STANFORD, Calif. – For just the second time in men's golf program history, Stanford will be represented by two players on the 2019 U.S. Walker Cup team, it was announced Sunday by the United States Golf Association. The 1979 U.S. team also had two Stanford players: Mike Peck '78 and Doug Clarke '80.
Recent graduates Isaiah Salinda from South San Francisco, Calif., and Brandon Wu from Scarsdale, N.Y., will compete for the 10-member American squad when it travels to Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Merseyside, England, Sept. 7-8 to face Great Britain and Ireland in the 47th meeting. The U.S. holds a 36-19-1 advantage.
"It's a great credit and honor to be selected," said Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "We are very proud of them and they are two great ambassadors for the amateur game."
In 1979, Doug Clarke and Mike Peck represented the Cardinal.
Wu and Salinda sparked Stanford to the 2019 NCAA men's golf title in late May and were named PING All-America second team and All-Pac-12 first team. Four-year standouts, each broke through individually in 2018-19, with Wu winning his first collegiate title at The Goodwin, and Salinda capturing the Western Intercollegiate and NCAA Stanford Regional.
Both capped their Stanford careers by going 3-0 in match play at the NCAA Championships at the Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.
Wu and Salinda are coming off strong performances at the U.S. Amateur. Wu earned stroke play medalist honors and Salinda reached the Round of 16 for the second consecutive year.
"This is the culmination of hard work and patience," Ray said. "They bypassed a lot of opportunities to make that squad. They set a big goal and achieved it."
Earlier this summer, Wu secured medalist honors at a U.S. Open sectional qualifier to advance to the tournament proper at Pebble Beach Golf Links, where he tied for 35th.
Last month, he qualified for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, shooting rounds of 64-67 at Fairmont St. Andrews in Scotland and paced the field by three strokes. Wu became the first amateur without an exemption to qualify for the U.S. Open and Open Championship in the same year since Joe Carr of Ireland accomplished it in 1967.
Stanford had two participants in the 2017 Walker Cup Match at Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif. Maverick McNealy represented the U.S. and David Boote played for Great Britain and Ireland. The Americans prevailed, 19-7.
McNealy also participated in 2015.
Stanford has good history at Royal Liverpool. In 2006, former Cardinal star Tiger Woods scored a two-stroke victory in the 135th Open Championship.
The Walker Cup will be televised by Fox and the Opening Ceremonies are Sept. 6. On Sept. 7, four morning foursomes will be contested, followed by eight singles matches. On Sept. 8, four morning foursomes will be played, followed by 10 singles matches and the Closing Ceremony.
Nathaniel Crosby, son of famed crooner Bing Crosby, will captain the U.S. team. He grew up in Hillsborough, Calif., and won 1981 U.S. Amateur at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.