The R&A has released a new documentary that turns one of amateur golf's oldest questions — what separates the players who go on to stardom from the ones who don't — into a 27-minute film built around two men who met on opposite sides of the same Walker Cup.
Margins, released Monday ahead of the 51st Walker Cup at Lahinch, tells the story of James Byrne and Jordan Spieth, who faced off at Royal Aberdeen in 2011. Byrne beat the then-teenage Spieth in singles as Great Britain and Ireland pulled off a memorable 14-12 victory over the United States. Both were among the leading amateurs of their generation. What came next could hardly have been more different.
Spieth went on to become one of the best players in the world, winning three major championships before his 24th birthday. Byrne — runner-up in the 115th Amateur Championship the year before that Walker Cup — followed a very different route through the professional game. Their contrasting journeys form the spine of the film, which examines the small margins that can shape even the most talented careers.
“I played well at the right time,” Spieth says of how the week at Royal Aberdeen shaped his belief. “It made me believe and it didn't go away for a long time. It just built and built and built and then that's what came of it. There are a lot of amazing players. What separates them is oftentimes very small margins.”
For Byrne, the meaning of the match has not faded, even as the two careers took such different shapes. “When you played in the Walker Cup, you don't know what's coming. You don't know if you're gonna have a career playing majors or Ryder Cups,” he said. “At that time, it's the biggest thing in the world, so it's the best thing I've done in my golf career by far.
“Success in golf, I think it's very individual. Other people can't define your success. You can't just go on Wikipedia and see somebody's stats and wins and rankings and say, ‘this person's been successful or not.' I think it's what you perceive it to be yourself.”
The film also features Scottie Scheffler, Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Russell Henley and Harris English reflecting on their own Walker Cup experiences and what it meant to represent their countries in one of amateur golf's most historic matches.
The 51st Walker Cup takes place at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare on Sept. 5-6, with the United States — which leads the overall series 40-9-1 — facing Great Britain and Ireland. Margins also looks ahead to what the experience could mean for the next generation of players in the years to come. The full film is available to watch on The R&A's YouTube channel.
