NEW YORK—In celebrating the 125
th Anniversary of the first collegiate golf match played in the United States, the Columbia and Yale men's golf teams will take to the links to square off in a holes-won format event on Friday, October 22 at Saint Andrew's Golf Club.
The exact same holes-won format was used when the two Ivy rivals competed on November 6, 1896 in the first-ever collegiate golf match, which was played at Ardsley Casino (Ardsley Country Club). At that time, golf was coming into its own in America and "found its way among the colleges," says an article which was published prior to the competition in the New York Times on November 1, 1896.
Initially, five college teams were invited to compete in the event—Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Yale—showing that the game among Ivy schools was slowly taking shape. Unfortunately, Harvard and Penn did find it "difficult to field teams" for the event, but Princeton did commit, and by at least one account, were quite good. However, and most notably, Princeton's team decided not to participate in the match because team members wanted to enjoy the football game against Harvard! It's fair to say that this was indeed, a different time in college sports. Alas, it left only Columbia and Yale to duke it out.
According to the New York Times' recap of the event published on November 8, 1896, the event was exceptionally well-attended and garnered lots of local interest. Each side put forward their best six players in a holes-won format. Unfortunately, the Lions were beaten by the Bulldogs 35 holes to zero!
"In late July, Colin Sheehan reached out to alert me that November 6, 2021 would mark the 125
th anniversary of the first intercollegiate golf match in the United States," Columbia Director of Golf
Rich Mueller said. "When he told me the story and sent me the articles published in the New York Times, I was shocked to learn that Columbia had participated. Alas, it was natural for us to schedule a match to celebrate golf. When you add Saint Andrew's, the oldest private golf club in the United States, into the equation, it is a trifecta. We look forward to competing and participating in another part of golf history."
At 133 years old, Saint Andrew's Golf Club has the unique distinction of being the oldest private golf club in America.
More on the history of Saint Andrews. The course is located at 10 Old Jackson Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y. 10706. More information on the course is available on the
St. Andrews Golf Club Website or by calling (914) 478-3500.
If you would like to attend, cover the match or need additional information, please contact
Greg Hotchkiss, Columbia University's Associate Athletics Director for Communications & Public Relations at
gh2469@columbia.edu.
EVENT DETAILS
125th Anniversary of Golf Celebration Match
Columbia vs. Yale
Friday, October 22, 2021
The Saint Andrew's Golf Club | Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y.
Time: Noon ET
