It’s hard to believe, but almost one year ago, we were gearing up to watch Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff play the TaylorMade Driving Relief charity match — the first round of televised golf in the early days of the pandemic. That match offered a rare televised glimpse of Top 100 mainstay Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla., one of the world’s most exclusive courses.
Now, as Seminole hosts the 48th Walker Cup, the biennial two-day amateur competition between the United States and Great Britain & Ireland, we’ll have another glorious weekend to take in the famed Donald Ross design.
Walker Cup preview
The Walker Cup Match is joint venture of the USGA and R&A, pitting 10 top male amateurs from the U.S. against 10 male players from Great Britain & Ireland in two match-play formats (foursomes and singles) over two days.
Team USA has been dominant over the course of the match’s history, with a 37-9 record overall, but the 2019 match featured plenty of drama, with the Americans winning eight of the final 10 singles matches on Sunday in a huge rally to defeat the GB&I team 15.5-10.5, at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England. This year, Team GB&I will be seeking its first win since 2015 at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club.
Walker Cup basics
What: 2021 Walker Cup
Where: Seminole Golf Club, Juno Beach, Fla.
When: Saturday-Sunday, May 8 – May 9
Last match’s champion: United States
Walker Cup format
Each team is comprised of 10 players. The American team is selected by the USGA and team GB&I is selected by the R&A.
Saturday, May 8: Four morning foursomes matches (alternate-shot) are followed by eight singles matches.
Sunday, May 9: Four morning foursomes matches (alternate-shot) are followed by 10 singles matches.
One full point is awarded for each victory, while a half-point is earned for matches that are all square after 18 holes. The Americans need 13 points to retain the Cup, while Team GB&I need 13.5 points to reclaim it.
United States Walker Cup team
Captain: Nathaniel Crosby
Players: Ricky Castillo, 20, Yorba Linda, Calif.
Pierceson Coody, 21, Plano, Texas
Quade Cummins, 25, Weatherford, Okla.
Austin Eckroat, 22, Edmond, Okla.
Stewart Hagestad, 30, Newport Beach, Calif.
Cole Hammer, 21, Houston, Texas
William Mouw, 20, Chino, Calif.
John Pak, 22, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Tyler Strafaci, 22, Davie, Fla.
Davis Thompson, 21, St. Simons Island, Ga.
Great Britain & Ireland team
Captain: Stuart Wilson
Players: Barclay Brown, 20, England
Jack Dyer, 23, England
Alex Fitzpatrick, 22, England
Angus Flanagan, 22, England
Ben Jones, 22, England
Matty Lamb, 23, England
Joe Long, 23, England
John Murphy, 22, Republic of Ireland
Mark Power, 20, Republic of Ireland
Ben Schmidt, 18, England
How to watch the Walker Cup on TV
With a cable subscription, you can watch the 2021 Walker Cup on Golf Channel and Peacock. Peacock will air the early action from Saturday and Sunday’s foursomes and singles matches, while Golf Channel will cover the finishes.
Saturday, May 8: 10 a.m.-11 a.m. (Peacock, Saturday Foursomes)
11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Golf Channel, Saturday Foursomes)
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. (Peacock, Saturday Singles)
5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (Golf Channel, Saturday Singles)
