Stuart Grehan: 'Even when I was two down, I stayed very calm and produced some great golf'

Stuart Grehan came from behind to beat Preston Stout and put another point on the board for Team GB&I. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Stuart Grehan won the match of his life as he took down men’s amateur world number one Preston Stout to help keep Great Britain & Ireland’s hopes alive of a first Walker Cup victory over the USA in 11 years.

Grehan, Ireland’s sole representative on the GB&I team at Lahinch this weekend, had been given the honour of leading the way in both of Saturday’s sessions in front of a sell-out home crowd of 8,000, and with partner Eliot Daly of England halved their opening foursomes match with Stout and Ethan Fang as the hosts took a 2.5 to 1.5 lead after the morning’s matches.

GB&I captain Dean Robertson sent Grehan, the reigning British Amateur champion and world number 28, straight back out as his lead man for the afternoon’s slate of eight singles matches, where he was once again drawn with Stout. The 33-year-old from Co. Louth got off to a terrible start as his American rival jumped out in a 3 Up lead after four holes but Grehan kept his nerve to not just stay in the contest but claw his way back to All Square after the 10th.

Stout reasserted his superiority to win the 13th and 15th holes and open a 2 Up lead with three holes to play, taking the latter of those holes with a brilliant iron approach to within inches. Yet once again Grehan showed his mettle as the American buckled, Stout bogeying the 16th and then spraying his tee shot right off 17 on the way to a bogey five as the Irishman birdied magnificently to take the game to the 18th at All Square.

As a huge gallery followed the duellists up the final fairway, Stout again found rough to the right as Grehan sent his approach from an excellent position to inside eight feet. The world number one sent his wedge shot just over the back of the green and missed his putt coming back, leaving the GB&I lead-off man with a nerveless putt for an unlikely victory.

“That was an unbelievable game,” Grehan said. “Both of us played really, really well, and just so happy to come out the other end of it. I was very calm. It was weird… even when I was two down, I stayed very calm, and produced some really good golf.” 

Grehan credited his late uncle, Willie Egan, who had passed away earlier this week on the eve of his second Walker Cup appearance following a 2025 debut at Cypress Hill.

“Had a bit of a loss in the family this week, and maybe he was looking over me, I guess. I actually forgot it was two down, three to play. I just kind of stayed in it and played some really, really good golf coming in. So, delighted.

“He was he was watching me last week, and he was being very good to me, and he's looking over me this week.” 

GB&I looked set to take a narrow lead into the final two sessions, beginning with Sunday morning’s four foursomes matches and the critical afternoon singles, when all 10 players will be in action in the format dominated by the Americans time and time again.

Grehan believes a fervent home crowd in Co. Clare can help make the difference for GB&I.

“It's incredible. Yeah, it's like everything good we do is echoed and you hear it around the golf course, it kind of spurs you on as well so it's really cool.

“A chorus of ‘Ole Ole Ole’, I think might be a bit early for that now, but it's good to hear. We need all the support we can get the rest of the day and tomorrow.”