randa logo
Golf is open to all
Walker Cup

A special 100-year anniversary in St Andrews

logo
The R&A
29 Aug 23
3 mins
image

This week marks a special celebration of the Walker Cup in St Andrews, given it is 100 years since the match was first staged over the Old Course.

Spectators will flock the fairways and enjoy witnessing close up one of the famous meetings in amateur golf as Great Britian and Ireland take on the United States of America at the home of golf. There is a buzz around the historic town, helped by the late summer sunshine, as the biennial meeting prepares to tee off on Saturday morning. It is fitting for the world-renowned Fife links to host the two teams, especially as the Old Course has had to wait since 1975 to stage the contest for a record ninth time. Back in 1923 – a year after the Walker Cup began at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York – there was eager expectation at the first match on GB&I soil. In front of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, both sides enjoyed team pictures for the historic occasion from  18–19 May.

Notable players

After the 8-4 defeat to the USA in 1922, the hosts were eager to bounce back. Robert Harris captained the GB&I side, with Robert Gardner leading the visitors from across the Atlantic. Both were playing captains. There were ten players in each team, with four 36-hole matches of foursomes played on the Friday and eight singles matches the following day. The most notable players included Roger Wethered in the GB&I ranks, the runner-up to Jock Hutchison in The Open in 1921 and the winner of The Amateur Championship in 1923. Francis Ouimet, the US Open champion in 1913 and US Amateur victor a year later, was part of the USA side, which also featured Jess Sweetser. He had won the US Amateur in 1922 at the age of 20, defeating Bobby Jones in the semi-finals, 8&7. After the Friday foursomes, the home team had built up a 3–1 advantage – helped by Wethered and Cyril Tolley impressively defeating Ouimet and Sweetser by a margin of 6&5. The USA needed to achieve a singles fightback, a form of match play they have often excelled in at amateur and professional level in the modern era.
image
Roger Wethered, the runner-up to Jock Hutchison in The Open in 1921 and the winner of The Amateur Championship in 1923 faced Francis Ouimet, the US Open champion in 1913 and US Amateur victor a year later in both foursome and singles round the Old Course.

Journal memories

Writing in the USGA Journal of August 1949 in a section entitled ‘Walker Cup Memories,’ Ouimet takes up the singles story… “Entering the singles in 1923, we were trailing, three points to one,” he stated. “Assuming that each match would be won or lost, this meant that the United States must win five of the individual contests to gain a tie. I was paired against Roger Wethered in the number one match. “I made little headway against Wethered. Each time I seemed to be in a fair way to reduce his lead of two holes, he would hole a long putt.  I won the 16th with a 3. We halved 17th in 4s. On the final   hole, I was 18 feet from the cup on my second and Roger was several feet outside. “He putted to within eight or ten inches from the hole and laid me a three-quarter stymie. The roll of the green favoured me slightly in that there was a drift from right to left and his ball was on the low side. How my ball escaped his I will never know, but it just squeezed by, caught the high edge of the cup and fell in for a 3 to tie the match.”

St Andrews focus

With no halve points then awarded, GB&I were still in the ascendancy and increased their lead with Tolley’s 4&3 victory over Sweetser. However, the USA rallied and reeled off four singles win, before Oscar Willing secured the narrow 6–5 triumph after his 2&1 win against William Murray. The Walker Cup was played on an annual basis until 1924, when it was decided that the financial strain of annual encounters was too severe. It was also believed that interest might drop if the matches were played too frequently. A decision was made to meet in alternate years and St Andrews again hosted in 1926, with the USA once more winning 6–5, and also in 1934. The series was interrupted by World War II after the 1938 match at St Andrews. When the match resumed, in 1947, St Andrews was again selected as the site. The home of golf was also the venue for the match in 1955, 1971 and then 1975. Fast forwarding to the present day, St Andrews has left an indelible mark on Walker Cup history and more storytelling awaits.

Related

Tags
Walker Cup