THE WALKER CUP MATCH between the United States and a team representing Great Britain and Ireland ( GB & I ) will be played September 2-3 , 2023 , at the game ’ s most historic venue — the Old Course at St . Andrews — a cinch to be the setting for ample drama in amateur golf ’ s most prestigious team event . An event with its own historic flair , this year ’ s Walker Cup Match will be contested 101 years after the first Match , held in 1922 at the National Golf Links of America on Long Island . Featuring two 10-player teams of amateur golfers chosen respectively by the USGA and the R & A , the Walker Cup is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes matches . The winner of each match is awarded one point per match .
The Walker Cup is played at the finest courses the U . S . and GB & I have to offer . As a small sample , consider : 2019 — Royal Liverpool Golf Club , Great Britain ; 2021 — Seminole Golf Club , Florida ; 2023 — the Old Course at St . Andrews ; 2025 — The Cypress Point Club , California .
The U . S . leads the overall series 38-9-1 . However , that total is misleading , given that five of GB & I ’ s nine wins have
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come in the last 12 Walker Cups . Today ’ s matches tend to be evenly matched and hotly contested .
This will be the ninth time the Walker Cup has been played at St . Andrews , but just the first time since 1975 . The U . S . defeated GB & I 15½-8½ with a squad that included future major champions Jerry Pate , Craig Stadler and Curtis Strange , plus the wily veteran , Marvin “ Vinny ” Giles .
Speaking of Strange and Giles , they are among a small circle of Virginians who have represented the Commonwealth in the Walker Cup over the past half century . Let ’ s take a closer look at who they are and what they accomplished in the Matches , starting with Giles .
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VIRGINIANS IN THE WALKER CUP One of the century ’ s greatest American amateur golfers , Vinny Giles is in a class by himself . Never a touring professional , he graduated from the University of Virginia ’ s law school and quickly found himself representing his fellow-competitors who took the touring pro path . While building a successful agency , Giles managed to win a few national championships and participate in a total of five Walker Cup Matches .
In true career amateur form , Giles explained what he enjoyed the most about the Walker Cup to the USGA ’ s David Shefter noting , “ A lot of what I remember is the camaraderie , the people you were with and the experiences you had .” That said , Giles
LEFT : Lanny Wadkins ( bottom left ) and Vinny Giles ( bottom right ) competed on the 1969 and 1971 U . S . Walker Cup teams . Giles , pictured at right , was the captain of the 1993 squad .
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USGA ARCHIVES |