Aug. 15, 2003
TUCSON, Ariz. - University of Arizona men's golfer Chris Nallen was one of eight players selected to represent the United States in the 2003 Walker Cup Matches, it was announced by the United States Golf Association.
Nallen, a senior from Blairstown, N.J., earned his spot on the team following another impressive amateur campaign that saw him earn All-America honors for the third straight season. He posted a 71.74 stroke average in 2002-03 and led the Wildcats to four team victories while collecting a team-best nine top-10 finishes. A semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award in each of the last two seasons, Nallen is also a three-time all-Pacific-10 Conference honoree.
His stellar play continued during the summer, as Nallen won the 2003 Northeast Amateur in a sudden death playoff and finished fifth at the 2003 Dogwood Invitational. He also has two career collegiate victories to his credit in addition to the 2001 New Jersey State Amateur Championship and top-five finishes at the 2002 Northeast Amateur and the 2002 Porter Cup.
The 39th Walker Cup Matches will be played Sept. 6-7 at Ganton Golf Club in North Yorkshire, England. Ten-member teams from the United States and Great Britain and Ireland will vie for the Walker Cup in a competition that consists of 16 singles and eight foursomes (alternate shot) matches. The remaining two members of the U.S. Walker Cup team will be announced immediately following the U.S. Amateur Championship on Aug. 24.
The United States leads the overall competition 31-6-1, though Great Britain and Ireland has won the last two meetings.
Nallen is the fourth University of Arizona golfer to represent the U.S. in Walker Cup competition, joining Robert Gamez (1989), Eric Meeks (1989) and David Berganio (1991).
2003 Walker Cup Matches
Sept. 6-7, 2003
Ganton Golf Club, North Yorkshire, England
United States (name, age, hometown) Great Britain & Ireland
Bill Haas, 22, Greer, S.C. Nigel Edwards, 34, Caerphilly, Wales
Matt Hendrix, 22, Aiken, S.C. Noel Fox, 29, Dublin, Ireland
Trip Kuehne, 31, Dallas, Texas Graham Gordon, 23, Aberdeen, Scotland
Brock Mackenzie, 21, Yakima, Wash. David Inglis, 21, Roslin, Scotland
Ryan Moore, 21, Puyallup, Wash. Stuart Manley, 24, Mountain Ash, Wales
Chris Nallen, 21, Blairstown, N.J. Colm Moriarty, 24, Athlone, Ireland
Adam Rubinson, 23, Fort Worth, Texas Michael Skelton, 19, Redcar, England
Casey Wittenberg, 18, Memphis, Tenn. Oliver Wilson, 22, Mansfield, England
Stuart Wilson, 26, Forfar, Scotland
Captain: Bob Lewis, 59, Pepper Pike, Ohio Gary Wolstenholme, 42, Market Harborough, England
Captain: Garth McGimpsey, 47, Bangor, England
