Matt Hendrix to Compete in Walker Cup

Sept. 5, 2003

Clemson senior golfer Matt Hendrix is one of 10 amateurs who will be competing for the United States against Great Britain/Ireland in the Walker Cup this coming weekend. Hendrix, the seventh Tiger to ever play in the Walker Cup, will be representing Clemson for the fourth straight time in the event.

The 39th Walker Cup will be held at the Ganton Golf Club in North Yorkshire, England. The par 71, 6,894-yard course was originally designed in 1891 and has been renovated several times since. The matches will take place on Saturday and Sunday. Both days will feature four foursome matches and eight singles matches.

Hendrix was a third-team All-American and Academic All-District selection last year after helping the Tigers to its first golf National Championship. His stroke average in 2002-03 was 71.74, third best on the team and 10th best in school history. In fact, his career stroke average of 72.70 is seventh best in Clemson history.

Hendrix made a strong bid for the Walker Cup berth over the summer. He won the 50th annual Sunnehanna Amateur in June. He then followed that up with three top-five finishes in national amateur events, most notably a runner-up finish to Casey Wittenberg (who is also on the Walker Cup team) in the Porter Cup. He currently is ranked third in the latest Golfweek/Titleist amateur rankings.

Clemson first represented the U.S. in the Walker Cup in 1989 when Kevin Johnson, now a regular on the Nationwide Tour, was named to the team. Richard Coughlan, also a professional, competed in the event in 1997 to begin Clemson’s current streak. Jonathan Byrd, currently in his second year on the PGA Tour, was a member of the 1999 U.S. team. Three former Clemson golfers took part in the 2001 Walker Cup held in Sea Island, GA. Lucas Glover, who now plays on the Nationwide Tour, leads the list. D.J. Trahan, who led Clemson to the National Championship this past year, was also on the U.S. team. Another Clemson golfer, Michael Hoey, represented Great Britain/Ireland in the 2001 matches.

The Walker Cup is held every two years and the home course is alternated each time between the two teams. The United States holds a 31-6-1 advantage in the event, but Great Britain/Ireland has won the last two. The first team to claim 15 match points wins the event.