The USGA will shift away from its strict two mid-amateur minimum at future Walker Cups, but the outlook isn’t as dire as it might seem for those 25 and older.
Instead of guaranteeing two spots on the 10-man roster to mid-amateurs, the USGA has instead committed to at least one mid-am on the squad, with the possibility, perhaps even the likelihood, of even more if they play their way onto the team.
A headline in Monday’s Global Golf Post said that the USGA was “back[ing] off” its mid-amateur commitment. That prompted passionate responses on social media from 2015 Walker Cupper Scott Harvey, who tweeted that it was “very, very sad” for mid-ams, and fellow mid-am Patrick Christovich, who said that the “USGA is probably a big fan of the One-and-done college basketball rule too…Support the ‘Real Amateurs’ and the game will grow.