walker cuP woes

u.s. walker cup captain Jim holtgrieve can take solace that it’s unlikely any other elite american amateurs will turn professional this summer and forgo the opportunity to play in september’s match at royal aberdeen. unfortunately for him, though, the list of those who have already made the move grew last week when patrick reed (shown) accepted a sponsor’s exemption into the fedex st. Jude classic. reed is one of four first-team all-americans who have chosen to turn pro at the end of the college season, joining kevin tway, morgan hoffmann and bud cauley, the latter two of whom played for the victorious 2009 u.s. team. at the conclusion of walker cup training camp last January, holtgrieve was confident players were committed to making the u.s. squad, but circumstances apparently have changed. the pga tour’s re-evaluation of its qualifying school has caught the attention of some. the relatively secretive process of how the usga picks the 10-player team also seems to be an issue, and the uncertainty of players’ fates is causing them to think twice about waiting. the good news for holtgrieve is u.s. amateur champ peter uihlein, college player of the year patrick cantlay and last year’s low amateurs at the u.s. open, russell henley and scott langley, all are available, making the u.s. a strong squad. it’s just that it could have been even stronger. —R.H.