had the ability to maintain a focus on winning . He compiled one of the best Walker Cup records ( 8-2-5 ) ever and captained his ’ 93 squad to the largest margin of victory ( 14 points ) in Walker Cup history .
Giles shared a Walker Cup locker room in both ’ 69 and ’ 71 with Lanny Wadkins , a younger lad from Richmond who developed a reputation as someone you ’ d always want on your side . Yet , in 1971 , the two Virginians shared in what has been tagged as the biggest Walker Cup upset of all time . Dominant on paper , the Americans managed to lose 13-11 to a GB & I team described as “ the worst team ever .”
Wadkins ’ singles win on the second-day afternoon proved a rare bright spot in an otherwise trouncing . Overall , in two Walker Cup years , Wadkins fashioned a 3-4 record .
Four years later , Giles welcomed young Curtis Strange to the Walker Cup squad at St . Andrews ’ Old Course . Strange performed well , winning three points while halving a fourth match . Partnering in foursomes with fellow Wake Forest All-American Jay Haas , the two proved invincible . In 1988 and ’ 89 , Strange would go on to be the only golfer in the past seven decades other than Ben Hogan and Brooks Koepka to win two consecutive U . S . Opens .
Tom McKnight , who was selected for the 1999 Walker Cup team , took an unusual route to golfing success . He was a solid but unspectacular state-level amateur through college who decided to try the mini-tours after graduation from UVA . An injury sent him back to his hometown of Galax within four years .
McKnight regained his amateur status and — from 1984 to 1996 — won nine VSGA titles , including an Open and three Amateur championships . Not only did McKnight rule in Virginia , he also displayed national-level chops , with an appearance in the 1998 U . S . Amateur championship match and wins in top invitationals .
McKnight ’ s 1999 Walker Cup invitation took him to Nairn , Scotland , where the Americans were thrashed by GB & I 15-9 . In the first of his two matches , McKnight had the commonplace experience of losing to GB & I star Luke Donald .
Upon turning 50 , McKnight chose to take on the PGA Champions Tour , winning $ 2 million over six years and embellishing an already impressive golf resume . Like
“ A lot of what I remember is the camaraderie , the people you were with and the experiences you had .” — VINNY GILES
Giles and Wadkins , McKnight is a member of the Virginia Golf Hall of Fame .
Three more gents with Virginia ties have played in the Walker Cup Match : Billy Hurley III , Drew Weaver and Denny McCarthy . Hurley , born in Leesburg , earned the right to play at Chicago Golf Club on the 2005 Walker Cup team largely as a result of his remarkable college play . As a Naval Academy Midshipman , Hurley proved he could play with the best collegians in golf , but his record over those two Walker Cup days was 0-2 as the American squad won 13.5-11.5 .
The 2007 British Amateur champion , Weaver , who graduated from Virginia
Tech , was a member of the victorious 2009 Walker Cup team at Merion Golf Club near Philadelphia . Weaver managed a tie to go along with a 1-down loss to Tommy Fleetwood in the American ’ s 16.5-9.5 win .
Denny McCarthy , a two-time all-American at the University of Virginia , participated on the 2015 Walker Cup team , which lost to GB & I 16.5-9.5 at Royal Lytham & St . Annes Golf Club . McCarthy and partner Beau Hossler won the only American point in the morning round of the first day , but he wasn ’ t able to garner another point in the loss .
Who could be next ? Leesburg ’ s Michael Brennan , the 2019 VSGA Amateur champion , was 19th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking as of early November . He has international experience , having played in 2022 in the Arnold Palmer Cup . Two-time VSGA Golfer of the Year Evan Beck has gained more of a national profile in 2022 , and at 70th in the WAGR , could be selected as a mid-amateur representative . Both were invited to participate in a Walker Cup practice session in Florida in December .
To sum it up , seven Virginians have competed in nine different Walker Cup Matches . The seven have won a total of 15 matches , lost 15 and halved 7 . The combined record of the players ’ teams is 8-4 . And , of course , Mr . Giles is 1-0 as a Walker Cup captain .
In the Walker Cup Match ’ s rarified air , that ’ s pretty good .
Casey ’ s new book , Remarkable Stories of New Jersey Golf , is now available . To learn more , go to
NJGOLFSTORIES . COM or contact Kevin Casey ( 973-886-5705 / kevincasey36 @ gmail . com ).
VIRGINIA ’ S WALKER CUP MATCH ALUMNI RECORDS
GOLFER RECORD YEARS PLAYED ( USA W / L ) COMMENTS
Vinny Giles |
8-2-5 |
1969 ( W ), 1971 ( L ), 1973 ( W ), 1975 ( W ) |
Served as non-playing captain in 1993 ( W ); won the U . S . Amateur , U . S . Senior Amateur ; British Amateur , VSGA Amateur champion ( 7 times ), VSGA Open ( 3 times ); Lynchburg |
Lanny Wadkins |
3-4 |
1969 ( W ), 1971 ( L ) |
Won the PGA Championship , 21 PGA Tour wins ; the U . S . Amateur , VSGA Amateur ( 2 ) and Junior ( 2 ) championships ; Richmond |
Curtis Strange |
3-0-1 |
1975 ( W ) |
Two-time U . S Open champion ; 19 PGA Tour wins ; the NCAA individual ( 1 ) and team ( 2 ), VSGA Amateur ( 2 ) and VSGA Junior championships ( 2 ); Norfolk |
Tom McKnight |
0-2 |
1999 ( L ) |
Played on the 1998 U . S . World Amateur Team ; runner up in 1998 U . S . Amateur ; stroke-play medalist in 1988 U . S . Amateur ; nine-time VSGA champion ; Galax |
Billy Hurley III |
0-2 |
2005 ( W ) |
One PGA Tour championship ; played Walker Cup upon graduation from the U . S . Naval Academy ; served as captain of the 2005 Palmer Cup Team ; Leesburg |
Drew Weaver |
0-2-1 |
2009 ( W ) |
Played for the Virginia Tech golf team ; won the 2007 British Amateur Championship ; has four professional tour wins |
Denny McCarthy |
1-3 |
2015 ( L ) |
Played for the University of Virginia golf team ; has four professional tour wins and ranks consistently in the top-100 OWGR ; led the U . S . victory in the 2014 World Amateur Team Championship |
vsga . org N OVEMBER / D ECEMBER 2022 | V IRGINIA G OLFER 11