Great Britain & Ireland and the United States have announced their teams for the 51st Walker Cup.
The tournament will be held in County Clare, Ireland, at Lahinch Golf Club, marking the course’s debut as a Walker Cup venue. It recently hosted the 2019 Irish Open and the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup, the latter won by the United States.
Team USA are the defending champions, having won at Cypress Point in California, 17-9 in 2025. This year’s visitors have won the last five editions of the Walker Cup. The tournament will be the first since the Second World War to be held in an even-numbered year, to avoid clashes with the Eisenhower Trophy.
Both teams comprise 10 amateur players, ranging from teenagers to those in their 30s. The two teams will play on September 5 and 6 to kick off an incredible month of team golf, including the Solheim Cup. The two captains from last year’s event, Dean Robertson and Nathan Smith, will reprise their roles for 2026.
Who will be playing at Lahinch Golf Club?
Team GB&I
Team GB&I have 6 returning players from their 2025 defeat in California.
Dean Robertson – Captain
Tyler Weaver
From Bury St Edmunds, he is a senior at Florida State and made his PGA Tour debut in the 2025 FedEx Cup fall.
Sam Easterbrook
From Olton Golf Club, he is a senior at Purdue University and competed in the Last Chance Qualifier for the 154th Open.
Ben Bolton
From Enville, he represented England in recent international events, winning all three of his singles matches.
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Conor Graham
From Blairgowrie, he is a junior at Texas Tech University, and he played at the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush.
Eliot Baker
From Tiverton, he won the 2025 Scottish Men’s Open Championship and the Portuguese International Men’s Amateur Championship.
Jack Whaley
From Doncaster, he is a senior at Florida State University and won the 2026 US Amateur at Merion Golf Club. He has qualified for next year’s Masters, US Open and Open championships.
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Stuart Grehan
From County Louth in Ireland, he turned professional in 2017 but became an amateur again in April 2025. He won the Irish Open and Close Amateur Championships in 2025.
Luke Poulter
From Woburn, he is a senior at the University of Florida and won the Columbus Regional in 2026 for his second amateur victory.
Niall Shiels Donegan
Of Meadow Club in California but from Scotland, he is a senior at North Carolina and was a semifinalist at the 2025 US Amateur.
Josh Hill
A senior at the University of Tennessee, he won his first professional event at 15 years old.
Team USA
Team USA have three players returning from their 2025 victory…
Nathan Smith – Captain
Miles Russell
From Florida, he committed to Florida State for 2028 and made the cut at the 2026 US Open.
Ryder Cowan
From Oklahoma, Cowan represented the University of Oklahoma by claiming the Low Amateur honours at the US Open.
Kihei Akina
From Utah, the sophomore at Brigham Young University made two PGA Tour appearances PGA Tour, including a top-20 finish.
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Ethan Fang
From Texas, he won the Amateur Championship in 2025, and he is a senior at Oklahoma State University.
Preston Stout
From Richardson, Texas, he is a senior at Oklahoma State University and helped the Cowboys win the 2025 NCAA Division I title.
Jay Leng Jr.
From San Diego, the junior at Stanford came second in this year’s US Amateur.
Stewart Hagestad
From Newport Beach, he is competing in his sixth Walker Cup, including the last five winning US teams.
Josiah Gilbert
The Alabama native is a junior at the University of Auburn and helped the Tigers win the NCAA National Championship in 2026.
William Jennings
From Greensville, South Carolina, the junior at the University of Alabama made his PGA Tour debut in 2026.
Tyler Watts
From Huntsville, Alabama, Watts has committed to the Tennessee Volunteers for the upcoming season and recently became the youngest winner of the Northeast Amateur.
The teams are now set ahead of this weekend’s running of the historic tournament. Can the USA keep their streak going on foreign soil or can GB&I claim the first Walker Cup in County Clare?
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Having seen the teams, who do you think will take home the Walker Cup from Lahinch? Let us know with a Tweet!
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