Hunter Haas Among Five Named To U.S. Walker Cup Team

Aug. 22, 1999

From the USGA:

FAR HILLS, N.J. - U.S. Amateur champion David Gossett of Germantown, Tenn., and semifinalist Hunter Haas of Norman, Okla., are two of the five amateur golfers selected to complete the 10-man U.S. squad for next month's Walker Cup Match versus a team from Great Britain and Ireland. Those named today join five who were previously named in July.

The Walker Cup Match will be played Sept. 11-12 at Nairn Golf Club in Nairn, Scotland, consisting of 16 singles and eight foursomes (alternate shot) matches.

Gossett, age 20, and Haas, 22, are joined by John "Spider" Miller, 49, of Bloomington, Ind., Bryce Molder, 20, of Conway, Ark., and Steve Scott, 22, of Coral Springs, Fla. Only U.S. citizens are eligible for selection. Danny Yates, 49, of Atlanta, Ga., a past U.S. Mid-Amateur champion (1992) who played for the 1989 and 1993 U.S. squads, is the team captain.

The five who were previously named were 1997 Amateur champion Matt Kuchar, 22, of Lake Mary, Fla., 1998 runner-up Tom McKnight, 45, of Galax, Va., Jonathan Byrd, 21, of Columbia, S.C., Tim Jackson, 40, of Germantown, Tenn., and Edward Loar, 21, of Rockwall, Texas.

The alternates, in order, are Charles Howell, 20, of Augusta, Ga., a junior at Oklahoma State University, Steve Sheehan, 45, of Reno, Nev., and Paul Simson, 48, of Raleigh, N.C.

Gossett, a sophomore at the University of Texas, won the Championship final of the 1999 U.S. Amateur to complete a season in which he won four collegiate tournaments, including the Big XII Championship, and was named College Player of the Year. He has been invited to play in three professional events in the past two years - the Federal Express St. Jude Classic (in Memphis, Tenn.) in 1998 and 1999 and the Canon Greater Hartford (Conn.) Open in 1999.

No one has enjoyed a better summer than Haas, a senior at the University of Oklahoma, who won the U.S. Amateur Public Links and the Porter Cup in back-to-back weeks in July. He continued his strong play by reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Amateur. At the 1998 Amateur, he reached the second round of match play.

Miller, who owns a beer distributorship, won the 1998 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, his second Mid-Amateur title in the last three years. He was 12th at the 1999 Porter Cup and reached match play in two of the last three U.S. Amateur championships. He also has played in two of the last three Masters Tournaments (1997 and 1999).

Molder, a junior at Georgia Tech University, reached the quarterfinals of the 1998 Amateur and the third round of match play this year. He tied for second and was finished third at the last two Northeast Amateurs. He was the 1998 College Player of the Year and also qualified for the 1999 U.S. Open.

Scott, a 1999 graduate of the University of Florida, won five college tournaments and the prestigious Western Amateur in 1999. He also finished tied for fifth at the Sunnehanna Amateur and was eighth at the Southern Amateur. A runner-up to Tiger Woods in the 1996 U.S. Amateur, Scott was a member of the 1997 U.S. Walker Cup team and played in the 1997 U.S. Open.

Begun in 1922, the Walker Cup Match is held every two years, alternately in the United States and the Great Britain/Ireland/Scotland region. Four foursomes and eight singles matches are played each day, with a total of 24 team points available. The team earning the majority of the points takes custody of the Cup until the next Match.

The United States leads the series, 31-4-1. The sides have split the last two Matches, with Great Britain and Ireland winning in 1995 at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Porthcawl, Wales, 14-10, before the U.S. won at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., in 1997, 18-6.

1999 U.S. WALKER CUP SQUAD

Name	Age	Hometown	College
Jonathan Byrd	21	Columbia, S.C.	Clemson University senior
David Gossett	20	Germantown, Tenn.	University of Texas sophomore
Hunter Haas	22	Norman, Okla.	University of Oklahoma senior
Tim Jackson	40	Germantown, Tenn.	University of Tennessee 1984
Edward Loar	21	Rockwall, Texas	Oklahoma State University senior
Matt Kuchar	22	Lake Mary, Fla.	Georgia Tech University senior
Tom McKnight	45	Galax, Va.	University of Virginia 1976
John "Spider" Miller	49	Bloomington, Ind.	Indiana University 1973
Bryce Molder	20	Conway, Ark.	Georgia Tech University junior
Steve Scott	22	Coral Springs, Fla.	University of Florida 1999
Captain: Danny Yates	49	Atlanta, Ga.

Note: Tim Jackson was a team member in 1995, Steve Scott was a team member in 1997

1999 GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND WALKER CUP SQUAD

Name	Age	Hometown
Paul Casey	22	Burhill, England
Luke Donald	21	Beaconsfield, England
Simon Dyson	21	Sand Moor, England
Paddy Gribben	30	Warrenpoint, Ireland
Lorne Kelly	25	Cowal, Ireland
David Pattrick	24	Mortonhall, Ireland
Graham Rankin	33	Drumpellier, Scotland
Philip Rowe	20	West Cornwall, England
Graeme Storm	21	Wynyard, England
Gary Wolstenholme	38	Kilworth Springs, England
Captain: Peter McEvoy	46	Copt Heath, England

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Hunter Haas Among Five Named To U.S. Walker Cup Team

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors