Freshly crowned US Amateur champion Jack Whaley has earned a place in the Great Britain and Ireland side that will take on the USA at the 2026 Walker Cup.
The 22-year-old from Doncaster joins a 10-man squad that also includes Luke Poulter, son of Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter, as GB&I look to end a lengthy wait for victory over their American rivals.
Six of the ten selected players featured at the last staging of the event at Cypress Point in California in 2025, with Luke Poulter among that group of returnees.
GB&I have not beaten the USA since 2015, when they claimed a 16½-9½ win at Royal Lytham & St Annes. They will get their next chance when the 51st Walker Cup is staged at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland, on September 5-6, with live coverage on Sky Sports.
Amateur champion Stuart Grehan and Connor Graham - set to appear for a third consecutive time - have both retained their places, alongside Eliot Baker, Poulter, Niall Sheils Donegan and Tyler Weaver.
Four of those returning players - Eliot Baker, Luke Poulter, Niall Shiels Donegan and Tyler Weaver - actually secured their spots automatically through the Official World Golf Ranking on 6 August, joining British Amateur champion Stuart Grehan, who had already booked his place on the roster, according to Golfweek.
Ben Bolton, Sam Easterbrook, Josh Hill and Whaley have all been handed their first Walker Cup call-ups, while Irish duo Thomas Higgins and David Howard have been named as first and second reserve respectively.
Robertson praises Whaley after dramatic weekend
GB&I captain Dean Robertson returns for another attempt to overturn the USA's dominance in the fixture, and he admitted that Whaley's stunning US Amateur triumph completely changed his thinking on team selection.
The Doncaster golfer beat American Jay Leng Jr in a punishing 36-hole final on Sunday to lift the US Amateur title, becoming only the third Englishman ever to do so, following Harold Hilton's win in 1911 and current world number four Matt Fitzpatrick's success in 2013.
Before last week, I wouldn't have seen Jack in the team. But after watching him, the talent he's got and the humility that he's got - the way that he spoke - I'm really excited to welcome him.
The only downside of that is that if it wasn't for Jack, Tom Higgins would have been in the team, 100 per cent.
A one-sided rivalry
The Walker Cup pits a 10-man amateur team from Great Britain and Ireland against a USA side across two days of competition, comprising 18 singles matches and eight foursomes matches. The Americans hold a commanding 40-9-1 lead in the overall series, having beaten GB&I at Cypress Point in the most recent edition to extend their recent stranglehold on the trophy.
Dean Robertson's continuation as GB&I captain for this cycle had already been confirmed by the R&A in a separate announcement, according to Walker Cup organisers, and Lahinch was locked in as the host venue for the 51st edition some time ago.
Robertson explained the thinking behind blending youth and experience in his squad.
We have a really exciting blend of players who have experienced the Walker Cup before and others who have earned their first opportunity through some excellent performances over the last year.
We have players who have won important championships, performed at the highest level in amateur golf and demonstrated that they can deliver results in international match play.
We know there will be fantastic support for the team in Ireland and our players will be determined to give those supporters plenty to get behind.
We learned a great deal from Cypress Point and everyone involved is hugely motivated by the challenge ahead.
What happens next
The R&A had already flagged that the full GB&I line-up would be confirmed on Tuesday 18 August, and its official player-profile page was updated by 16 August to reflect that timeline, according to the R&A. Robertson's remaining captain's picks were always due to be finalised only after the conclusion of the US Amateur on 18 August 2026.
The R&A also confirmed that the GB&I squad would be built primarily from the top five GB&I players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking published on 5 August, applying a minimum divisor of 18.
Across the Atlantic, the USA had already completed its own selection process, finalising its Walker Cup team by 16 August, according to Golf Channel, setting up a full matchup ahead of the tie in Ireland.
Golf fans can watch the entire event live on Sky Sports this September. Sky Sports Golf will broadcast both days of the Walker Cup, with coverage of the opening day beginning at 8.30am on Saturday, September 5. Viewers can access Sky Sports through a subscription or stream via NOW with no contract required.
The 51st Walker Cup remains scheduled for Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September 2026 at Lahinch Golf Club, according to the venue's own event listing.
