2015 – Royal Lytham

GB&I 16.5 – 9.5 USA

September 12-13, 2015
Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, Lancashire, England
7,086 yards, Par 70

Captains: Nigel Edwards (GB&I) and John “Spider” Miller (USA)

Day 1 Foursomes (GB&I players first)
Ashley Chesters / Jimmy Mullen beat Maverick McNealy / Hunter Stewart 3&2
Paul Dunne / Gary Hurley lost to Beau Hossler / Denny McCarthy 3&1
Cormac Sharvin / Jack McDonald beat Jordan Niebrugge / Robby Shelton 5&4
Jack Hume / Gavin Moynihan beat Lee McCoy / Mike McCoy 3&2
GB&I 3 – USA 1

Day 1 Singles
Ashley Chesters halved with Bryson DeChambeau
Paul Dunne lost to Hunter Stewart 2Up
Grant Forrest lost to Scott Harvey 2&1
Jimmy Mullen beat Denny McCarthy 2Up
Ewen Ferguson beat Maverick McNealy 1Up
Gary Hurley halved with Robby Shelton
Jack Hume lost to Beau Hossler 1Up
Gavin Moynihan beat Jordan Niebrugge 4&2
GB&I 4 – USA 4

Day 1: GB&I 7 – USA 5

Day 2 Foursomes
Ashley Chesters / Jimmy Mullen beat Beau Hossler / Denny McCarthy 3&2
Paul Dunne / Gary Hurley beat Mike McCoy / Scott Harvey 1Up
Cormac Sharvin / Jack McDonald beat Hunter Stewart / Lee McCoy 2Up
Gavin Moynihan / Jack Hume lost to Bryson DeChambeau / Robby Shelton 3&2
GB&I 3 – USA 1

Day 2 Singles
Ashley Chesters beat Jordan Niebrugge 3&1
Paul Dunne halved with Maverick McNealy
Jimmy Mullen beat Denny McCarthy 3&2
Cormac Sharvin beat Mike McCoy 4&3
Ewen Ferguson lost to Beau Hossler 1Up
Grant Forrest beat Scott Harvey 2&1
Gary Hurley halved with Hunter Stewart 1Up
Jack McDonald halved with Lee McCoy
Jack Hume halved with Robby Shelton
Gavin Moynihan lost to Bryson DeChambeau 6&5
GB&I 6.5 – USA 3.5

Match Result: GB&I 16.5 – USA 9.5

Series Results: USA 35 – GB&I 9 – Halved 1 (after Match 45) 

The R&A’s 2015 Walker Cup Highlights Video 

WC 2015 GB&I Podium

The GB&I Team Celebrate Their Walker Cup Win (Photo: GolfBible)

Match Notes

On 13th November 2014 the USGA announced a 16-man USA Walker Cup training squad for a practice session to be held at Frederica GC in St. Simons Island, Georgia on 17th – 20th December. Charlie Danielson, Bryson Dechambeau, Doug Ghim, Scott Harvey, Rico Hoey, Beau Hossler, Kyle Jones, Denny McCarthy, Lee McCoy, Mike McCoy, Maverick McNealy, Byron Meth, Robby Shelton, Nathan Smith, Hunter Stewart and Will Zalatoris were the original players under consideration. 

On 23rd January 2015 The R&A announced an initial 20-man GB&I Walker Cup squad. Tomasz Anderson (ENG), David Boote (WAL), Daniel Brown (ENG), Adam Chapman (ENG), Ashley Chesters (ENG), Paul Dunne (IRL), Grant Forrest (SCO), Sam Horsfield (ENG), Paul Howard (ENG), Jack Hume (IRL), Gary Hurley (IRL), Nick Marsh (ENG), Jack McDonald (SCO), Gavin Moynihan (IRL), Jimmy Mullen (ENG), Bradley Neil (SCO), Graeme Robertson (SCO), Jamie Savage (SCO), Cormac Sharvin (IRL) and Ben Stow (ENG) were invited to attend two gatherings at Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s; the first took place ahead of the Lytham Trophy a the end of April and then more formally on 21st and 22nd July.

At the April GB&I training session Golfing World produced a preview video including an interview with captain Nigel Edwards in which he ran through his own selection criteria.  The words he used were “strong performances”, “great attitude”, “good putters” and “embrace the situation” and “embrace something very much out of their comfort zone”.

Golfing World 2015 Walker Cup Preview Video

The USGA again released their team in two parts. On 10th August 2015 the USGA named Bryson DeChambeau (21), Beau Hossler (20), Lee McCoy (21), Maverick McNealy (19) and Hunter Stewart (22). Following completion of the U.S. Amateur Championship, won by Dechambeau on 23rd August, the International Team Selection Committee added Scott Harvey (37), Denny McCarthy (22), Mike McCoy (52), Jordan Niebrugge (22) and Robby Shelton (19). The USA’s two alternates in 2015 were Matt NeSmith (21) and Scottie Scheffler (19).

When The R&A announced their team on 24th August it contained five Irish players, a record for the Emerald Isle.

Ewen Ferguson (19) and Bradley Moore (17) were announced as GB&I’s non-travelling reserves for the match. 

On 31st August it was announced that Florida-based Sam Horsfield (ENG) had withdrawn from the GB&I Walker Cup team opening the door to Ewen Ferguson. Edwards said at the time: “It’s a shame Sam isn’t going to play because he’s very talented. I don’t know the specific reasons and obviously didn’t ask. We have to respect his decision. Ewen will fit into the team very well because he knows and gets on with everyone. He was unlucky not to make the original team”.

At the time it was rumoured that Sam had been either concerned about his USA status and may not have the necessary visa to ensure he would be able to return to Florida after the match or that there may have been a personality clash between him and other members of the team at an informal squad gathering at the U.S. Amateur at Olympia Fields a few weeks before. 

Speaking with journalist Matthew Chivers in April 2020 Sam Horsfield implies it may have been the latter: “Pulling out of the Walker Cup in 2015 didn’t affect me, to be completely honest. It was just two weeks into my freshman year at the University of Florida. I was with a bunch of my friends and it was a pretty tough decision that I had to make because of some stuff that had happened in the past. I really did not care.”

Ahead of the match all the talk was of Ireland’s ‘famous five’ but it was England’s Ashley Chesters and Jimmy Mullen that shone brightest for GB&I at Lytham.  A rock solid foursomes partnership delivered under pressure and set the foundation for a comprehensive team win. Mullen secured 4 points out of 4 whilst Chesters delivered 3.5 out of 4.

2015 Walker Cup Memorabilia (© eBay golfer1234)

During the BBC coverage of the match Andrew Cotter and Peter Alliss discussed the origins of US captain John “Spider” Miller’s nickname. Cotter, knowing that Miller’s family were grocers and that young John enjoyed climbing the stores shelves, asked Alliss if he knew the origins of the Spider name. The witty Alliss, quick as a flash, said “Because he can’t get out of the bath?” 

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