Ten golfers including Rotherham-based US Amateur champion Jack Whaley have been selected to represent Great Britain & Ireland against the United States of America in the 51st Walker Cup at Lahinch.
The match will take place on Saturday September 5 and Sunday September 6 against the backdrop of the picturesque north-west coast of County Clare, Ireland – with GB&I aiming to win the famous trophy for the first time since the 16½-9½ victory at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 2015.
Six members of the team that competed in the Walker Cup at Cypress Point last year return for GB&I, including Amateur champion Stuart Grehan (Ireland, County Louth, 33) and Connor Graham (Scotland, Blairgowrie, 19), who will make his third successive appearance in the match. Eliot Baker (England, Tiverton, 23), Luke Poulter (England, Woburn, 22), Niall Sheils Donegan (Scotland, Meadow Club, 21) and Tyler Weaver (England, Bury St Edmunds, 21) also feature for the second successive match, while Ben Bolton (England, Enville, 19), Sam Easterbrook (England, Olton, 21), Josh Hill (England, Fox Den, 22) and Jack will make their Walker Cup debuts.
Jack, 22, became only the third Englishman to win the US Amateur after defeating Jay Leng Jr 4&3 at Merion, while Stuart secured the biggest victory of his amateur career when he won The Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool in June.
Dean Robertson will captain GB&I for a third time, having previously led the team against the USA at Cypress Point and guided them to victory over the Continent of Europe in The St Andrews Trophy in Madrid.
The Scot, who represented GB&I as a player in the 1993 Walker Cup at Interlachen, said: “It is a tremendous honour to captain GB&I again and I’m excited by the team we have selected for the match at Lahinch.
“We have a really exciting blend of players who have experienced the Walker Cup before and others who have earned their first opportunity through some excellent performances over the last year. We have players who have won important championships, performed at the highest level in amateur golf and demonstrated that they can deliver results in international matchplay.
“Playing at Lahinch will make this a particularly special Walker Cup. We know there will be fantastic support for the team in Ireland, and our players will be determined to give those supporters plenty to get behind. We learned a great deal from Cypress Point and everyone involved is hugely motivated by the challenge ahead.”
The top five eligible players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, along with The Amateur champion and US Amateur champion were automatically selected, with the balance being picked by the captain to complete the team of 10.
