Former University of Kentucky golfer John Holmes has been selected as part of the 10-man squad to represent the United States of America team for the Walker Cup Match that will be played Aug. 13-14 at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Ill. Chosen by the International Team Selection Committee of United States Golf Association, the squad will face an amateur team representing Great Britain and Ireland.
?Quite frankly, this is an enormous honor for John Holmes to represent the USA in the Walker Cup,? said UK head coach Brian Craig. ?This is the highest honor you can get in amateur competition and it?s just a reflection of the kind of person John is and the commitment he?s made over the last four years to be great at this game. There could not be a better way to end your amateur career than by representing your country and we are extremely proud of and excited for John and this opportunity.?
The All-American Holmes finished seventh-place at the NCAA Tournament last season and helped the Wildcats to a school-best seventh-place team finish. The Campbellsville, Ky., native helped the Cats to their first-ever Southeastern Conference title and was named the SEC Golfer of the Year after finishing in the top 10 in eight of 13 tournaments as a senior. He recently competed for Team USA in the Palmer Cup and led the Americans to a 14-10 win over Team Europe in that event. The Palmer Cup is the collegiate equivalent to the Walker Cup which selects its members from all amateur players regardless of age.
Three members of the 2005 Walker Cup team competed in the 2005 U.S. Open championship. They are Matthew Every, 22, of Daytona Beach, Fla.; Michael Putnam, 22, of Tacoma, Wash.; and Lee Williams, 24, of Alexander City, Ala.
They are joined on the team by Anthony Kim, 20, of La Quinta, Calif.; Brian Harman, 18, of Savannah, Ga.; Holmes, 23, of Campbellsville, Ky.; Billy Hurley, 23, of Leesburg, Va.; Jeff Overton, 22, of Evansville, Ind.; Kyle Reifers, 22, of Dublin, Ohio; and Nicholas Thompson, 22, of Coral Springs, Fla. The top two alternates, in order, are Luke List, 20, of Ringgold, Ga., and Ryan Blaum, 21, of Coral Gables, Fla. Bob Lewis, 61, of Pepper Pike, Ohio, who played on four winning Walker Cup teams from 1981 through 1987, will serve as team captain. He also was captain of the 2003 team.
The Walker Cup Match consists of 16 singles and eight foursomes (alternate shot) matches. Great Britain and Ireland?s team has won the last three Matches, in 1999, 2001 and 2003; twice by scores of 15-9 and by 12? -11? in 2003. The USA leads the series overall, 31-7-1.
The GB&I team is led by veterans Nigel Edwards of Wales and England?s Gary Wolstenholme. Sixteen-year-old Oliver Fisher of England will be the youngest to play for either side.
Daily tickets are $35 and can be reserved by calling the ticket office at (630) 949-3219. The Golf Channel will air live coverage from 11-1 p.m. on Saturday and from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday (EDT). For more information, visit the official Walker Cup Match site at www.walkercup.org.
