5th July 2018
The USGA have today announced the introduction of automatic selections to their international team selection process.
These new guidelines will be used for the first time for the men’s and women’s USA teams that will compete in this September’s World Amateur Team Championships in Ireland.
They will then be adopted for the 2019 Walker Cup Match and 2020 Curtis Cup Match.
The selection of the 10-man 2019 USA Walker Cup team will now take place in two segments in the preceding August: –
1. a) The top 3 ranked USA players in the WAGR (as of early August and before the U.S. Amateur)*.
2. a) The 2019 U.S. Amateur champion*;
2. b) The 2019 Mark H. McCormack Medal winner (Men’s WAGRTM No. 1 / announced immediately after the U.S. Amateur Championship)*; and
2. c) The remaining selections, which will include at least one mid-amateur (25 years and older) player, will be decided by the USGA’s International Team Selection Committee (ITSC).
*subject to the respective players being U.S. citizens and / or remaining amateur these individuals will now be automatically selected.
The USGA’s ITSC will continue to place primary emphasis on playing accomplishments, rankings and awards over the past two years, with particular focus on results in USGA competitions. It will also continue to adhere to an overarching guideline that a player named to any of its teams must have an unquestioned ability to appropriately represent the USA and USGA with character, sportsmanship and integrity.
The ITSC consists of 10 members, including representatives of the USGA Championship Committee, Executive Committee and international competition staff members. It is currently chaired by Martha Lang, who has competed in more than 60 USGA championships and is a former Curtis Cup player (1992) and captain (1996).
The Walker Cup captain will not have a formal vote on who makes the team but will provide “significant input” behind the scenes.
John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of Championships & Governance, said: “Adding these elements of transparency to our selections helps players understand the process and aspire to earn coveted spots on these top teams.”
The USA Team will defend the Walker Cup at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England, 7-8th September 2019.
ME.
Copyright © Mark Eley. All rights reserved.
In spring of 2021, look for the USGA to copy its new Curtis Cup team model for Walker Cup at Seminole