ATHENS — Another Georgia Bulldog has his name on the Walker Cup.
Davis Thompson, a senior for the Bulldogs, was a member of the winning United States team that defeated Great Britain & Ireland on Sunday to retain the prestigious Walker Cup for another year. The Walker Cup is the amateur version of the Ryder Cup. The United States now leads the overall series 38-9-1.
Thompson went 1-2-1 in his matches Saturday and Sunday, but that was enough to help the U.S. score a 14-12 victory at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla.
“This is the pinnacle of amateur golf, and it was such an honor to be a part of it,” Thompson told UGA’s Steven Colquitt after the match. “It was such a tremendous weekend of golf. You could really see how much pride there was on both sides. I was blessed to have this opportunity. To be a part of the winning United States team is very special. This is a moment I will never forget.”
Thompson picked up a win with Cole Hammer in Saturday’s foursomes competition as they topped Alex Fitzpatrick and Barclay Brown 1-up. In the Saturday singles, Thompson fell to Mark Power 3 and 2. On Sunday, Thompson and Hammer produced a tie against Fitzpatrick and Brown. Thompson dropped a 2-up decision to Matty Lamb in Sunday singles.
In December, Thompson also competed on the international stage when he went 2-1-1 for Team USA in the Arnold Palmer Cup. Thompson joins Nick Cassini, Erik Compton, Russell Henley, Lee McCoy, Chris Kirk, Keith Mitchell and Harman as the only Bulldogs to play in the Walker Cup and the Palmer Cup.
Georgia has a rich history of its golfers playing for the Walker Cup. Starting with “The Georgia Pine” George Hamer in 1947, 16 different Bulldogs have worn the red, white and blue of the U.S. team, including four-time participant Vinny Giles and two-timers Allen Miller (1969, ’71), Danny Yates (1989, ’93) and Brian Harman (2005, ’09). In addition, Jimmy Gabrielsen was the U.S. captain in 1981 and 1991, Giles served as the captain in 1993, and Yates captained the 1999 and 2001 squads.
Thompson is a two-time All-American for the Bulldogs, including first-team designation for 2019-20. He has been named both All-SEC and All-Southeast Region and leads the SEC with a 69.75 scoring average, including 13 rounds in the 60s. He won the Tiger Invitational earlier this season for his third career victory.
Thompson recently was chosen as Georgia’s male nominee for the SEC’s H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship. With a 3.65 GPA in sport management, Thompson was picked as the male recipient of the 2020-21 Joel Eaves Award, and he earned a Ramsey Scholarship for academic and athletic excellence.
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