.[6]
 &  Great Britain & Ireland | |||
| Name | Rank | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Stuart Wilson |
43 | non-playing captain | |
 Barclay Brown |
79 | 20 | |
| Jack Dyer |
190 | 23 | |
| Alex Fitzpatrick |
12 | 22 | Played in 2019 |
| Angus Flanagan |
42 | 21 | |
| Ben Jones |
54 | 22 | |
| Matty Lamb |
107 | 23 | |
| Joe Long |
27 | 23 | |
| John Murphy |
114 | 22 | |
| Mark Power |
29 | 20 | |
| Ben Schmidt |
33 | 18 | |
| Jake Bolton |
57 | 22 | Reserve |
Note: "Rank" is the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of the start of the Cup.
Saturday's matches
A number of players from both teams were affected by gastrointestinal illness.[7] As a result the rules were changed so that if players were unable to compete, the captains could use the two alternates/reserves that were present at the venue. The original players were used in later matches when they became healthy.[8]
Morning foursomes
Mac Meissner, the first American alternate, and Jake Bolton, the first reserve for the Great Britain and Ireland team were used in the morning foursomes.
| & |
Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Fitzpatrick/Brown | 1 up |
Hammer/Thompson |
| Power/Murphy | 1 up |
Cummins/Eckroat |
| Dyer/Lamb | 2 up |
Meissner/Castillo |
| Flanagan/Bolton | 1 up |
Hagestad/Mouw |
| 2 | Foursomes | 2 |
| 2 | Overall | 2 |
Afternoon singles
| & |
Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Fitzpatrick | 2 up |
Pierceson Coody |
| Mark Power | 3 & 2 |
Davis Thompson |
| Ben Schmidt | 5 & 3 |
Ricky Castillo |
| Ben Jones | 4 & 3 |
Tyler Strafaci |
| Matty Lamb | 2 & 1 |
Quade Cummins |
| Angus Flanagan | 1 up |
Austin Eckroat |
| Barclay Brown | 2 & 1 |
John Pak |
| John Murphy | 3 & 1 |
Cole Hammer |
| 3 | Singles | 5 |
| 5 | Overall | 7 |
Sunday's matches
Morning foursomes
| & |
Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Power/Murphy | 1 up |
Coody/Pak |
| Fitzpatrick/Brown | 1 up |
Castillo/Mouw |
| Flanagan/Schmidt | tied | Thompson/Hammer |
| Lamb/Dyer | 6 & 5 |
Hagestad/Strafaci |
| 2½ | Foursomes | 1½ |
| 7½ | Overall | 8½ |
Afternoon singles
| & |
Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Power | 7 & 6 |
Austin Eckroat |
| Alex Fitzpatrick | 3 & 1 |
Pierceson Coody |
| Joe Long | 1 up |
John Pak |
| Matty Lamb | 2 up |
Davis Thompson |
| Barclay Brown | tied | Quade Cummins |
| Angus Flanagan | 1 up |
William Mouw |
| John Murphy | 2 & 1 |
Ricky Castillo |
| Jack Dyer | 1 up |
Tyler Strafaci |
| Ben Schmidt | 4 & 3 |
Cole Hammer |
| Ben Jones | 4 & 2 |
Stewart Hagestad |
| 4½ | Singles | 5½ |
| 12 | Overall | 14 |
References
- Scrivener, Peter (May 10, 2021). "Walker Cup: US edge GB&I to retain trophy at Seminole Golf Club, Florida". BBC Sport. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- "Match Format". golfbible.co.uk. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- DePasquale, Brian (March 1, 2021). "USGA Names 10-Man 2021 USA Walker Cup Team". USGA. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- Romine, Brentley (May 7, 2021). "'All of us are ready to go': Walker Cup rules adjusted after stomach bug runs through teams". The Golf Channel. Retrieved May 10, 2021.
- "GB&I Walker Cup team announced". The R&A. March 30, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- "Sandy Scott withdraws from GB&I team". The R&A. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- "Walker Cup 2021: Several players from both teams hit by food poisoning ahead of biennial contest". Sky Sports. May 7, 2021.
- "Virus Outbreak Leads to Walker Cup Re-Jig". golfbible.co.uk. May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
External links
- Official website
- R&A site Archived April 15, 2021, at the Wayback Machine
- Golf Bible Walker Cup coverage