Walker Cup player ratings: How the amateur stars performed in LA
As the Americans regained the trophy in emphatic style, NCG’s Dan Murphy gives his Walker Cup player ratings from the Los Angeles Country Club showpiece.
Walker Cup player ratings: Team GB&I
David Boote (Walton Heath)
W1 H0 L3
Much was expected from the Welshman as one of our more experienced players. His all-Wales foursomes partnership with Davidson was sadly not a success and they were well beaten twice (5&4 then 6&5). Lost a close match to US Amateur finalist Ghim on Saturday but did at least end the week on a high with a defeat of Ghim’s conqueror, Redman. 5/10
Jack Davidson (Llanwern)
W0 H0 L3
We hoped that his Welsh alliance with Boote would produce points in the foursomes but they never got as far as the 15th in either match. He was behind for the majority of his Sunday singles against Zalatoris and never really threatened to earn a point for his team. 3
Harry Ellis (Men Valley)
W0 H0 L3
Sent out in the top match, when you are the reigning Amateur champion then there is a certain weight on your shoulders. Sadly that game proved to be a mismatch. Equally damaging, again in the top match, was a two-hole advantage with five to play evaporating into a last-hole defeat to Thornberry that afternoon when his driving let him down before the American stiffed his 6-iron at the last. Ellis was left out on Sunday morning, which is quite a comedown, and ran into Morikawa in the afternoon to complete a miserable weekend. 3
Scott Gregory (Corhampton)
W2 H1 L1
The only other GB&I player beyond Singh Brar, with whom he won two foursomes, to post a winning record over the weekend. He also denied the 18-year-old Norman Xiong a 100 per cent record by halving their Sunday singles, winning the last two holes. There was no shame in losing to McNealy on Saturday either. 8.5
Matthew Jordan (Royal Liverpool)
W0 H0 L3
Sat out the first session but began his Saturday singles strongly and was all square through 12. Unfortunately four bogeys in the last six holes was not the way he would have liked to have finished. He and MacIntyre were always going to have a tough task against the Ghim/McNealy pair in the Sunday foursomes and so it proved. Like so many of our players, he kept up with his singles opponent for much of the match but could not hold off Ghim forever. In his defence, Ghim was one of the few players to finish a game under par and Jordan’s figures would have got him something out of many other games. 4
Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten)
W1 H1 L1
The 2016 Amateur runner-up sat out the opening session but then demolished Cameron Champ in the Saturday foursomes. Sunday wasn’t quite as good for the talented left-hander but he still caught the eye. He and Matthew Jordan ran into the juggernaut that was Ghim/McNealy in the foursomes. Drew Champ again in the singles and took another half point out of him. 7
Paul McBride (The Island)
W1 H0 L3
Won his first match alongside Syme and was beaten for the first time by Morikawa that afternoon. Another loss followed in the foursomes and that seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Irishman. He dropped shots at seven of the first 11 holes in his singles against the impressive Thornberry and was unsurprisingly thumped 6&5. 4
Alfie Plant (Sundridge Park)
W0 H0 L2
Curious. Plant was perhaps our most high-profile player, having won the European Amateur to earn a place in the Open at Royal Birkdale, where he claimed the Silver Medal in some style. He was sent out top in the opening foursomes but he and Ellis were thrashed. Plant was then not seen again until the very final match of the contest, where he was beaten by McNealy. Did something happen behind the scenes? 2
Jack Singh Brar (Remedy Oak)
W3 H0 L1
Alongside Gregory, the Lytham Trophy champion won both his foursomes. He drew home favourite Stewart Hagestad twice in the singles, and they traded a win apiece. He might feel that he should have completed a perfect weekend on an individual basis in the Sunday singles but lost on the 17th after a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes down the stretch. Still a hugely impressive weekend though. 9
Connor Syme (Drumoig)
W1 H0 L3
The weekend began so well with a foursomes win alongside Paul McBride. Thereafter, the Scot was involved in a series of tight games, all of which he came out on the wrong side of. Xiong got the better of him in the first singles on the 17th and Scheffler in the second at the last hole when the American holed all sorts of putts. In between, there was a last-hole defeat to Xiong (again) and Morikawa. 6
Go to page 2 for Walker Cup player ratings for Team USA…
Dan Murphy
Dan loves links golf, which doesn't mean he is very good at it. He is a four-handicapper at Alwoodley. A qualified journalist and senior editor with 25 years’ experience, he was the long-time editor of NCG. His passion is golf courses and he is the founding editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings. He loves nothing more than discovering and highlighting courses that are worthy of greater recognition.
