Far Hills, N.J. (Aug. 7) – Three more of the 10 players who will comprise the 2011 USA Walker Cup Team have been selected by the International Team Selection Committee of the United States Golf Association. The 2011 Walker Cup Match will be played Sept. 10-11 at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Aberdeen, Scotland.
The players are:
Patrick Rodgers, 18, Avon, Ind.
Nathan Smith, 33, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Chris Williams, 20, Moscow, Idaho
(Note: Biographical information on the players can be found at: www.usga.org/news/2011/August/USA-Walker-Cup-Team-Bios/)
Smith, a three-time U.S. Mid-Amateur champion (2003, 2009 and 2010), was a member of the victorious 2009 USA Walker Cup Team and went 2-0 in foursomes (alternate-shot) with partner Peter Uihlein. He also won the 2011 Sunnehanna Amateur.
Williams, who will be a junior at the University of Washington, qualified for this year’s U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club. He also won the Sahalee Players Championship, the Pacific Coast Amateur (closing with rounds of 66-66) and was the 72-hole stroke-play medalist at the Western Amateur in early August, carding a 16-under total of 268 at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Ill.
Rodgers will be an incoming freshman this fall at Stanford University. He claimed the 2011 Porter Cup in a playoff and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Western Amateur after claiming the No. 2 seed in stroke-play qualifying behind Williams.
Previously, Patrick Cantlay, 19, Los Alamitos, Calif.; Harris English, 22, Thomasville, Ga.; Russell Henley, 22, Macon, Ga.; and Peter Uihlein, 21, Orlando, Fla., were named to the team that will compete against 10 amateurs representing Great Britain and Ireland. The remaining three USA players will be named later this month.
The captain of the USA Team is Jim Holtgrieve, 63, of St. Louis, Mo., who was a playing member of the 1979, 1981 and 1983 USA Teams, as well as the 1981 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion.
The biennial Walker Cup Match consists of 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate-shot) matches over the competition’s two days. The USA Team has won the last three Matches and leads the overall series, 34-7-1.
About the USGA
The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, equipment standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings. The USGA’s working jurisdiction comprises the United States, its territories and Mexico.
The USGA is a global leader in the development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and funds an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.
For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.
Contact:
Pete Kowalski (pkowalski@usga.org)
Web Address: www.usga.org
USGA Phone: 908-234-2300 ext.1322 (office) 908-216-8435 (cell)
