USA 9 – 15 GB&I
August 11-12, 2001
Ocean Forest Golf Club, Sea Island, Georgia
7,134 yards, Par 72
Captains: Danny Yates (USA) and Peter McEvoy (GB&I)
Day 1 Foursomes (USA players first)
Danny Green / D.J. Trahan lost to Steven O’Hara / Gary Wolstenholme 5&3
Nicholas Cassini / Lucas Glover beat Luke Donald / Nick Dougherty 4&3
David Eger / Bryce Molder halved with Jamie Elson / Richard McEvoy
James Driscoll / Jeff Quinney lost to Graeme McDowell / Michael Hoey 3&1
USA 1.5 – GB&I 2.5
Day 1 Singles
Erik Compton beat Gary Wolstenholme 3&2
D.J. Trahan beat Steven O’Hara 2&1
James Driscoll lost to N. Dougherty 2&1
Nicholas Cassini beat Nigel Edwards 5&4
John Harris lost to Mark Warren 5&4
Jeff Quinney lost to Luke Donald 4&2
Bryce Molder beat Graeme McDowell 2&1
Lucas Glover beat Michael Hoey 1 hole
USA 5 – GB&I 3
Day 1: USA 6.5 – GB&I 5.5
Gary Wolstenholme’s 2001 Golf Bag
Day 2 Foursomes
Erik Compton / John Harris lost to Luke Donald / Nick Dougherty 3&2
Nicholas Cassini / Lucas Glover lost to Graeme McDowell / Michael Hoey 2&1
David Eger / Bryce Molder beat Stephen O’Hara / Mark Warren 7&6
Danny Green / D.J. Trahan lost to Jamie Elson / Richard McEvoy 1 hole
USA 1 – GB&I 3
Day 2 Singles
Lucas Glover lost to Luke Donald 3/2
D. J. Trahan lost to Nick Dougherty 1 hole
Bryce Molder beat Graeme McDowell 1 hole
John Harris lost to Stephen O’Hara 4&3
James Driscoll lost to Mark Warren 2&1
Danny Green lost to Michael Hoey 1 hole
Erik Compton halved with Jamie Elson
Nicholas Cassini lost to Gary Wolstenholme 5/3
USA 1.5 – GB&I 6.5
Match Result: USA 9 – GB&I 15
Series Results: USA 31 – GB&I 6 – Halved 1 (after Match 38)
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Match Notes
As Ocean Forest had only opened in 1995 the Sea Island Company and Jones family, who owned the Club, decided to stage a pre-Walker Cup tournament in the preceding January to test the course out. Donald Junior ‘D.J.’ Trahan won the first Jones Cup and went on to secure a place in the U.S. team. The Jones Cup was such a success it has continued to this day, played every January. It was played in alternate years until 2009 but since 2010 has become an annual fixture in the elite amateur golf calendar.
Ocean Forest staged the Walker Cup just six years after opening in 1995. It remains the youngest club to be afforded this honour, a record that is unlikely to be broken.
Michael Hoey, Graeme McDowell and Nick Dougherty were amongst the players introduced to the GB&I team with David Dixon, Barry Hume and Craig Watson considered unlucky to miss out based on their recent form. Northern Irish pair Hoey and McDowell contributed two points in a strong foursomes partnership.
Luke Donald (Northwestern), Jamie Elson (Augusta State), Hoey (Clemson) and McDowell (UAB) all played in the U.S. college system in the year of the match.
2001 Walker Cup Ball Marker
As he had done in 1999 Captain McEvoy chose to bench a player for both Day 2 formats. This time Nigel Edwards was the victim of McEvoy’s determination to win.
GB&I won the Walker Cup for the sixth time in 38 matches and retained it for the first time. Peter McEvoy, who enjoyed a less than stellar playing record, could certainly now lay claim to being GB&I’s best ever captain.
The home nations moved to entering their own teams into the World Amateur Team Championship from 2002 rather than a combined GB&I one as had been the case between 1958 and 2000. Whilst this was partly put down to disagreements over the 2001 Walker Cup selection it must also be said that the decision could only have a positive impact on future GB&I teams. Why send four players when twelve can gain the top level experience in this event ?
John Harris completed his Walker Cup journey for the USA in 2001. He played in four matches, 1993-95-97-01, and won 10 of the 14 games he was involved in. 2001 proved to be a match too far as he added three defeats to his resume in Georgia.
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