The 2025 Walker Cup format has been announced for the 50th edition of the event, which is the biennial event pitting 10-player teams against each other, to be played at Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, California.
The Walker Cup field consists of two 10-person teams. The American team is captained by Nathan Smith, with the Great Britain and Ireland team led by Dean Robertson.
Both teams are selected by their representative organizations, with the USGA inviting 10 American players and the R&A inviting the 10 players from Great Britain and Ireland. Players are typically invited based on resume, including how they do in the biggest amateur events, including the US Amateur and the Amateur Championship.
The Walker Cup format is a two-day event with 26 total matches that start on Saturday.
On Saturday, there is a four-match session of foursomes (alternate shot) and an eight-match session of singles.
On Sunday, there is a four-match session of foursomes (alternate shot) and a 10-match session of singles.
Foursomes is also called alternate shot. On each hole, one player (Player A) from each team hits their team's respective tee shots. Then the other player (Player B) from each team hits the second shot. Then the third shot is hit by Player A, and so on, until the ball is holed. The teams compare scores, and the team with the lower score wins the hole. Whichever team wins the most holes wins the match.
On Sunday, there will be 10 singles matches. Players compete against each other one-on-one, and the player to win the most holes wins the match.
Each match is worth 1 point toward the total. If a match is tied after 18 holes, the match is halved, and both teams earn 0.5 points toward their tally. The first team to earn 14.5 points will win the Walker Cup. In the event of a tie after 28 matches, the match ends in a tie and the Europeans retain the cup.
The players on the winning and losing teams do not earn money.
