Reusse: John Harris’ 1993 Walker Cup triumph on home soil was a crowning achievement

The Walker Cup matches are an international golf tradition that has managed to maintain the game’s dignity, unlike the patriotic nonsense that will occur in front of countless, shouting drunks this weekend at Bethpage Black in the Ryder Cup.

As it was when starting in 1922, the Walker Cup still has the leading male amateur players from the United States taking on the same from Great Britain and Ireland. Spain’s Seve Ballesteros still was 16 when he turned pro in 1974, meaning his dynamic presence did not lead to the transformation of the Walker matches to “U.S. vs. Europe,” as became the case with the Ryder Cup in 1979.

The Walker Cup was held early this month at Cypress Point Club, the most exclusive of the majestic golf courses on the Monterey Peninsula. The U.S., blessed with the phenomenal Jackson Koivun, dominated the singles on the final day and won 17-9.

This Koivun must be quite the scholar, for he’s keeping up with the rigid academic standards at Auburn while being seen on national telecasts constantly playing in 72-hole PGA tournaments. Amazing.

The Walker Cup was held at Minikahda in 1957, when it was only a 12-match event (U.S., 8½-3½). The event returned here at Interlachen in 1993. There were 24 matches, and the 10-player U.S. roster had a pair of Minnesotans, John Harris, 41, and Tim Herron, 23.

The U.S. team also included Justin Leonard, and the matches were a rout almost from the start. Finally, in the second round of 10 singles matches, the U.S. needed only two points to lock up the victory.

Harris was second off the tee against Iain Pyman, the highest-rated player for the international visitors. Allen Doyle was up ahead for the U.S., finishing off Dean Robertson, but Harris was 2-down after five holes.

The Edina businessman won five straight holes. When he tapped in for a par on No. 16, he had beaten Pyman 3 and 2, and the U.S. had a victory. And when Herron put away Van Phillips, the Minnesotans were a combined 5-0 in the Yanks’ 19-5 victory.

The emotions had come at that 16th green after the Harris closeout.

John hugged family members — weeping wife Jenifer, son (and caddie) Chris, daughter Katie (the golf skeptic in the family) — and then his voice was breaking during a TV interview with Bob Rosburg.

And on a rise in the trees, 20 yards away, was the patriarch of the golfing Harris family, originating in Roseau, Minn. … Dr. Bob Harris.

“I was hiding up there in the trees for a few minutes,” he said to a reporter. “I was crying. I had to get it done before I came down here. John caddied for me, just like Chris did for him. But when he got to be 14 or so, John could beat me some of the time.

Dr. Bob then paused and said: “Excuse me. I want to give my son a handshake.”

The Harris kids were all fine athletes, Nancy, John and Robbie, Scott and Mark, and there have to be wonderful tales of family chipping and putting contests for 50-cent pieces, and John was both an NCAA-winning hockey champion and Big Ten individual golf champion a couple of months apart for the Gophers in 1974, and he turned to the senior Champions Tour at age 50 and actually won a tournament, and now there’s a legend that the final round of golf he played was with the pro Dave Podas, and John’s score was even par.

“John didn’t say what his score was, just that he played pretty good — and he walked the front and rode the back nine,“ Jenifer said. “The next day, he took a bad turn and his blood counts dropped dramatically. We lost him quickly.”

The extreme variety of leukemia had come roaring back and Big John — called that more for his long hitting than immense size — died Sept. 17.

Wonderful memorial essays can be found from his friend Mike Fermoyle (three-time State Amateur champion turned sportswriter) and others, and what always will be remembered here is that late summer of ‘93 — a home celebration of winning a Walker Cup.

Winning the U.S. Amateur, 36 holes of qualifying, followed by six matches against the Jackson Koivuns of that time — at age 41.

What matter of man does that take?

Well, Bob Harris’ son, and Dr. Bob, at 95 and still playing some easy golf back in Roseau this summer, should be there for Big John’s memorial service Oct. 6 at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church.