LIBERTY CORNER, N.J., USA AND ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (March 21, 2022) – The USGA and The R&A today announced that the Walker Cup Match will be contested in even years from 2026 onward.

The shift moves the biennial men’s team match between Great Britain and Ireland and the USA away from the World Amateur Team Championships, which will be played in odd years beginning in 2023.

“The re-emergence of golf in the Olympic Games has had a ripple effect on the overall golf calendar,” said John Bodenhamer, chief championships officer, USGA. “This is just the next step in that as we make sure team competitions have a balanced schedule and in this case, encourage participation by the world’s best amateurs without unnecessary conflict.”

Phil Anderton, chief development officer at The R&A, said, “We have looked at this carefully with the USGA and believe that this change creates the best schedule for the players and for the Walker Cup Match itself. The Walker Cup is at the forefront of men’s amateur golf and we want to ensure that its status is reflected in its position in the golf calendar.”

The International Golf Federation announced in 2020 that the World Amateur Team Championships would move to odd years to avoid a same-year conflict with the Summer Olympic Games.

The 49th Walker Cup Match will be contested Sept. 2-3, 2023, at St. Andrews. The birthplace of golf has hosted eight previous Walker Cups, more than any other venue, most recently in 1975, when the USA defeated GB&I, 15½-8½, led by future U.S. Open champions Jerry Pate and Curtis Strange. 

With the calendar change, the Walker Cup Match scheduled for Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club in 2033 has been moved to 2032. The USGA today also announces that due to that adjustment, the 2034 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club will move to 2033. 

About the USGA  
The USGA is a nonprofit organization that celebrates, serves and advances the game of golf. Founded in 1894, we conduct many of golf’s premier professional and amateur championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open Presented by ProMedica. With The R&A, we govern the sport via a global set of playing, equipment, handicapping and amateur status rules. The USGA campus in Liberty Corner, New Jersey, is home to the Association’s Research and Test Center, where science and innovation are fueling a healthy and sustainable game for the future. The campus is also home to the USGA Golf Museum, where we honor the game by curating the world’s most comprehensive archive of golf artifacts. To learn more, visit usga.org. 

About The R&A

References in this document to The R&A are to R&A Rules Limited. Together The R&A, based in St. Andrews, Scotland, and the USGA govern the sport of golf worldwide, operating in separate jurisdictions but with a commitment to a single code for the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status and Equipment Standards. The R&A governs the sport worldwide, outside of the United States and Mexico, on behalf of over 36 million golfers in 144 countries and with the consent of 159 organizations from amateur and professional golf.

The R&A aims to invest £200 million in developing golf over a decade and supports the growth of the sport internationally, including the development and management of sustainable golf facilities.  For more information visit http://www.randa.org