1969 – Milwaukee

USA 10 – 8 GB&I

August 22-23, 1969
Milwaukee Country Club, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
6,721 yards / Par 70

Captains: Billy Joe Patton (USA) and Michael Bonallack (GB&I)

Day 1 Foursomes (USA players first) 
Marvin Giles III / Steve Melnyk beat Michael Bonallack / Tom Craddock 3&2
Bruce Fleisher / Allen Miller III halved with Peter Benka / Bruce Critchley
Lanny Wadkins / Dick Siderowf lost to Charles Green / Andrew Brooks 3&2
Bill Hyndman III / Joe Inman Jr beat Rodney Foster / Geoff Marks 2&1
USA 2 – GB&I 1

Day 1 Singles 
Bruce Fleisher halved with Michael Bonallack
Marvin Giles III beat Charles Green 1 hole
Allen Miller III beat Bruce Critchley 1 hole
Dick Siderowf beat Peter Tupling 6&5
Steve Melnyk lost to Peter Benka 3&1
Lanny Wadkins lost to Geoff Marks 1 hole
John Bohmann beat Michael King 2&1
Ed Updegraff beat Rodney Foster 6&5
USA 5 – GB&I 2

Day 1: USA 7 – GB&I 3

Day 2 Foursomes
Marvin Giles III / Steve Melnyk halved with Charles Green / Andrew Brooks
Bruce Fleisher / Allen Miller III lost to Peter Benka / Bruce Critchley 2&1
Dick Siderowf / Lanny Wadkins beat Rodney Foster / Michael King 6&5
Ed Updegraff / John Bohmann lost to Michael Bonallack / Peter Tipling 4&3
USA 1 – GB&I 2

Day 2 Singles
Bruce Fleisher lost to Michael Bonallack 5&4
Dick Siderowf halved with Bruce Critchley
Allen Miller III beat Michael King 1 hole
Marvin Giles III halved with Tom Craddock
Joe Inman Jr beat Peter Benka 2&1
John Bohmann lost to Andrew Brooks 4&3
Bill Hyndman III halved with Charles Green
Ed Updegraff lost to Geoff Marks 3&2
USA 2 – GB&I 3

Match Result: USA 10 – GB&I 8

Series Results: USA 20 – GB&I 1 – Halved 1 (after Match 22)

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Match Notes

USA plans were hampered by the late withdrawals of Hubert Green and Robert Barbarossa who both announced they were planning to turn professional. Matters were then not helped by the unavailability of two of the USGA’s reserves, Rick Massengale and Jack Lewis. The remaining reserve Joe Inman accepted and was joined in the final line-up by John Bohmann.

1969 Walker Cup Hat (Photo: The Golf Auction) 

Scottish International golfer Sandy Sinclair became Chairman of the R&A Selection Committee in 1969, taking over from John Langley. He had unsuccessively participated in the 1951 Walker Cup trials at Royal Birkdale and believing they “(did) not perform a useful purpose” stopped them.

GB&I’s leading player at the time Michael Bonallack was selected as captain. He contested all four series too.

Controversially Scotland’s Gordon Cosh was not selected for the GB&I team. In 1968 he had won the Scottish Amateur, played for Britain against Europe and was selected for the four-man Eisenhower Trophy team. In 1969 he captained Scotland in the European Amateur Team Championship and was playing well.

With six games halved over the two days and USA only winning by two points this was a match that could easily have been halved or even won by GB&I.

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