By Cassie Stein, Golfweek
On paper, the United States looked more
dominant in 2011 than Great Britain and
Ireland.
They
had the Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 players in the
World
Amateur Golf Rankings – and four more in the
top
20.
Patrick Rodgers, then 18, was No. 2 in those
rankings, and about to start his freshman year
at
Stanford. He was the second-youngest player
on
the team, Jordan Spieth being the youngest.
“That was something I had never experienced
before,” Rodgers said. “Playing in that team
format,
playing in front of all those people and
representing your country, is something I’ll
never
forget.”
He had one of the best years (2011) as a
junior
in amateur events. He placed in the top five at
seven of eight tournaments leading up to his
Walker Cup selection and was a quarterfinalist
at
the
U.S. Amateur.
But Rodgers faltered a bit when it came to his
first team-format, international event. He
finished
the two-day event with a 0-2-1 record.
The half point was earned by teaming up with
Spieth in the Sunday morning foursomes. The
youngsters fought back on the last few holes
to
get a half point over Tom Lewis and Michael
Stewart.
Rodgers learned a lot about his game that
week
in Scotland and during the last two years
leading
up to this Walker Cup Match at the National
Golf
Links of America.
This time around, Rodgers will know how to
handle himself in this competition.
The Stanford junior has had more experience
with
match-play events in team formats after
playing
in the last two Palmer Cups. He has a 6-2-1
record in that event.
As only one of two returners for the U.S.
(Nathan
Smith is playing on his third consecutive
Walker
Cup Team), he wants to step into more of a
leadership role in the locker room and on the
golf
course.
“Nathan Smith and I, hopefully with our
veteran
leadership, we can lead the team to a
victory,”
Rodgers added. “What a great experience this
is
going to be with a great team we have
assembled. I know from experience that it’s
not
very fun to lose. We are motivated to play
well
and get the cup back.”
A win on U.S. soil would be sweet redemption
for
this two-time Walker Cup player.
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ABOUT THE The Walker Cup
The Walker Cup Match is a biennial 10-man
amateur
team competition between the USA and a team
composed of players from Great Britain and
Ireland
and selected by The R&A. It is played over two
days
with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes
(alternate-shot) matches.
The first United States Walker Cup Team, which
in
1922 defeated the GB&I side, 8-4, at the
National Golf
Links of America, is considered among the best
teams
ever and included Francis Ouimet, Bob Jones,
Charles
“Chick” Evans and Jess Sweetser. Many of the
game’s
greatest players have taken part in Walker Cup
competition, including U.S. Open champions
Jack
Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth for
the
USA
and Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Justin
Rose
for Great Britain and Ireland.
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