Jim Holtgrieve
Any Walker Cup summer is undoubtedly busy
for
the
captain. And this summer --- or, better yet,
the
entire
year --- has been a busy one for U.S. Walker
Cup
captain Jim Holtgrieve.
Holtgrieve, a former amateur star and
Champions
Tour
player, will be taking part in his fifth Walker
Cup.
He
played for the U.S. in 1979, 1981 and 1983.
He
was
also the U.S. captain in 2011.
We caught up with Holtgrieve ahead of the
U.S.
Amateur Championship for an update on the
Walker
Cup
selection process and what it means for him
to be
leading his second team into competition:
Amateurgolf.com: I’m sure the summer
has
been
quite busy for you. Can you give me a
rundown of
where
you’ve been relevant to your duties with the
U.S.
Walker Cup and team selection.
Jim Holtgrieve: The process for me started
right
before
Christmas with the practice session. I went to
the
Jones Cup in early February, the NCAA
Championship,
Sunnehanna, Northeast and Porter Cup. Last
week, I
was at the Western Amateur. The process,
though,
really started right after the 2011 Walker Cup.
AGC: We can only assume that your trip
to
the
Western Amateur was an important one. How
impressed
with Jordan Niebrugge were you?
JH: Jordan wasn’t on the radar at all during
the
process, which is really a two-year process.
Interestingly
enough, I had communicated with the Director
of
Golf
at Erin Hills about Jordan and wondered how
we
had
never heard of this guy. I watched him and he
was
very impressive. He’s very talented. He
started
believing
in himself and found out he can compete
nationally.
When you win a national title like the Public
Links,
you
come back with more confidence. I had dinner
with
him and he’s a fine young man. He’s
respectful
and has talent. He would be the perfect guy to
represent the
U.S. in a golf competition. We’ll see what he
does
at
the U.S. Amateur.
AGC: Are there certain things taken from
certain
events? For instance, does a solid
performance at
one
elite event mean more in the eyes of the
committee
than a solid performance at another?
JH: The Western Amateur has always been a
big
tournament for me. I think the USGA looks at
the
Western
as an important event, too. Personally, the
U.S.
Amateur is number one and Western is right
behind it.
In
those events, it’s combined stroke play and
match
play.
Holtgrieve meets with
players
during the 2011 Walker Cup
AGC: What are your personal thoughts
about
the
inclusion of two mid amateur players on the
U.S.
squad?
JH: When the 2011 Walker Cup was over, I
went
to
Nathan Smith and said that, “I’m not sure if I’ll
be
captain again, but you have to try and make
the
team
in 2013.” He told me that he wouldn’t try
because
it’s
so hard. He’s 35 years old with a job and for
him
to
keep up with these young guys, is tough. That
hit
me
the wrong way. When I researched the Walker
Cup
and learned that it’s all about developing
relationships
and using the game of golf to bring people
together. It
was first started to bring two continents
together
after World War I. That hit me pretty strong
as I
was
in the Air Force for four years. Here is Nathan
Smith,
who should be an influence for young players.
The
Walker Cup isn’t a stepping stone. Just
because
you’re
a
Walker Cup player doesn’t mean you’ll be a
good
professional player. I want guys to pass the
Walker
Cup
experience along to youths to build the game
of
golf.
That’s my thought mechanism.
At Cherry Hills last year (site of the 2012 U.S.
Amateur), I went to the USGA and said that
when
my
captaincy was over, I was going to lobby the
USGA to
put one or maybe two mid amateurs on the
team.
And
they came back to me and said they’re going
to
do it.
We’re putting two mid-ams on the team and
that’s the
right thing to do.
In 2011, Nathan Smith was the oldest guy on
the
team by nine years and the guys loved him.
Can
he
bring
that mystique and experience to the team this
year?
Absolutely. It’s important. If he makes the
team,
do I
pair him with the other mid am? Do we split
him
up?
We’ll analyze all that.
AGC: Which mid-amateurs are currently
being
considered for the two positions?
JH: Nathan Smith, Todd White and Mike
McCoy.
Mike
McCoy is a guy, who, when we made the
announcement, he changed his schedule to try
and
qualify. Mike’s played in every amateur event:
the
Sunnehanna, Northeast, Western, Porter Cup.
He’s
tried everything and qualified for the U.S.
Amateur.
AGC: Leading up to the Walker Cup, what
scheduled does the team follow? And you?
JH: We’ll make the final announcements either
Sunday
(Aug. 18) after the U.S. Amateur final or that
Monday
morning. We’ll bring the team back to the
National
Golf
Links August 22-23 for practice. They’ll come
back to
New York August 30. The next morning we’ll
go to
Ground Zero and then go to the U.S. Open
tennis.
On
Monday, we’ll head to National Golf Links and
get
ready for the Walker Cup.
Holtgrieve considers
National
Golf
Links a "historic venue."
AGC: What is your impression of the
National
Golf
Links of America?
JH: I’ve never played in a tournament there
but
whatever happens, National Golf Links is one
of
the
greatest
places in the world. I call it a historic venue.
It’s a
great match play venue. I love C.B. Macdonald
courses
and love this design. It makes you think on
every
shot.
AGC: What does it mean to you to be
leading
your
second Walker Cup squad?
JH: It has been an honor to be the Walker Cup
captain. It’s one of the greatest honors in golf.
As
a
player, I
got a chance to play for my country. In the Air
Force,
I got to serve my country and as a captain,
I’ve
had a
chance to represent my country. It’s a great
honor for
me.
ABOUT THE
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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