The R&A today announced the Great Britain and Ireland team to face the USA in the 46th Walker Cup match which will be played Sept. 9-10 at The Los Angeles Country Club.
GB&I will be aiming to defend the trophy after securing a 16½-9½ victory in the 2015 match at Royal Lytham & St Annes; their biggest winning margin since the match was first played in 1922.
A 10-player team and two reserves have been named for the 2017 match with five Englishmen alongside two Scots, two Welshmen and one player from the Republic of Ireland.
The GB&I team includes The Amateur champion Harry Ellis, the Silver Medal Winner at The Open and European Amateur champion Alfie Plant, the Lytham Trophy champion Jack Singh Brar and the winner of the St Andrews Links Trophy Matthew Jordan. Last year’s Amateur champion Scott Gregory is joined in the team by the man he defeated in the final Robert MacIntyre.
Craig Watson was originally scheduled to captain the GB&I team for the first time in the match but had to rescind his duties due to a serious illness in his immediate family. Taking over as acting captain is Andy Ingram, who was chairman of the GB&I team selectors.
Before stepping down as captain, Watson spoke about the GB&I team. “We have been very impressed with the performances of many of the GB&I players so far this season and it has been a difficult decision to select only ten players.
“The Walker Cup match is one of the highlights of the golfing calendar and a tremendous opportunity for the players to shine on such a big stage. The Americans will be determined not to lose two matches in a row but we have selected a strong team and I’m sure the players will give it their all to try to retain the trophy.”
The GB&I team:
David Boote, 23, Walton Heath, Wales
Jack Davidson, 20, Llanwern, Wales
Harry Ellis, 21, Meon Valley, England
Scott Gregory, 22, Corhampton, England
Matthew Jordan, 21, Royal Liverpool, England
Paul McBride, 21, The Island, Ireland
Robert MacIntyre, 21, Glencruitten, Scotland
Alfie Plant, 25, Sundridge Park, England
Jack Singh Brar, 20, Remedy Oak, England
Connor Syme, 22, Drumoig, Scotland
Reserves:
1st Conor O’Rourke, 26, Naas, Ireland
2nd Craig Howie, 22, Peebles, Scotland
Acting Captain:
Andy Ingram, 57, Cardiff, Wales
GB&I Player Information:
David Boote
Boote played in last year’s GB&I St Andrews Trophy team and achieved top ten finishes at both the St Andrews Links Trophy and the Lytham Trophy this season. The Stanford graduate lost out in a seven-man playoff at the U.S. Open sectional qualifying event at Walton Heath and then in a playoff in Final Qualifying for The Open at Royal Cinque Ports. One of his teammates at Stanford was 2017 USA Walker Cup competitor Maverick McNealy.
Jack Davidson
Davidson won the Welsh Amateur Championship and has notched two wins on Spanish soil this season, capturing the Spanish Amateur Championship and the individual event at the European Nations Cup. He achieved third-place finishes in the South American Amateur Championships in Buenos Aires and the Welsh Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship.
Harry Ellis
Ellis, who is studying at Florida State University, bounced back from four holes down with five to play to win The Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s. He was the youngest ever winner of the English Amateur Championship in 2012 at the age of 16 and has gone on to represent England at every level.
Scott Gregory
The 2016 Amateur champion is the highest-ranked GB&I player in the World Amateur Golf RankingTM at No. 5 and played in both the 2017 Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open. He represented England in the European Team Championship, winning three of his matches.
Matthew Jordan
Jordan won this year’s St Andrews Links Trophy, was runner-up at the Scottish Stroke Play Championship and finished sixth in the European Amateur Championship.
Paul McBride
McBride, who is studying at Wake Forest University where one of his teammates is 2017 USA Walker Cup competitor William Zalatoris, was joint runner-up in the individual standings in the European Team Championship and reached the quarter finals of The Amateur Championship. He played all four rounds in last month’s Porsche European Open on the European Tour, finishing at 2 under par.
Robert MacIntyre
The left-handed MacIntyre was runner-up in the 2016 Amateur Championship and was part of the Scotland team which retained last year’s European Team Championship title. This season he finished tied fourth at the European Amateur Championship at Walton Heath and reached the Round of 32 in the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Alfie Plant
Plant won the European Amateur Championship to secure his place in The Open at Royal Birkdale where he went on to win the Silver Medal as the leading amateur. He also finished as joint runner-up in the individual standings at the European Team Championship.
Jack Singh Brar
Singh Brar won the Lytham Trophy and finished joint runner-up at the Brabazon Trophy. He also secured a top ten finish in the individual standings at the European Team Championship and represented England against Spain. He lost in the Round of 64 in the U.S. Amateur.
Connor Syme
The 2016 Australian Amateur Champion was part of the winning Scotland team in the European Team Championship. This season he qualified to play in The Open at Royal Birkdale and reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Championship, falling to eventual runner-up Doug Ghim.
