The Walker Cup: Crowds of 10k Likely Each Day
- Royal & Ancient G.A. Photo
Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland (May 11, 2007) -- When Great Britain & Ireland bid to recapture the Walker Cup from the United States at Royal County Down from September 8-9, crowds will be limited to 10,000 each day and indications are that demand may well exceed supply.
"If we could accommodate more people safely we would do so, but moving crowds around on this course is particularly difficult," said R&A Director of Championships, David Hill. "We think that giving every club in Ireland an allocation of tickets is the fairest thing to do. There will be allocations for the United Kingdom and America as well."
Interest in the event will be increased by the likely inclusion in the GB&I team of Rory McIlroy of Ireland, currently in sixth place on The R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking. "To have somebody of his extraordinary talent definitely ramps up the interest," commented team captain Colin Dalgleish.
GB&I suffered a one point defeat in the last Walker Cup match in Chicago two years ago after three successive victories. At Nairn in 1999 the home side recorded a resounding 15-9 victory, a score that was repeated at Ocean Forest, Georgia, in 2001. Only one point separated the teams when GB&I won again at Ganton in 2003, but that result was reversed in Chicago in 2005.
** Story courtesy Royal and Ancient Golf Association **
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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