Stuart Grehan named in Britain & Ireland team to face USA in Walker Cup at Lahinch
IRELAND'S CALL-UP: Stuart Grehan in action at Lahinch. Pic: ©INPHO/Nick Elliott
Stuart Grehan will fly the flag as the lone Irishman at Lahinch when Britain & Ireland meet the USA in next month’s Walker Cup matches and captain Dean Robertson wishes there were more homegrown players on his team.
Ireland internationals Thomas Higgins of Roscommon and Fota Island’s David Howard are first and second reserves respectively for the September 5 and 6 amateur matchplay team event when GB&I will bid to regain the historic trophy from the Americans for the first time since 2015.
Robertson backed his 10-man selection, announced on Tuesday morning, to play “winning golf” as the hunters against the holders at the revered Co. Clare links.
Higgins, 23, had been Robertson’s fourth captain’s pick up until Sunday night, then England’s Jack Whaley won the US Amateur Championship at Merion and became GB&I’s seventh automatic qualifier, reducing his personal selections to three.
The 1993 Walker Cupper and former European Tour golfer has undoubtedly played a strong hand. Whaley’s victory in the States means the Scot has both the British and US Amateur champions on his roster, County Louth’s Grehan having earned his amateur crown jewel at Royal Liverpool in June. Grehan was also one of GB&I’s five highest ranked players at No.24 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings entitled to automatic selection.
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Grehan, 33 and the oldest member of the team, had four GB&I players ahead of him in the rankings, led by world number two Tyler Weaver of England, two more Englishmen in No.6 Luke Poulter, the son of European Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter, and 16th-ranked Eliot Baker, with Scotland’s Niall Sheils Donegan, No.18 making up the leading quartet. With Grehan’s place already secured, the next ranked and final automatic qualifier was Scotland’s 19-year-old Connor Graham, the world number 25, who will be making his third Walker Cup appearance.
The remaining three places, selected by Robertson, were revealed on Tuesday morning with the captain opting for another trio of Englishmen, Ben Bolton, Sam Easterbrook and Josh Hill, all of whom reached the last 16 matchplay stage at last month’s South of Ireland Championship at Lahinch. Hill knocked Easterbrook out but then lost his quarter-final to Fota’s Howard, who in turn lost his semi with eventual finalists in an all-Welsh decider, Tomi Bowen and champion Sean David, also missing out.
“Absolutely, I would have loved to have had more Irish on the team,” Robertson said. “I spoke to Thomas at length this morning on the phone, and he was brilliant. We went through in detail some feedback from what I had seen watching him.
“He had a brilliant year. He stood up and he won the Europeans for Ireland in Estonia. He makes more birdies than any of the other players in the team, but he offsets that with a lot of bogeys as well, and that's why the likes of Josh Hill just gets ahead of him.
“But I do think he's going to have a fabulous career, given that if he can raise his floor, he is already able to do all the great things once he starts to improve in areas like maybe a little bit more rhythm on the golf course. He can take a little bit of excessive time and maybe indecision in short selection or commitment. These are things we spoke about or I gave my feedback, and he agreed with all of it, and we had a lovely conversation, and he was absolutely class.
“I spoke to David as well today. David is in Spain on holiday. He flew out this morning. David Howard wasn't somebody that I knew of, really under the radar until he qualified through Dundonald to play at Birkdale, narrowly missing out. He was so impressive at Lahinch.
“I so wanted him and Thomas to be in the team, but it just wasn't to be, and the selection I've made is a fair selection and it's an unbiased selection.”
First reserve Higgins will step up if Weaver, who has not played since April due to injury, fails to pass fit, though the captain said the world number two was “100 per cent” ready and had impressed during limited practice at Lahinch during a training camp ahead of the South of Ireland last month.
Robertson also backed Grehan to be one of his team leaders at Lahinch akin to American Stewart Hagestad, set to make his sixth Walker Cup at the age of 35 having won on his previous five appearances since 2017.
“Stewart Hagestad played exceptionally well at Cypress Point. He was one of the outstanding performers in the US team. He brings massive experience, and I think he's going to be a six-time Walker Cupper.
“We've got a three-time Walker Cupper in 19-year-old Connor Graham, so he can move alongside the likes of (Padraig) Harrington that's played three Walker Cups.
“Stuart Grehan and also Tyler, Eliot, Niall and Luke are going to become two-time Walker Cuppers. We have collectively a whole lot of experience, but Stuart being 33 and the old one and winning the Amateur this year and being in Ireland, he's going to be a real leader for the GB&I team, and I couldn't be more proud to have him as that, and I'm sure he'll rise to the occasion.”
Robertson also backed Whaley’s unexpected inclusion, citing his US Amateur victory and a final win over upcoming Walker Cup rival Jay Leng Jr as an inspiration for his GB&I team-mates.
“They're all so excited. Every one of them were texting me last night,” Robertson said. “To have the Amateur champion and the US Amateur champion in your roster is not something that Great Britain & Ireland can say that they do often. I think 2013 Garrick Porteous won at St George's and Matt Fitzpatrick won at Hazeltine, but the US, I sure can say they've done it a lot more, and only last year Ethan Fang and Mason Howell did it.
“But we are pumped to have the Amateur champions in the GB&I roster, and also, irrespective of the fact that the Irish are not represented more than Stuart, that won't hold them back. They are the best
support, and they are an 11th man, and we are really looking forward to engaging with them and for their support.”
Eliot Baker (England), Ben Bolton (England), Sam Easterbrook (England), Connor Graham (Scotland), Stuart Grehan (Ireland), Josh Hill (England), Luke Poulter (England), Niall Sheils Donegan (Scotland), Tyler Weaver (England), Jack Whaley (England).
1 Thomas Higgins (Ireland), 2 David Howard (Ireland).
Dean Robertson (Scotland).
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