Who is GB&I Walker Cup captain Stuart Wilson?
A member of the team that took the trophy at Ganton in 2003, former Amateur Champion Stuart Wilson will lead GB&I for the second time in 2023
Stuart Wilson will lead Team GB&I into this year’s Walker Cup, but who is the man behind the home team at St Andrews?
He downed Francesco Molinari on his way to winning the Amateur Championship at the ‘Home of Golf’. Stuart Wilson will return to St Andrews as the captain of Team GB&I for this year’s Walker Cup.
The Scot was given the task of beating the Americans in their own backyard at Seminole two years ago, and he will lead Great Britain & Ireland once more this September.
One of Scotland’s most renowned amateurs, the 46-year-old first took charge of GB&I at the St Andrews Trophy, at Royal Porthcawl in 2020. He then was in charge as Team GB&I lost out at Seminole to the Americans in the Walker Cup a year later.
And as he plots the downfall of the US team, he can draw on his experiences of being part of the winning Walker Cup team at Ganton 20 years ago.
After serving on the R&A Boys’ Selection Committee for the last four years, including three as chairman, as well as the R&A’s Amateur Status Committee, Wilson succeeds Craig Watson.
“I am very proud to be selected as the GB&I men’s team captain and look forward to leading a talented group of golfers at the St Andrews Trophy and the Walker Cup,” Wilson said in 2019 when appointed to the role.
“I have fond memories of my time as a player representing GB&I in these prestigious matches and I am determined to make a valuable contribution to the team as its leader and in helping the players.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on The R&A Boys’ Selection Committee and know first-hand the level of talent which is emerging.
“It feels like a very natural progression to be taking on this role to continue to foster these gifted amateur golfers.”
Wilson’s amateur career was glittering. He won the Amateur Championship at St Andrews in 2004, beating Francesco Molinari in the quarter-finals.
He won the Silver Medal as leading amateur at the Open at Royal Troon in 2004, having also qualified three years earlier.
A former European team captain of the Junior Ryder Cup in 2012 and 2014, Wilson is a member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and is the managing secretary of Forfar Golf Club.
Can Stuart Wilson lead Team GB&I to victory at St Andrews this year? Let us know your thoughts with a Tweet!
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
