Sunday Walker Cup Match Notebook

The GB&I team made history on Sunday at Ganton Golf Club, capturing the Walker Cup for the third successive time, each time coming from far behind in the Sunday afternoon singles. In 1999 at Narin Golf Club, GB&I was tied with the U.S. , 8–8, after winning the Sunday morning foursomes, 3 –1. In the singles, GB&I won seven points and won the matches 15-9. In 2001, the U.S. had a 6½-5½ lead going into Sunday and again lost the Sunday foursomes, 3–1, and then lost the singles 6½-1½ to drop the Match, 15-9. In Sunday at Ganton, the U.S. reversed the trend of losing the foursomes, tying 2–2, but could not hold a lead losing 5½-2½ and losing the Match, 12½-11½.

In 2005, the 40th Walker Cup Match will be played at Chicago Golf Club and the GB&I team will go for a fourth straight Walker Cup . In the beginning of the Walker Cup the U.S. won the first nine matches from 1922 to 1936. After a loss in 1938 at St. Andrews and a nine-year hiatus due to World War II the U.S. continued it dominance in 1947 winning the next nine until the GB&I team tied the 1965 match in 1965 at Baltimore Country Club. After two more wins the U.S. suffered its second loss in 1971 again at St. Andrews. After another eight wins by the U.S. , GB&I won at Peachtree in 1989. Since that win, GB&I is 5 and 3 in Walker Cup Matches. It is by far the best performance by the GB&I team over a period of time in the history of the matches.

The first hole had been a problem for GB&I, through the morning foursomes or the 16 matches played GB&I had made only one birdie when the team of Wilson and Inglis recorded a three, but only halved the hole when USA ’s Wittenberg and Rubinson made a three as well in the Sunday foursomes. The U.S. team has recorded six birdies on the first hole through the first 16 matches.

But the Sunday afternoon singles was a complete reversal for GB&I making birdie in three of the first four matches and six of the eight matches to take the lead early in six matches, GB&I would eventually win five of those six.

Fog caused play to be suspended with just two matches started on the course. Match one between Wolstenholme/Wilson vs. Kuehne/Haas was on the second hole and match two between Fox/Moriarity vs. Mackenzie/Hendrix was on the first hole. The suspension was from 9:00 until 10:20 a.m. Due to the