The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Spieth selected to 2011 U.S.A. Walker Cup Team
08.29.2011 | Men's Golf
Aug. 29, 2011
Far Hills, N.J. -- Texas Men's Golf freshman Jordan Spieth was one of three players named to the 2011 U.S.A. Walker Cup Team, the United States Golf Association announced. The 2011 Walker Cup Match will be played Sept. 10-11 at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in Aberdeen, Scotland.
With his selection to the team, Spieth becomes the sixth player in Texas Men's Golf history to play in the Walker Cup, joining the likes of Ed White (1936), Tom Kite (1971), Justin Leonard (1993), Brad Elder (1997) and David Gossett (1999).
Spieth joined Tiger Woods as the only players to have won multiple U.S. Junior Amateur titles in the 64-year history of the championship with his 6-and-5 win over Chelso Barrett on the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club on July 23. His first U.S. Junior Amateur title came in 2009 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J.
Spieth made the cut at the PGA Tour's HP Byron Nelson Classic in 2010 and 2011 and was runner-up at the 2011 Jones Cup in Sea Island, Ga. He has international experience, having led the U.S. Junior Ryder Cup team to victory with his undefeated record at the Gleneagles Resort in Scotland in 2010.
Although he missed the match-play cut at the 2010 U.S. Amateur at Chambers Bay, this year at Erin Hills Spieth easily qualified and advanced to the quarterfinals, where he fell to Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup selection Jack Senior of England, 1 down. An accomplished junior, Spieth was the 2009 Rolex American Junior Golf Association Player of the year. His impressive AJGA resume includes five victories and 18 consecutive top-10 finishes.
Previously, Patrick Cantlay, 19, Los Alamitos, Calif.; Harris English, 22, Thomasville, Ga.; Russell Henley, 22, Macon, Ga.; Patrick Rodgers, 18, Avon, Ind.; Nathan Smith, 33, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Chris Williams, 20, Moscow, Idaho; and Peter Uihlein, 21, Orlando, Fla. were named to the team that will compete against 10 amateurs representing Great Britain and Ireland. Spieth, Blayne Barber (21, Lake City, Fla.) and Kelly Kraft (22, Denton, Texas) were the final three players selected following the conclusion of the U.S. Men's Amateur Championship contested this past weekend.
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 series overall, 34-7-1.
