Great Britain and Ireland now have its 10.
Still buzzing from his U.S. Amateur victory on Sunday at Merion, England’s Jack Whaley was among the players named to the GB&I Walker Cup team by the R&A on Tuesday morning.
“I think I proved that I’m good in match play,” Whaley said.
Whaley, whom captain Dean Robertson admitted was not in line to be selected for his debut until he lifted the Havemeyer Trophy to earn an automatic bid, joins six returners from last year’s 17-9 defeat to the U.S. at Cypress Point: Englishmen Tyler Weaver, Luke Poulter and Eliot Baker, Scotland’s Niall Shiels Donegan and Connor Graham, and British Amateur champion Stuart Grehan of Ireland; all six had previously secured their spots via the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
“He performed so well under the umbrella at Merion with his double gloves on, showcasing that he can not only perform brilliantly in the U.S., but he can perform in adverse weather, too,” Robertson said of the 22-year-old Whaley, a rising senior at Florida State and one of seven U.S. college products representing GB&I. “Before last week, I wouldn't have seen Jack in the team, but after watching him, the talent that he's got and the humility that he's got and the way that he spoke, I'm really excited to welcome him.”
In a teleconference on Monday ahead of the big reveal, Robertson announced three other players who rounded out the roster: a trio of Englishmen in Ben Bolton, Sam Easterbook and perhaps one of the more shocking picks in recent memory, Josh Hill.
Perhaps even more surprising is that Grehan is the only Irishman, as Grehan’s countrymen Thomas Higgins and David Howard were named first and second alternates, respectively.
“I so wanted [David] and Thomas to be in the team, but it just wasn't to be,” Robertson said, “and the selection I've made is a fair selection, and it's an unbiased selection.”
This year’s Walker Cup, set for Sept. 5-6 at Lahinch in Ireland, marks the first time the biennial event has been contested in back-to-back years since the first three editions in 1922-24. The six returning players is a GB&I record, too, as four times previously five players had carried over from the previous team, most recently from 1977 to 1979, but never six or more.
While this year’s U.S. squad, which was announced on Sunday, features eight of the top 11 amateurs in the world, GB&I have six in the top 25, and Whaley is sure to rocket from 90th come this Wednesday when he gets his U.S. Amateur points.
Easterbook is 80th, Bolton is 92nd and Hill 96th. Easterbrook posted five top-10s for Purdue last spring, plus a T-14 at the NCAA Championship, before a summer highlighted by him reaching the quarterfinals of the British Amateur and making the Round of 16 at the South of Ireland, held a few weeks ago at Lahinch, before losing to Hill. Bolton, 19, finished third in both the Lytham Trophy and European Nations Cup in Spain while tying for 13th at the European Amateur and making the Round of 16 at Lahinch.
Hill, who just graduated from Tennessee, has just three top-10s since last fall’s Visit Knoxville Collegiate, the Vols’ season opener, though two of them have come more recently, a third at the NCAA Bryan Regional and quarterfinal appearance at Lahinch. However, Hill’s college career ended in the team playoff at the NCAA Championship, where Hill cold-topped his tee shot on the 15th hole and made a costly double bogey.
Robertson’s argument for Hill’s inclusion: “He was the outstanding performer of our training camp in Lahinch (held around the South of Ireland) and also demonstrated the skills that are required for Lahinch in adverse conditions, in all conditions really.”
Conversely, Robertson said that spoke at length Monday morning with Higgins, a Clemson grad who not only made the quarters at Lahinch and won the Irish Amateur Close last weekend but earned the clinching point for Ireland at the European Team Championship in Estonia. Robertson explained to Higgins that he makes more birdies than anyone but also a lot of bogeys. Higgins is also ranked 191st in the world.
Rumor was that originally, the winner of the South of Ireland would receive a pick, but then Sean David won the all-Wales final.
As for Weaver, Whaley’s teammate at Florida State, he hasn’t competed since the ACC Championship because of an oblique injury. When he attended the practice session in late July, he didn’t hit tee shots but was “absolutely fine,” according to Robertson, who added of Weaver: “Tyler was better than any of the rest of them at the week in practice.”
Weaver then withdrew from the U.S. Amateur a week out, though he texted Robertson to let him know that was out of precaution.
“I was on a family vacation, and he phoned me just to say I'm withdrawing from the U.S. Amateur, but I am fit, and I've progressed since I was at Lahinch,” Robertson said. “If he was to go deep into Merion, the volume that week – he wanted to prioritize the Walker Cup over the U.S. Amateur.”
Robertson will likely have both alternates in town, but he’s not concerned about Weaver’s availability and seemingly will have no hesitation leaning on the veteran, who went 1-3 last year while playing all four sessions opposite Jackson Koivun.
“Tyler never missed a shot in two days when he was at Lahinch three weeks ago, and he's sending me videos now of flushing drivers,” Robertson said. “I don't need to see anything from Tyler. He is good to go.”
Team members have already received their itineraries for Walker Cup week from Robertson, who is planning for two days at Ballybunion the weekend before. There are some other activities, including visiting the Cliffs of Moher on that Tuesday, a day after they spend the evening with the County Clare hurling team.
“Everybody is allowed a couple of goals apart from Tyler Weaver,” Robertson said.
As for the serious stuff, Robertson still wonders how his side managed to lose by eight points despite entering Sunday singles just a point back. He said this time there is heavy emphasis on the singles format – and being as prepared as possible to conquer this tricky links, which should be a massive home-course advantage.
“Confidence is preparation, and we will be prepared, not to win the Walker Cup when we go there in two weeks' time, but we'll be prepared to play winning golf and focusing on the things that we can control as a team,” Robertson said. “We have a mission, and that's one team with one purpose, and that's what we're going to do.”