Past USGA President Diana Murphy and past USGA Women’s Committee Chair Pam Murray will serve as USA captains for the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship and the 2022 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, respectively. The Women’s World Amateur Team Championship will be held Aug. 24-27, followed by the World Amateur Team Championship Aug. 31-Sept. 3, at Le Golf National (Albatros Course) and Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Breteche (Red Course), in Paris, France. Murphy and Murray were selected as captains for the 2020 championships, which were scheduled to be played in Singapore, but were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are very proud to have Diana and Pam lead our teams in Paris this year and are pleased they could continue in these roles following the cancellation of the 2020 championships,” said Fred Perpall, USGA Championship Committee chair. “Each captain has a proven history of strong leadership and service with the USGA and will be a terrific representative of our country and teams at these important international competitions.”
Murphy is the second woman to be named captain of the USA World Amateur Team, joining past USGA President Judy Bell, who captained the USA Team to victory in 2000. Murphy served on the USGA Executive Committee for seven years, culminating in her service as president for two years, in 2016-17. She previously served as treasurer in 2013 and vice president in 2014-15. Her volunteer commitment to the USGA began in 1996, when she joined the USGA Membership Committee.
An active community supporter, Murphy has served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Georgia since 2006 and is a member of the executive committee of the College of Coastal Georgia, where she played an instrumental role in its move from a two-year to a four-year institution. She also serves on the board of directors of CTS, Synovus Financial and Landstar, for which she is currently the chairman of the board. She is the managing director of Rocksolid Holdings, LLC, a private-equity firm focused on small business and real estate in the Southeast.
“I am honored to serve as captain for the USA Team for the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship,” said Murphy, who resides in Sea Island, Ga. “It’s always special to represent your country in any capacity, and I look forward to what promises to be a memorable experience with our nation’s finest amateurs.”
Murray joined the USGA Women’s Committee in 2011, serving as vice chair in 2015-16 and chair in 2017-18. She chaired the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Committee in 2013-14 and the inaugural U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Committee in 2014-15. Murray also served as president of the Women’s Texas Golf Association from 2008-2010 and was a longtime member of the Texas Golf Association Rules Committee. A retired educator, she resides in Richardson, Texas.
“Being asked to serve as the captain of the 2022 USA Women’s World Amateur Team means a great deal to me,” Murray said. “I’m incredibly honored to represent the USA and lead our team of three talented amateurs during this year’s championship in Paris.”
Both championships consist of 72 holes of stroke play (18 holes a day over four days). In each round, the two lowest scores by each team’s three players constitute the team score for that round. The women play for the Espirito Santo Trophy and the men play for the Eisenhower Trophy.
The 2018 championships were played at Carton House Golf Club near Dublin, Ireland. Denmark captured its first Eisenhower Trophy in the 31st men’s championship, while the USA won the Espirito Santo Trophy for the first time in 20 years in the 28th women’s championship. Players who have competed in these championships include: Jack Nicklaus, Nick Price, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Nancy Lopez, Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb, Se Ri Pak, Lorena Ochoa, Suzann Pettersen and Lydia Ko.
The World Amateur Team Championship was founded in 1958, followed by the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in 1964. The 2023 championships will be hosted by the Emirates Golf Foundation. The Fire Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will serve as the host venue of the Women’s WATC from Oct. 18-21 and the WATC from Oct. 25-28.
The International Golf Federation (IGF) was founded in 1958 to encourage the international development of golf through friendship and sportsmanship. Today, the IGF consists of 151 national governing bodies of golf representing 146 counties, and 22 international professional tours and organizations conducting major championships. The IGF is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the international federation for golf. In addition to the World Amateur Team Championships, the IGF also organizes the golf competitions at the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games.
