The PGA has confirmed the 10-man Great Britain & Ireland team that will take on the United States in the 32nd PGA Cup at The K Club in Ireland this October – including Rotherham’s James Freeman and Abbeydale’s Gareth Davies.
The first five places on the GB&I team were determined through the PGA Professional Championship, with qualification based on performances across the 2025 and 2026 championships. Ashley Mansell (Clevedon Golf Club), Harry Casey (The Shire London), Toby Hunt (Whitchurch Golf Club), Ben Amor (Ogbourne Downs Golf Club) and Gavin Hay (East Renfrewshire Golf Club) secured automatic qualification by finishing among the leading players in the two-year standings.
The sixth automatic spot was awarded through the Callaway Chrome Tour PGA Open Series, which combines players’ performances across the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
These standings form the basis of PGA Cup qualification and going into the final Open Series tournament, only James and Matthew Ford (GolfGearDirect) can mathematically finish top of those standings and claim the automatic place. As a result, PGA Cup captain David Scott has confirmed that no matter which of the two players secures that spot, the other will occupy a captain’s pick, meaning both are assured a place in the team.
Gareth, Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie Golf Club) and Simon Thornton (STGolf) were chosen as the final three captain’s picks, completing the team that will compete in County Kildare on October 2-4 – where James will make his PGA Cup debut and Gareth will tee it up for the second time following his debut in 2024.
“Selecting a PGA Cup team is never a straightforward task given the depth of talent we have within The PGA, but I believe the team we’ve assembled combines proven winners with players who have demonstrated their quality consistently over the last two years,” said David.
“Representing GB&I in the PGA Cup is a tremendous honour and I know every player will represent the association with pride. Our American counterparts always offer a challenge, we know that, but we have a group that is more than capable of bringing the trophy home.”
First played in 1973, the PGA Cup is a biennial contest between PGA professionals from the PGA of Great Britain & Ireland and the PGA of America, with teams of 10 competing in foursomes, fourballs and singles matches in a similar format to the Ryder Cup. In 2024, the United States ran out 17.5-8.5 winners at Sunriver Resort in Oregon.
The K Club will make PGA Cup history this year as the first venue in Great Britain & Ireland to host the match on three occasions. As GB&I return to County Kildare, they will be looking to recreate the memorable 2005 triumph at the venue and reclaim the Llandudno International Trophy.
