This Day in Golf--Sept. 3

It is rare for any side in the Walker Cup Match to be shutout, so rare, in fact, that it's only been done one time. It occurred on this date in 1936, when the U.S. defeated Great Britain & Ireland, 9-0, at Pine Valley. What helped was that halved matches did not earn a half point at the time; three matches were halved in 1936 but neither side earned points. It wasn't until 1971 that halved matches were awarded a half-point to each team; the only way a team could be blanked now is if it didn't tie or win a single match both days. In '36, American legend Francis Ouimet was U.S. captain; it was one of five captaincies for him, in which he had a 4-1 record.