Walker Cup golf
Walker Cup golf
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland (in political terms the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland). The event, officially called the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches", unlike the professional Ryder Cup Matches), is co-organised by the R&A and the United States Golf Association, and is named in honor of George Herbert Walker (grandfather and namesake of the former President of the United States George H. W. Bush and great-grandfather of current President George W. Bush), who was president of the USGA in 1920 when the series was initiated. There was an unofficial event in 1921 and annual events to 1924. From that time on it became a biennial event, and after World War Two it switched to odd numbered years. It is played alternately on either side of the Atlantic. Half points for matches finishing even were awarded for the first time in 1971.
The Match employs a combination of foursomes (alternate-shot) and singles competition and was originally the format used for the professional equivalent Ryder Cup, which also began as a competition between the U.S. and the United Kingdom; unlike the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup has never been expanded to make all European amateur golfers eligible to compete. There is little present competitive reason to do so: through 2005 the United States leads the series 32 to 7, with one halved match, but the Great Britain & Ireland team has won three of the last four matches, and each of the last two matches has been decided by one point.
