"In terms of where the competition fits into the modern sports firmament, many fans and observers–present company included–don’t exactly know what to make of it."

I knew there was a purpose for the rain at Merion: it gave Rob Matre's b&w shots a little more ambiance.

Tom Dunne files a typically thoughtful look at the Walker Cup and tries to detect why there seemed to be a little less enthusiasm for the event, and he offers a counterpoint to John Huggan's take on the USGA and diversity.

And in terms of where the competition fits into the modern sports firmament, many fans and observers–present company included–don’t exactly know what to make of it.

There are a couple of reasons for this bewilderment. The first is that amateurism itself is in a steep and steady decline. This is a time in which people can get excited about the potential of Tiger Woods someday winning an Olympic gold medal without so much as a nod to the irony of that scenario. There is so much money on the pro tours today that most top talents leap for it at the first opportunity. You can’t blame them for that, but the result is a dilution of the amateur ranks so extreme that an event like the Walker Cup becomes something like a collegiate all-star game, a senior prom for guys like Rickie Fowler and Brian Harman, who have probably already turned pro by the time of this writing.