Stuart Grehan has opened up about the responsibility he felt steering Great Britain and Ireland through their remarkable Walker Cup triumph, describing how he deliberately took on a leadership role ahead of the competition at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare.
The Amateur champion's side executed the most dramatic comeback in Walker Cup history, recovering from a seemingly insurmountable position to claim their first title since 2015. GB&I trailed by three points heading into Sunday's singles after the USA won all four matches on the second day, but the home team needed to win the afternoon session 7-3 to force a dramatic finale.
Grehan set the tone by defeating world No 1 amateur Preston Stout in his singles match. According to Golf Channel, he had been three down through three holes before mounting a comeback, eventually rolling in a 15-foot birdie on the 18th to secure a 2&1 victory and help GB&I take a 6.5-5.5 lead into the final day.
The Irishman joined Jamie Weir and Chris Wood on the Sky Sports Golf podcast to discuss the magnitude of claiming victory in such dramatic circumstances. He revealed that he had discussed assuming a leadership position with captain Dean Robertson roughly two months before the match began.
We've spoken about it a little bit, I'd say two months prior to the match. It's something that I wanted to take on. Obviously I'm a little bit older, one, and I probably knew the golf course more than anyone as well, which is another thing. It's a role I wanted this week, to go out and lead being the only Irishman in the event.
Grehan, who had regained amateur status before winning the 2026 Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool, was the sole Irish representative in the 10-man GB&I squad. That distinction weighed on him throughout the competition.
It is a team of 10, but I definitely felt like the responsibility this week that I might be seen as a leader. There's loads of leaders, they're all leaders in their own sense, but yeah, to be able to go out there and hit first… It was an incredible moment for me and everyone that's helped me get to that point.
The comeback had appeared almost impossible after Sunday morning's opening session, when the USA swept all four matches to extend their advantage. Grehan admitted he struggled mentally in the immediate aftermath, but his team-mates' resilience proved contagious.
Sunday morning, I actually felt very flat, to be perfectly honest with you. I was very flat myself. It was probably all the mental energy I kind of expended on Saturday, but I just couldn't get up for it and my game was not very good on Saturday morning.
He and partner Eliot Baker had managed only a level-par score in testing conditions during their foursomes match, a result that fell short of the standard required at that level of competition.
It wasn't bad but myself and Eliot, we just couldn't get anything going. I think we were still 300-par and in pretty testy conditions. But at this level, that's just not good enough. So, we lost the session 4-0, clean sweep, I was very flat at halftime.
The turning point came during the interval when several team-mates delivered crucial words of encouragement. Tyler Weaver's simple message that the comeback would make for a better story resonated with Grehan, while Luke Poulter offered his own upbeat perspective.
I know the few other guys were the same. But in fairness to Tyler Weaver, he came in, and I just remember him saying that it'll even make for a better story now. And I was like, OK, he still believes.
Luke said something as well. I can't remember exactly what it was, but he was very upbeat and in fairness to Dean, he came in, he said 'look, lads, the margins are so small. You're all still playing really well.' Collectively as a team, we were still pretty good. 'Go out there this afternoon and give it your all'.
Captain Robertson's measured assessment of the team's overall performance, combined with the music that played during the interval, shifted the mood entirely. Grehan found himself energised for the afternoon session despite his sluggish start.
Then the music got going at half-time as well. Then we were all kind of up for it already. I didn't get off to a great start, but the rest of the guys behind me did, and that kind of spurred me on, to be perfectly honest.
According to Sky Sports, the final point came when Josh Hill defeated Tyler Watts on the last hole to secure the trophy for GB&I. Grehan had already finished his match and remained on the fairway to witness his team-mate complete the job, sparking wild celebrations.
The emotional toll of the victory on home soil was evident in Grehan's reaction. BBC Sport reported that Grehan came close to tears after the win, underscoring just how meaningful the triumph was for him personally and for the team collectively.
What comes next
The Walker Cup will return in 2028, when the United States will host the biennial match at Cypress Point Club in California. For now, Grehan and his GB&I team-mates can savour one of sport's greatest comebacks, a victory that will be remembered as one of the most dramatic moments in amateur golf history.
