England's Jack Whaley to Walker Cup selectors: 'I'm here to prove' I belong on GB&I team

ARDMORE, Pa. – As it relates to the Walker Cup, the U.S. Amateur is the ultimate proving ground. A deep run in this national championship or the lack thereof can make or break one’s prospects of making their respective 10-man side. Entering Friday’s quarterfinals at Merion Golf Club, the U.S. picture has clarified nicely – well, depending on who you are. If you’re Okllahoma State’s Eric Lee, who missed out on match play and likely a spot on the U.S. team that will compete next month in Ireland, it wasn’t a great week. BYU’s Kihei Akina and North Carolina’s Carson Bertagnole, two other bubble guys who bowed out in the first and second rounds of match play, respectively, will surely be sweating out the final days of the selection process, which will culminate Sunday evening. Jay Leng, meanwhile, can probably breathe easily now. The Stanford junior had a torrid summer, highlighted by his Western Amateur victory, before advancing to the final eight at Merion, where he’ll face Florida’s Jack Turner, who now suddenly finds himself in the conversation. With Oklahoma State teammates Preston Stout and Ethan Fang already secured to return for a second straight match, and juniors Miles Russell and Tyler Watts also recently name to the team, six spots are up for grabs. Mid-amateur Stewart Hagestad bowed out in the Round of 32, though should be banking on a sixth straight Walker Cup, while Alabama’s William Jennings, Oklahoma’s Ryder Cowan and Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert all made match play and were arguably locks before that. With Leng projected as safe, that leaves one spot, which, of course, could go to an American U.S. Amateur champion – Leng, Turner, Auburn’s Logan Reilly, Georgia grad Carter Loflin, Colorado’s Brandon Knight and Liberty’s Michael Lugiano all remain. As for the Great Britain and Ireland side, it’s much harder to predict. If healthy, England’s Tyler Weaver will headline the squad that also will include Englishmen Luke Poulter and Eilot Baker, Scots Niall Shiels Donegan and Connor Graham, and recent British Amateur champion Stuart Grehan, a reinstated mid-amateur from Ireland. All six competed last year at Cypress Point. Two other Englishmen, Sam Easterbrook and Ben Bolton, have been rumored to be tabbed for captain Dean Robertson’s roster, while the Irish are surely hoping to get another representative with the matches at Lahinch, although with Thomas Higgins and LSU freshman John Doyle among a handful of players who have already received texts saying they won’t be selected, that leaves few good options, Open qualifier David Howard probably the most likely among them. Wales' Sean David captured the South of Ireland last month at Lahinch, though his inclusion would be shocking. England has some more options in Dan Hayes, Freddie Turnell, Seb Cave and Tom Osborne, though speculation is at least a couple of those guys have heard bad news already as well. England’s Jack Whaley, who will face Morocco’s Adam Bresnu in one quarterfinal Friday at Merion, hasn’t received a text or email, which could either be good or bad news. From the sound of it, the Florida State senior, who has beaten Jackson Ormond, Bowen Mauss and Christian Cavaliere so far this week, believes he wasn’t notified because he wasn’t even seriously considered. “I know a lot of guys that have kind of been probably told that they're probably going to get in and their spots are finalized,” Whaley said. “… I may need to prove a point, but if they don't see that I'm worthy of being in the Walker Cup, it's the selectors' choice. But I'm here to prove it.” Whaley admits that despite top-10s at the ACC Championship and NCAA Columbus Regional, he didn’t have a great summer on links. He is correct, as he was T-113 at the British Amateur and T-33 at the European Amateur. He did, however, narrowly miss the Sweet 16 at the Western Amateur. “I played really solid the first round [at the British Amateur] and kind of messed it up on one hole in the second round, which kind of put me out of the running for that tournament, which kind of took the eyes off me a little bit,” Whaley said. What about now? “It definitely puts the eyes back on me,” Whaley added. “But it's down to the selectors. I'm not here to say I should be in the Walker Cup. I feel like I should be, but we'll see.”