1981 Walker Cup Winner and Match Scores

The 1981 Walker Cup was the 28th time this competition took place. Following the United States victory, the all-time standings were 25 wins for Team USA, two wins for Team GB&I, one tie.

Final Score: United States 15, Great Britain & Ireland 9

Dates Played: August 28-29, 1981

Location: Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, Calif.

Team Captains: Rodney Foster for Great Britain & Ireland, Jim Gabrielson for the United States

Team Rosters:

• GB&I — Roger Chapman, Colin Dalgleish, Peter Deeble, Duncan Evans, Geoffrey Godwin, Ian Hutcheon, Peter McEvoy, Ronan Rafferty, Philip Walton, Paul Way
• USA — Ron Commans, Frank Fuhrer III, Jim Holtgrieve, Bob Lewis Jr., Jodie Mudd, Corey Pavin, Joe Rassett, Jay Sigel, Hal Sutton, Dick von Tacky

Notes: It was the fifth consecutive win in the Walker Cup for Team USA, despite a surprising loss on Day 1. Hal Sutton, the defending U.S. Amateur champ, and Jay Sigel, in his third Walker Cup (he eventually set the tournament record for match wins and points earned), lost to what was the youngest pairing in Walker Cup history: 19-year-old Philip Walton and 17-year-old Ronan Rafferty.

Rafferty, at age 17 years, 7 months, 15 days, was the youngest player in Walker Cup history to this point (a record later broken). Walton and Rafferty won in foursomes again on Day 2. Rafferty lost to Sutton and Jim Holtgrieve in singles, however.

1981 Walker Cup Results

Day 1

Foursomes

• Philip Walton/Ronan Rafferty, GB&I, def. Hal Sutton/Jay Sigel, USA, 4 and 2
• Jim Holtgrieve/Frank Fuhrer III, USA, def. Roger Chapman/Peter McEvoy, GB&I, 1-up
• Bob Lewis/Dick von Tacky, USA, def. Peter Deeble/Ian Hutcheon, GB&I, 2 and 1
• Ron Commans/Corey Pavin, USA, def. Duncan Evans/Paul Way, GB&I, 5 and 4

Score after first session: USA 3, GB&I 1

Singles

• Hal Sutton, USA, def. Ronan Rafferty, GB&I, 3 and 1
• Joey Rassett, USA, def. Colin Dalgleish, GB&I, 1-up
• Philip Walton, GB&I, def. Ron Commans, USA, 1-up
• Roger Chapman, GB&I, def. Bob Lewis, USA, 2 and 1
• Jodie Mudd, USA, def. Geoffrey Godwin, GB&I, 1-up
• Corey Pavin, USA, def. Ian Hutcheon, GB&I, 4 and 3
• Paul Way, GB&I, def. Dick von Tacky, USA, 3 and 1
• Jay Sigel, USA, def. Peter McEvoy, GB&I, 4 and 2

Score of second session: USA 5, GB&I 3
Cumulative score after two sessions: USA 8, GB&I 4

Day 2

Foursomes

• Roger Chapman/Paul Way, GB&I, def. Hal Sutton/Jay Sigel, USA, 1-up
• Philip Walton/Ronan Rafferty, GB&I, def. Jim Holtgrieve/Frank Fuhrer III, USA, 6 and 4
• Duncan Evans/Colin Dalgleish, GB&I, def. Bob Lewis/Dick von Tacky, USA, 3 and 2
• Joey Rassett/Jodie Mudd, USA, def. Ian Hutcheon/Geoffrey Godwin, GB&I, 5 and 4

Score of third session: GB&I 3, USA 1
Cumulative score after three sessions: USA 9, GB&I 7

Singles

• Roger Chapman, GB&I, def. Hal Sutton, USA, 1-up
• Jim Holtgrieve, USA, def. Ronan Rafferty, GB&I, 2 and 1
• Frank Fuhrer III, USA, def. Philip Walton, GB&I, 4 and 2
• Jay Sigel, USA, def. Paul Way, GB&I, 6 and 5
• Jodie Mudd, USA, def. Colin Dalgleish, GB&I, 7 and 5
• Geoffrey Godwin, GB&I, halved with Ron Commans, USA
• Joey Rassett, USA, def. Peter Deeble, GB&I, 4 and 3
• Duncan Evans, GB&I, halved with Corey Pavin, USA

Score of fourth session: USA 6, GB&I 2
Overall and final score: USA 15, GB&I 9

Previous and next:
1979 Walker Cup | 1983 Walker Cup