Jack Whaley earns a Walker Cup spot after his US Amateur victory, handing Great Britain and Ireland a reigning champion for the match at Lahinch. The 22-year-old sealed the US Amateur title at Merion, Pennsylvania, beating American Jay Leng Jr 4 and 3 in the final, and became only the third Englishman to win the event since 1911.
Two days after that win, Whaley was named among a 10-man GB&I squad that includes four first-time selections, Ben Bolton, Sam Easterbrook and Josh Hill alongside Whaley himself. Luke Poulter returns for a second successive Walker Cup after a strong season with the University of Florida. The selectors also named two reserves, Thomas Higgins and David Howard.
Dean Robertson will captain GB&I for a third time, keeping leadership continuity after previously leading the side at Cypress Point in 2025 and steering a winning St Andrews Trophy team in Madrid last month. Robertson said, "It is a tremendous honour to captain Great Britain and Ireland again and I'm excited by the team we have selected for the match at Lahinch [in the Republic of Ireland]."
He added, "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."
The Walker Cup is contested between leading amateurs from GB&I and the United States over 18 singles and eight foursomes. The competition, traditionally held in odd-numbered years, has been moved to an even-year cycle beginning with this edition.
GB&I heads to Lahinch on the County Clare coast on 5 and 6 September aiming to reclaim the trophy for the first time since 2015. The United States, winners of the 50th staging at Cypress Point in 2025 by 17-9, still lead the overall series 40-9 with one halved match, a margin GB&I must narrow if they are to overturn recent history.
The selected GB&I team features Eliot Baker (Tiverton), Ben Bolton (Enville), Sam Easterbrook (Olton), Connor Graham (Blairgowrie), Stuart Grehan (County Louth), Josh Hill (Fox Den), Luke Poulter (Woburn), Niall Sheils Donegan (Meadow Club), Tyler Weaver (Bury St Edmunds) and Jack Whaley (Rotherham); reserves are Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) and David Howard (Fota Island).
