When They Were Walker Cuppers

By Ryan Herrington

September 01, 2023

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The Walker Cup, which showcases some of amateur golf's best and brightest talents, returns this week to St. Andrews, where it was first played 100 years ago. The biennial matches that pit the United States vs. Great Britain & Ireland have provided a stage for fans to see the next generation of stars competing before the distractions of pro golf come calling. The list of Walker Cup alumni is impressive, as witnessed here in this slideshow of some of golf's most notable players before they were top-ranked tour pros.

Jack Nicklaus, 1959

Nicklaus twice played for the U.S. in the Walker Cup, first here at Muirfield in 1959 and again at Seattle Golf Club in 1961. He'd go a perfect 4-0 in the competition, with the Americans winning easily both years.

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Tom Kite, 1971

Kite played on the U.S. team that lost to Great Britain & Ireland in 1971 at St. Andrews, one of only two times the GB&I side beat the Americans in the first 32 editions of the match.

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Lanny Wadkins, 1971

Wadkins was playing in his second Walker Cup at St. Andrews, and won both of his singles matches on the Old Course.

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Curtis Strange & Jay Haas, 1975

The Wake Forest college teammates were naturally paired together in foursomes twice at St. Andrews, winning both times.

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Craig Stadler, 1975

Stadler was 3-0 for the U.S. at St. Andrews, with the American team easily avenging their 1971 loss at St. Andrews, beating the GB&I side 15.5-8.5.

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Jerry Pate, 1975

Pate turned pro shortly after playing for the U.S. team at St. Andrews. Less than a year later, he would go on to win the U.S. Open title at Atlanta Athletic Club.

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Davis Love III, 1985

Love beat Peter McEvoy, 5 and 3, in the final singles session to help the U.S. team beat GB&I 13-11 at New Jersey's Pine Valley G.C.

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Colin Montgomerie, 1987

Foreshadowing some of his Ryder Cup prowess, Monty was the lone bright spot for the GB&I side at Sunningdale G.C. While the U.S. team won convincingly, 16.5-7.5, Montgomerie was the only GB&I player to win both his singles matches.

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Padraig Harrington & Paul McGinley, 1991

The fellow Irishman has a surprisingly rough time of it at Portmarnock. Teamed together in the first foursomes sessions, the pair lost, 2 and 1, to career amateurs Jay Sigel and Allen Doyle. Harrington lost in the only other match he played while McGinley did at least win one of his two other matches.

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Phil Mickelson & David Duval, 1991

In the lone Walker Cup appearance for each of these future major winners, Mickelson compiled a 3-1 record at Poirtmarnock, and Duval went 2-1.

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Tiger Woods, 1995

In his lone Walker Cup appearance, Woods was 2-2 at Royal Porthcawl as the American side lost for just the fourth time in the history of the event.

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Justin Rose, 1997

Nine months before Rose famously finish T-4 at the British Open as an amateur, the then 17-year-old was the only player on the GB&I team to have a winning record at Quaker Ridge G.C. (2-1).

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Luke Donald, 1999

Donald will go down as one of GB&I's all-time Walker Cup stalwarts after compiling a 4-0 record at Nairn G.C. en route to a 15-9 drubbing of the Americans. Two years later Donald would go 3-1 at Ocean Forest to help GB&I repeat in the match for the first time in history.

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Bill Haas, 2003

Bill followed in the footsteps of his father Jay (1975) and uncle Jerry (1985) by playing in the competition, going 2-2 at Ganton G.C. as the Americans lost for a third straight time.

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Rickie Fowler & Rory McIlroy, 2007

Before the young guns started to go at it in the pro ranks, they clashed at Royal County Down. Fowler, alongside Billy Horschel, beat McIlroy (paired with Jonny Caldwell) in Sunday morning foursomes, as the Americans pulled out a 12.5-11.5 victory.

Webb Simpson, 2007

Simpson struggled in his one Walker Cup appearance, going 0-2 at Royal County Down. That didn't stop him, however, from going on and winning the 2012 U.S. Open.

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Jamie Lovemark, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler & Billy Horschel, 2007

Within four years of this foursome helping the U.S. win at Royal County Down, all four had earned PGA Tour cards.

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Danny Willett, 2007

Before he'd become more well known as the 2016 Masters champion, Willett played for GB&I, posting an 0-2-2 mark at Royal County Down.

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Tommy Fleetwood, 2009

At 18, Fleetwood was the youngest member of the GB&I side at Merion, and did not have the long locks we've seen from him as a pro. He finished the week with a 1-1 record.

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Jordan Spieth & Patrick Rodgers, 2011

Spieth went 2-0-1 at Royal Aberdeen, tieing his Sunday foursomes match when paired with Rodgers. The duo, however, were on the wrong end of the final tally, with the GB&I team winning 14-12.

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Justin Thomas, 2013

Thomas made the Walker Cup his amateur swansong, and did so in style, posting a 2-0-1 record include a 6-and-4 blowout win over Max Orrin in Sunday singles as the U.S. cruised to a 17-9 victory.

Photo By: Michael Cohen

Matt Fitzpatrick, 2013

Fitzpatrick, low amateur at the British Open that summer before winning the U.S. Amateur title, continued his solid play by recording a 3-1 for GB&I in the team's loss at National Golf Links of America.

Photo By: Hunter Martin/R&A

Bryson DeChambeau, 2015

Fresh off his U.S. Amateur win at Olympia Fields, DeChambeau was among the few bright spots for the American side that was drubbed by GB&I, 16.5-9.5. He was one just two U.S. players to win his Sunday singles match to go 2-0-1 for the week.

Photo By: Jan Kruger/R&A

Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa, 2017

Scheffler and Morikawa helped lead the U.S. to victory at LACC, the latter going 4-0. Both would go on to win major championships. They are two of seven players on that 2017 American team who now have PGA Tour cards.

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When They Were Walker Cuppers

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Jack Nicklaus, 1959

Tom Kite, 1971

Lanny Wadkins, 1971

Curtis Strange & Jay Haas, 1975

Craig Stadler, 1975

Jerry Pate, 1975

Davis Love III, 1985

Colin Montgomerie, 1987

Padraig Harrington & Paul McGinley, 1991

Phil Mickelson & David Duval, 1991

Tiger Woods, 1995

Justin Rose, 1997

Luke Donald, 1999

Bill Haas, 2003

Rickie Fowler & Rory McIlroy, 2007

Webb Simpson, 2007

Jamie Lovemark, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler & Billy Horschel, 2007

Danny Willett, 2007

Tommy Fleetwood, 2009

Jordan Spieth & Patrick Rodgers, 2011

Justin Thomas, 2013

Matt Fitzpatrick, 2013

Bryson DeChambeau, 2015

Scottie Scheffler and Collin Morikawa, 2017