1971 Walker Cup Winner and Match Scores

Something happened in the 1971 Walker Cup that had happened only once before: Great Britain & Ireland won. Following the Team GB&I victory, the all-time standings were 20 wins for Team USA, two wins for Team GB&I, and one tie.

Final Score: Great Britain & Ireland 13, United States 11

Dates Played: May 26-27, 1971

Location: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland

Team Captains: John Winters for the United States, Michael Bonallack for Great Britain & Ireland

Team Rosters:

• USA — William C. Campbell, John Farquhar, Jim Gabrielsen, Vinny Giles, Bill Hyndman, Tom Kite, Steve Melnyk, Allen Miller, Jim Simons, Lanny Wadkins
• GB&I — Roddy Carr, Rodney Foster, Charlie Green, Warren Humphreys, Scott Macdonald, George Macgregor, Geoffrey Marks, David Marsh, Hugh Stuart, Michael Bonallack (playing captain)

Notes: In the previous 22 Walker Cups, the United States had won 20 of them. Team GB&I had managed only one win (1938 Walker Cup) and one tie (1965 Walker Cup). But this time, GB&I roared out of the gate, sweeping all four of the Day 1 foursomes. But Team USA reversed it in the afternoon, winning 6.5 of the available 8 points in the Day 1 singles to take a one-point lead at the end of Day 1.

Following the morning foursomes on Day 2, the USA extended its lead to two points, 9-7. Another American victory seemed in the offing.

But in the final singles session, the only American winners were that side's two future Hall of Famers: Lanny Wadkins in the opening game, and Tom Kite in the closer. In between, GB&I reeled off six consecutive match victories, three of them by 1-up margins.

Bill Hyndman played for Team USA at age 55 years, 5 months, 11 days, making him the second-oldest player (by exactly three months to Michael Scott) in Walker Cup history and the oldest American ever in the tournament. American captain John Winters, a past president of the USGA, was 70 years old, at the time the oldest-ever team captain (a record broken two years later by Jess Sweetser).

1971 Walker Cup Results

Day 1

Foursomes

• Michael Bonallack/Warren Humphreys, GB&I, def. Lanny Wadkins/Jim Simons, USA, 1-up
• Charlie Green/Roddy Carr, GB&I, def. Steve Melnyk/Vinny Giles, USA, 1-up
• David Marsh/George Macgregor, GB&I, def. Allen Miller/John Farquhar, USA, 2 and 1
• Scott Macdonald/Rodney Foster, GB&I, def. William C. Campbell/Tom Kite, USA, 2 and 1

Score after first session: GB&I 4, USA 0

Singles

• Lanny Wadkins, USA, def. Charlie Green, GB&I, 1-up
• Vinny Giles, USA, def. Michael Bonallack, GB&I, 1-up
• Allen Miller, USA, def. Geoff Marks, GB&I, 1-up
• Steve Melnkyk, USA, def. Scott Macdonald, GB&I, 3 and 2
• Roddy Carr, GB&I, halved with Bill Hyndman, USA
• Jim Gabrielson, USA, def. Warren Humphreys, GB&I, 1-up
• Hugh Stuart, GB&I, def. John Farquhar, USA, 3 and 2
• Tom Kite, USA, def. Rodney Foster, GB&I, 3 and 2

Score of second session: USA 6.5, GB&I 1.5
Cumulative score after two sessions: USA 6.5, GB&I 5.5

Day 2

Foursomes

• Steve Melnyk/Vinny Giles, USA, def. Geoff Marks/Charlie Green, GB&I, 1-up
• Hugh Stuart/Roddy Carr, GB&I, def. Lanny Wadkins/Jim Gabrielson, USA, 1-up
• Allen Miller/John Farquhar, USA, def. David Marsh/Michael Bonallack, GB&I, 5 and 4
• William C. Campbell/Tom Kite, USA, halved with Scott Macdonald/Rodney Foster, GB&I

Score of third session: USA 2.5, GB&I 1.5
Cumulative score after three sessions: USA 9, GB&I 7

Singles

• Lanny Wadkins, USA, def. Michael Bonallack, GB&I, 3 and 1
• Hugh Stuart, GB&I, def. Vinny Giles, USA, 2 and 1
• Warren Humphreys, GB&I, def. Steve Melnyk, USA, 2 and 1
• Charlie Green, GB&I, def. Allen Miller, USA, 1-up
• Roddy Carr, GB&I, def. Jim Simons, USA, 2-up
• George Macgregor, GB&I, def. Jim Gabrielson, USA, 1-up
• David Marsh, GB&I, def. Bill Hyndman, USA, 1-up
• Tom Kite, USA, def. Geoff Marks, GB&I, 3 and 2

Score of fourth session: GB&I 6, USA 2
Overall and final score: GB&I 13, USA 11

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