1936 – Pine Valley

USA 9 – 0 GB&I

September 2-3, 1936
Pine Valley Golf Club, Clementon, New Jersey 
6,703 yards / Par 70

Captains: Francis Ouimet (USA) and William Tweddell (GB&I)

Day 1 Foursomes (USA players first) 
Johnny Goodman / Albert Campbell beat Hector Thomson / Harry Bentley 7&5
Reynolds Smith / Edward White beat Jack McLean / John Langley 8&7
Charles Yates / Walter Emery halved with Gordon Peters / Morton Dykes
Harry Givan / George Voigt halved with Alec Hill / Cecil Ewing
USA 2 – GB&I 0

Day 2 Singles
Johnny Goodman beat Hector Thomson 3&2
Albert Campbell beat Jack McLean 5&4
John Fischer beat Cecil Ewing 8&7
Reynolds Smith beat Alec Hill 11&9
Walter Emery beat Gordon Peters 1 hole
Charles Yates beat Morton Dykes 8&7
George Dunlap Jr halved with Harry Bentley
Edward White beat John Langley 6&5
USA 7 – GB&I 0

Match Result: USA 9 – GB&I 0

Series Results: USA 9 – GB&I 0 (after Match 9)

British Pathé Highlights of the Walker Cup – from 3.42 to 4.16 mins.

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Match Notes

Pine Valley G.C. opened in 1921 and the staging of the Walker Cup just 15 years later highlights how quickly it came to prominence.

Former British player Edward F. Storey, who played in the 1924, ’26 and ’28 matches, toured the course ahead of this encounter. Reaching the 2nd tee he famously said to his group: “Tell me, do you chaps actually play this course, or do you just photograph it ?”

The USGA announced an 11-man team to take on GB&I in April 1936. It was fairly clear from the start that captain Francis Ouimet was planning to become the first non-playing captain. Albert Campbell, George Dunlap Jr, Walter Emery, Johnny Fischer, Harry Givan, Johnny Goodman, Reynolds Smith, George Voight, Ed White and Charles Yates were named alongside Ouimet.

Signed GB&I 1936 Walker Cup Dinner Menu 

Captain William Tweddell was named alongside five other players by The R&A at the start of the Amateur Championship in May 1936. Harry Bentley (29), John Langley (18), Percy “Laddie” Lucas (21), Jack McClean (25) and Hector Thomson (22) were the other names in a young first GB&I wave.

After The Amateur was completed at St. Andrews in early June The R&A, still intent on focussing on new young blood, added J. Morton Dykes (31, Quarter Finalist), Cecil Ewing (26, Semi-Finalist), Alec Hill (26, Semi-Finalist) and Gordon Peters (26, Quarter Finalist). The previously selected Hector Thomson won the Championship. Cyril Tolley had reached the Quarter Finals but appears to have been a victim of the new selection policy of youth over experience.

Travelling across to USA on board the ‘RMS Transylvania’ liner Hector Thomson stubbed one of his toes whilst playing deck quoits, supposedly breaking his toe. Later reports suggested that the pain was so bad he was forced to play his two matches with one carpet slipper on. However, it seems unlikely he could have played two 36 hole matches with such an injury and a slipper.

In the end GB&I Captain Tweddell chose to join Ouimet on the sidelines throughout and was joined by Laddie Lucas who contracted tonsillitis prior to the match.

Pine Valley 1936 Walker Cup Match Scorecard (Photo: oldsportsauctions.com)

The match was officially a whitewash, 9-0 to the USA. In fact two Foursomes and one Singles game were halved by GB&I but back in those days only a clear win secured a point. Whilst GB&I were still to taste victory in the Walker Cup after nine matches 1936 saw a new low; the first time they had failed to even win a single game.

In the foursomes USA’s Harry Givan and George Voight led GB&I’s Alec Hill and Cecil Ewing 7Up with 11 holes of the 36 hole game to play.  The GB&I pair won 7 of the next 10 holes to draw level before the 36th hole was halved.

It is said that a conversation at Pine Valley between spectators Tony Torrance and Bobby Jones led to the establishment of the ’14 club’ rule in 1938-39. Whilst some players had started to carry as many as 25 clubs Torrance always carried 12 and Jones 16 hence the compromise position put forward to the authorities.

Two Walker Cup players contested the Final of the U.S. Amateur a week later at Garden City G.C. USA’s Johnny Fischer overcoming Scotland’s Jack McLean on the 37th hole after long putts secured winning birdies on the last two holes.

Johnny Fisher was the last person to win a major national championship with hickory shafted clubs. It was reported that he was the only player in the field using hickories, most players having already transferred over to steel in the early 1930’s.

National Golf Links Post Match Dinner on 5th September 1936 (Photo: oldsportsauctions.com)

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