It’s hard for me to think about the Walker Cup without remembering Michael Bonallack, our Captain in 1971, who played in nine Walker Cups (two as playing captain) and had a great friendship and rivalry with my father (who played in 12, including one as Captain) during their 25-year dominance of the amateur game in Europe in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
Back then, before professional golf took over on TV, the amateur game grabbed the headlines, and Michael and my father were as famous – if not more so – than the top professional golfers of the era.
1957 Michael Bonallack, second from left top, JB Carr second from right, bottom
I was privileged to attend the last Walker Cup at St Andrews in 2023, 52 years after playing on the Old Course. It was a particularly poignant time for me, as it was a final goodbye to Michael, who sadly passed away a few months later. The world of amateur golf – players, officials from the R&A and USGA – knew they were seeing this humble legend for the last time as he sat in his wheelchair under glorious sunshine, just yards from the office he held as Secretary of the R&A for many years. It was a fitting and iconic setting for him to bid his final farewell, with the flags, the Trophy, and a Scottish piper leading in the teams.
It brought back memories of my father and my match against Jim Simons on the final day in 1971, when we were on the verge of making history by beating the Americans for the first time in 38 years. I’d asked my mother to tell ‘Pop’ to stay out of sight while watching, as it would distract me. So, he hid behind the gorse bushes all week, and all I saw were puffs of smoke from the Player’s cigarettes he was chain-smoking back then.
On the 8th hole, Alex Kyle, the Welsh R&A referee for our match, issued Jim and me a warning for slow play. Jim was notoriously slow – worse than Patrick Cantlay is today! I panicked and lost two holes in a row, as I’d never been a slow player.
On the 10th green, I caught sight of my father, called him over, and blurted out my panic and frustration. He simply said, ‘Don’t worry, leave it with me. Shoot 34 on this nine, and you’ll win.’ Walking up the next hole, a gentle hand went around my shoulder – it was Mr Kyle, telling me not to worry, the warning was meant for my opponent, not me, and to relax and play my own game.
That settled me down, and I ended up beating Jim, holing an 11-yard putt on the 18th green in front of 10,000 ecstatic supporters, including my father and Michael, who rushed onto the green to congratulate me. I later heard how my father had grabbed Alex by his R&A tie, dragged him behind a gorse bush, and told him in no uncertain terms that it would be his fault if we lost the Walker Cup because of what he’d done to me!
Rory McIlroy at 2007 Walker Cup (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
Those were different days. In today’s golfing world, the Walker Cup remains the pinnacle of amateur team golf. Unlike the Ryder Cup, it’s stayed true to its roots as a Great Britain and Ireland event, without including European players. Bobby Jones was among the first to support the event back in 1922, and the Match has carried on, honouring the traditions and integrity of amateur sport, where representing your country matters more than money.
The event next week at the iconic Cypress Point will carry the influence of the Ryder Cup and the fever building around Bethpage next month. The teams, much younger today, will battle it out mano a mano over the three days. You can be sure that the great players of today – Tiger, Rory, and Scottie – and legends from the past like Nicklaus, all of whom played in the Walker Cup, will be keeping a close eye on the Matches.
Great friendships have always been forged between players on both teams. I remember my father telling me how, in 1959, he asked the Captain to play him down the bottom of the team for the singles so he ‘could teach some of these youngsters a lesson’. It didn’t quite work out. He was paired against a young, pugnacious Jack Nicklaus, who hammered him.
They became lifelong friends after that match – so much so that Jack asked to give the induction speech when my father became the first Irishman inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007, after he’d passed.
The two Irish players on the team, Stuart Grehan and Gavin Tiernan from County Louth Golf Club, will carry on the great tradition of the 54 Irish players before them, including legends like Jimmy Bruen, Cecil Ewing, Joe Carr, Garth McGimpsey, Ronan Rafferty, Paul McGinley, Pádraig Harrington, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, and Rory McIlroy. Good luck, lads, and let’s bring home the Cup!
