George W. Bush kicks off Walker Cup weekend with high praise: ‘One of the great athletic events ever’

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif – With the Pacific Ocean’s waves crashing on the shoreline just a short wedge shot away, former President George W. Bush offered his best wishes to this weekend’s Walker Cup competitors.

"I love the Walker Cup. I think it’s one of the great athletic events — ever," Bush said during Friday’s opening ceremony.

The sun-drenched Cypress Point Golf Club — at least in the afternoon — is this year’s host. It’s just up the Monterey Peninsula coastline from the more famous Pebble Beach Golf Links. But this course is revered by golf aficionados for its holes along and over the ocean and its use of the adjacent sandy dunes and craggly cypress pines elsewhere on the property.

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Former President George W. Bush reacts while watching players from the U.S. team practice before a Walker Cup match against Great Britain and Ireland at Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, Calif., Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

First contested in 1922, this is the 50th time the best male amateur golfers from the United States will compete against their counterparts from Great Britain & Ireland in a competition named for the former president’s great-grandfather.

"You know, G.H. Walker had a lot of kids who then had a lot of kids," Bush said about his family’s connection to this event.  "And a lot of them are here and probably wondering how come I’m the guy who gets to speak at the Walker Cup and they don’t. My answer is run for president."

Over its history, some of the game’s best have competed in the Walker Cup before going to greater glory, including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and