USGA Announces a Strong U.S. Walker Cup Squad

August 20, 2017 | by United States Golf Association

The two combatants in Sunday's epic U.S. Amateur final will both be representing the U.S. at L.A. Country club next month

FAR HILLS, NJ (August 20, 2017) - On the 10th green at Riviera Country Club, immediately after the completion of the thrilling 37-hole final match between champion Doc Redman and Doug Ghim, USGA President Diana Murphy and U.S. Team Captain John "Spider" Miller announced the 10 players who will represent the U.S. in the Walker Cup Match at Los Angeles Country Club in three weeks' time.

The U.S. Team will meet Great Britain and Ireland in the 46th Match at The Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club’s North Course, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 9-10.

Related: Formidable GB&I Walker Cup Team Announced by the R&A
Related: TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: The 46th Walker Cup Match

The 10 players chosen by the USGA’s International Team Selection Committee are:

Cameron Champ, 21, of Sacramento, Calif.
Doug Ghim, 21, of Arlington Heights, Ill.
Stewart Hagestad, 26, of Newport Beach, Calif.
Maverick McNealy, 21, of Portola Valley, Calif.
Collin Morikawa, 20, of La Canada Flintridge, Calif.
Doc Redman, 19, of Raleigh, N.C.
Scottie Scheffler, 21, of Dallas, Texas
Braden Thornberry, 20, of Olive Branch, Miss.
Norman Xiong, 18, of Canyon Lake, Calif.
Will Zalatoris, 21, of Plano, Texas.

McNealy is the lone returning player from the 2015 U.S. Team.

“George Herbert Walker’s vision was for leading amateur golfers to come together for a friendly competition to promote interest in the game on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean,” said Murphy. “The United States team is a talented group of players who will work together to be competitive against Great Britain and Ireland, but at the same time uphold the ideals of friendship and understanding that were foreseen nearly a century ago.”

The Walker Cup Match is a biennial amateur team competition between the USA and a team composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland, selected by The R&A. The Match is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate-shot) matches. The USA leads the overall series, 35-9-1, but the teams have split the last 14 meetings since 1989.

“It is a great honor to serve as the USA captain and to work with a group of young men who represent the best of amateur golf in this country,” said USA captain John “Spider” Miller, who played on the 1999 USA Walker Cup Team, won two U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships and also captained the 2015 USA Team, which lost, 16½ -9½. “The squad members have a long list of individual and team accomplishments but they are now committed both to representing the United States and to the spirit and tradition of the Walker Cup Match.”

The first USA Walker Cup Team, which posted an 8-4 victory in 1922 at the National Golf Links of America, in Southampton, N.Y., is considered among the best teams ever assembled and included Francis Ouimet, Bob Jones, Charles “Chick” Evans and Jess Sweetser. Many of the game’s greatest players have competed in the Walker Cup, including U.S. Open champions Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson for the USA and Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose for Great Britain and Ireland.

The Walker Cup Match will be conducted for the third time on the West Coast and was previously hosted by Seattle (Wash.) Golf Club in 1961 and Cypress Point Club, in Pebble Beach, Calif., in 1981. This year’s match will be played on The Los Angeles County Club’s North Course, which was designed by George C. Thomas Jr. and restored by Gil Hanse. The course will be set up at 7,425 yards and play to a par of 35-36-71.

“Amateur golf is central to the USGA’s mission and we are meticulous in our selection of the USA Walker Team,” said Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman. “The Los Angeles Country Club, which hosted USGA championships in 1930 and 1954, has the same dedication and will be a tremendous venue for this international competition.”

Sam Burns, 21, of Shreveport, La., Dawson Armstrong, 21, of Brentwood, Tenn., and Dylan Meyer, 22, of Evansville, Ind., are the first, second and third alternatives, respectively.

About the The Walker Cup

USGA Announces a Strong U.S. Walker Cup Squad

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 (alternat...

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