1983 – Royal Liverpool GC

GB&I 10.5 – 13.5 USA

May 25-26, 1983
Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake, Cheshire, England
7,019 yards / Par 72 

Captains: Charles Green (GB&I) and Jay Sigel (USA)

Day 1 Foursomes (GB&I players first)
George Macgregor / Philip Walton beat Jay Sigel / Rick Fehr 3&2
Steve Keppler / Arthur Pierse lost to Willie Wood / Brad Faxon Jr 3&1
Malcolm Lewis / Martin Thompson lost to Bob Lewis Jr / Jim Holtgrieve 7&6
Lindsay Mann / Andrew Oldcorn beat Willie Hoffer / Dave Tentis 5&4

GB&I 2 – USA 2

Day 1 Singles
Philip Walton beat Jay Sigel 1 hole
Steve Keppler lost to Rick Fehr 1 hole
George Macgregor halved with Willie Wood
David Carrick lost to Brad Faxon Jr 3&1
Andrew Oldcorn beat Billy Tuten 4&3
Philip Parkin beat Nathaniel Crosby 6&4
Arthur Pierse lost to Bob Lewis Jr 3&1
Lindsay Mann lost to Jim Holtgrieve 6&5
GB&I 3.5 – USA 4.5

Day 1 GB&I 5.5 – USA 6.5

Day 2 Foursomes
George Macgregor / Philip Walton lost to N. Crosby / W. Hoffer 2 holes
Philip Parkin / Martin Thompson beat Brad Faxon Jr / Willie Wood 1 hole
Lindsay Mann / Andrew Oldcorn beat Bob Lewis Jr / Jim Holtgrieve 1 hole
Steve Keppler / Arthur Pierse halved with Jay Sigel / Rick Fehr
GB&I 2.5 – USA 1.5

Day 2 Singles
Philip Walton beat Willie Wood 2&1
Philip Parkin lost to Brad Faxon Jr 3&2
George Macgregor lost to Rick Fehr 2&1
Martin Thompson lost to Billy Tuten 3&2
Lindsay Mann halved with Dave Tentis
Steve Keppler lost to Bob Lewis Jr 6&5
Andrew Oldcorn beat Jim Holtgrieve 3&2
David Carrick lost to Jay Sigel 3&1
GB&I 2.5 – USA 5.5

Match Result: GB&I 10.5 – USA 13.5

Series Results: USA 26 – GB&I 2 – Halved 1 (after Match 29)

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GB&I Team – Back L. Mann, D. Carrick, M. Lewis, P. Parkin, A. Oldcorn, S. Keppler; Front G. Macgregor, M. Thompson, C. Green, A. Pierse, P. Walton.
(Photo: Peter Grunwell)

Match Notes

Given it’s key role in the history of both amateur golf and the Walker Cup it was a surprise it took until 1983 for Royal Liverpool G.C. to be given the honour of hosting the match.

As would be the case in 2019, when the match was again played at Hoylake, the result turned on the Day 2 Singles which USA dominated to ultimately secure a comfortable win.

In 1983 USA took control early on and by the turn were up in six, all-square in one and down in the other. Only Philip Walton and Andrew Oldcorn were victorious for the home team in these final Singles games.

GB&I Captain Charlie Green harshly sacrificed Malcom Lewis after the Day 1 Foursomes.

Oldcorn, who had won the previous year’s English Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool, was unbeaten for GB&I picking up a maximum four points.

Walton, playing in the opening game of each series, secured 3.5 points. His win over Willie Wood was particularly sweet as Wood was an Oklahoma State University golf teammate of his and he cam back from 2Down with six to play.

Carnoustie’s Lindsay Mann won 2.5 points. His final 0.5 point was certainly well earned – he was 5Down with eight holes to play in his Sunday Singles against Dave Tentis.

Brad Faxon and Bob Lewis Jr led the USA team with 3 points out of the four available to them.

Jay Siegel returned home to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships in September and October 1983. He remains the only player to win both titles in the same year.

Nathanial Crosby played for USA and would return to Hoylake in 2019 as the team’s captain.

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