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PAR AND YARDAGE – Merion Golf Club’s East Course will be set up at 6,846 yards with a par of 36-34—70.
ARCHITECT – Hugh Wilson designed Merion Golf Club’s East Course, which opened in 1912.
HOLE BY HOLE –
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 36 |
| Yards | 350 | 556 | 219 | 597 | 504 | 487 | 345 | 359 | 206 | 3,623 |
| Hole | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 34 |
| Yards | 303 | 367 | 403 | 120 | 438 | 411 | 430 | 246 | 505 | 3,223 |
WHAT IS THE WALKER CUP MATCH? – The Walker Cup Match is contested by male amateur players, one team from the United States of America and one team composed of players from England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The teams consist of not more than 10 players and a captain. The Match is conducted every two years, alternately in the USA and Great Britain and Ireland.
TEAM SELECTION – The USA Team is selected by the United States Golf Association. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, selects the team from Great Britain and Ireland.
2009 CAPTAINS – The same two captains who served for their respective sides in 2007 return: Colin Dalgleish for Great Britain and Ireland and George "Buddy" Marucci Jr. for the USA.
SCHEDULE OF PLAY – On Saturday, Sept. 12, there will be four foursomes matches (18 holes each) in the morning and eight singles matches (18 holes each) in the afternoon. On Sunday, Sept. 13, there will be four foursomes matches (18 holes each) in the morning and 10 singles matches (18 holes each) in the afternoon.
Starting Times – (Eastern Daylight Time; subject to change)
- Friday: 5:30 p.m. Opening Ceremony
- Saturday: 7:30 a.m. Foursomes
- 1 p.m. Singles
- Sunday: 7:30 a.m. Foursomes
- 1 p.m. Singles
TICKETS – Information on tickets is available at www.2009walkercup.org or by calling (484) 708-1050 or e-mailing tickets@2009walkercup.org. Packages range from $40 for a daily grounds ticket to $90 for a season grounds ticket (Friday through Sunday) to $225 for a season Trophy Club ticket, which includes access to a hospitality area with food and beverage options.
WHAT ISFOURSOMES? – Foursomes is a match where two players compete against two other players in alternate shot format, with each side playing just one ball.
SCORING – A victory in each match scores one point. In the event a match goes 18 holes without a victor, one-half point is awarded to each side. In the event of a tie, the team that won the previous competition retains the trophy.
MEDIA CONFERENCES – Captains and players from each team will meet with credentialed media Friday afternoon. Media conferences are also scheduled at the end of each day’s play.
ONLINE COVERAGE – Visit www.walkercup.org or the USGA Web site, www.usga.org, for the latest Walker Cup information before and during the Match.
TELEVISION COVERAGE – The Walker Cup Match will have four hours of coverage on Golf Channel. Singles matches will be aired 4-6 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13.
MERION AND USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS – Merion Golf Club has previously hosted 17 USGA championships, the most recent being the 2005 U.S. Amateur Championship, won by Edoardo Molinari. The club has served as the host site for four U.S. Opens, six U.S. Amateurs, four U.S. Women’s Amateurs, the 1998 U.S. Girls’ Junior, the 1954 Curtis Cup Match and the 1960 World Amateur Team Championship. No other course or club in the USA has staged more USGA championships. In 2013, Merion will host the 113th U.S. Open Championship.
MARUCCI AND THE WALKER CUP – Marucci is serving as the USA captain for the second consecutive Walker Cup, after leading his visiting side to a 12˝-11˝ victory at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland in 2007. Marucci played for the USA in the 1995 and 1997 Walker Cup Matches, compiling a record of 3-0 in foursomes (alternate shot) and 1-1-1 in singles.
MARUCCI IN USGA CHAMPIONSHIPS – In addition to winning the 2008 USGA Senior Amateur Championship at Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Marucci was the runner-up to Tiger Woods at the 1995 U.S. Amateur Championship at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I. But that is just a small part of his USGA portfolio. He reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur again in 1996, where he lost to eventual runner-up Steve Scott, 1 down. He has played in more than 50 USGA championships, including 18 U.S. Amateurs. He also played in the 1996 Masters, which he gained entry to with his runner-up finish at the U.S. Amateur in 1995.
2007 RECAP – Jonathan Moore’s eagle on the 18th hole capped a singles victory over Nigel Edwards and clinched a 12˝-11˝ USA win at the 41st Walker Cup Match at Royal County Down Golf Club in Newcastle, Ireland. Moore hit a 4-iron from 252 yards on the final hole and holed the 4-foot putt to defeat Edwards, 1 up. The USA had taken a 10-6 lead after the Sunday morning foursomes matches to break a 6-6 deadlock after the first day. Great Britain and Ireland then captured 4˝ of the first six points in the Sunday afternoon singles to set the stage for Moore’s dramatic victory.
2005 RECAP – Jeff Overton two-putted from 18 feet on the final green of the final match to secure a narrow victory, 1 up, over Nigel Edwards, and win back the Walker Cup for the USA. The final team score at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill., was 12˝-11˝. The Match was close from the start, with the USA holding a 1-point lead after the first day of play. The two squads then split both the morning points (4) and afternoon points (8) on the final day. Overton and Lee Williams went 3-1 overall for the USA.
HISTORY OF THE WALKER CUP – The Walker Cup Match began in the wake of World War I, and it came together following a series of meetings with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, whose purpose was largely to look at modifying the Rules of Golf. As part of the meeting, an international team competition was discussed, much like what was already taking place between the United States and Canada, in 1919 and 1920.
Among those attending the meeting at the R&A was George Herbert Walker, USGA president in 1920. The idea of an amateur team competition appealed to Walker and he soon presented a plan and offered to donate a trophy. When the press dubbed the trophy the Walker Cup, the name stuck.
The first Walker Cup Match was held in 1922 at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y. Led by playing captain William C. Fownes Jr., the United States won the inaugural Match, 8-4. The USA leads the series 33-7-1.
WALKER AND U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CONNECTIONS – George Herbert Walker is the great-grandfather of the 43rd U.S. President George W. Bush and the maternal grandfather of George H.W. Bush, the 41st U.S. President.
FUTURE SITES – The 2011 Walker Cup Match will be played Sept. 10-11 at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 2013, the Match will be played Sept. 7-8 at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y.
MEDIA CENTER STAFF – The USGA Media Relations contacts on-site are Rand Jerris, Pete Kowalski, Beth Murrison and Suzanne Colson. For more information, contact Pete Kowalski at pkowalski@usga.org or (908) 216-8435, or Suzanne Colson at scolson@usga.org or (908) 234-2300.
