September 5-6, 2026
Lahinch Golf Club (Old Course), County Clare, Ireland
6,914 yards, Par 72
Captains: Dean Robertson (GB&I) and Nathan Smith (USA)
Match Report
Day 1 Weather – Cloudy / 14-17°C / 6-19mph SW AM / SE PM
Day 1 Foursomes (GB&I players first)
Stuart Grehan / Eliot Baker halved with Preston Stout / Ethan Fang
Connor Graham / Tyler Weaver beat Jay Leng Jr / Kihei Akina 1 Hole
Luke Poulter / Sam Easterbrook lost to Miles Russell / Tyler Watts 1 Hole
Niall Sheils Donegan / Josh Hill beat Josiah Gilbert / Ryder Cowan 4&3
Players Rested
GB&I – Ben Bolton, Jake Whaley / USA – Stewart Hagestad, William Jennings
Session Score: GB&I 2.5 – 1.5 USA
Day 1 Singles
Stuart Grehan beat Preston Stout 1 Hole
Jack Whaley lost to Ethan Fang 1 Hole
Connor Graham lost to William Jennings1 Hole
Tyler Weaver lost to Jay Leng Jr 2&1
Ben Bolton lost to Stewart Hagestad 2&1
Luke Poulter beat Miles Russell 2&1
Niall Sheils Donegan beat Tyler Watts 3&2
Eliot Baker beat Josiah Gilbert 3&2
Players Rested
GB&I – Sam Easterbrook, Josh Hill / USA – Kihei Akina, Ryder Cowan
Session Score: GB&I 4.0 – 4.0 USA
Day 1 Score: GB&I 6.5 – 5.5 USA
Click here to view my – 2026 Walker Cup – Day 1 Match Report
Day 2 Weather – Cloudy with Showers / 16-18°C / 22-30mph SW
Day 2 Foursomes
Stuart Grehan / Eliot Baker lost to Preston Stout / Ethan Fang 3&2
Luke Poulter / Sam Easterbrook lost to Jay Leng Jr / Kihei Akina 4&3
Tyler Weaver / Connor Graham lost to Miles Russell / Tyler Watts 3&2
Niall Sheils Donegan / Josh Hill lost to William Jennings / Ryder Cowan 4&3
Players Rested
GB&I – Ben Bolton, Jake Whaley / USA – Josiah Gilbert, Stewart Hagestad
Session Score: GB&I 0.0 – 4.0 USA
Day 2 Singles
Stuart Grehan beat Preston Stout 2&1
Luke Poulter beat Ethan Fang 3&1
Jack Whaley beat William Jennings 8&7
Tyler Weaver beat Jay Leng Jr 4&3
Niall Sheils Donegan halved with Kihei Akina
Eliot Baker beat Stewart Hagestad 1 Hole
Connor Graham halved with Miles Russell
Josh Hill beat Tyler Watts 1 Hole
Ben Bolton lost to Ryder Cowan 3&2
Sam Easterbrook lost to Josiah Gilbert 4&3
Session Score: GB&I 7.0 – 3.0 USA
Day 2 Score: GB&I 7.0 – 7.0 USA
Match Result: GB&I 13.5 – 12.5 USA
Click here to view my – 2026 Walker Cup – Day 2 Match Report
Series Wins: 40 USA – 10 GB&I – 1 Halved (after Match 51)
The GB&I Team (Photo by Oisin Keniry / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)
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Individual Player Performances
Stuart Grehan and Eliot Baker, who won both of the Singles, were the star men for GB&I. Neil Sheils Donegan, Luke Poulter and Josh Hill also contributed well to the home victory.
Ryder Cowan, with two wins on Sunday was the leading player for USA. Ethan Fang and William Jennings also performed well for USA in the overall match.
The R&A also produced team performance sheets for both teams: –
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Schedule
Fri 4 Sept. – Opening Ceremony on 1st Tee (5.00pm)
Sat 5 Sept. – 4 Foursomes (8.30am – 9.00am) & 8 Singles (2.02am – 3.12pm)
Sun 6 Sept. – 4 Foursomes (8.05am – 8.50am) & 10 Singles (1.35pm – 3.05pm)
Sun 6 Sept. – Closing Ceremony (c.7.15pm)
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GB&I Team
Team GB&I (l-r) – Stuart Grehan, Tyler Weaver, Luke Poulter, Josh Hill, Niall Sheils Donegan, Sam Easterbrook, Jack Whaley, Ben Bolton, Dean Robertson, Connor Graham and Eliot Baker (Photo by Oisin Keniry / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)
Non-Playing Captain – Dean ROBERTSON (Scotland)
Eliot BAKER (23)
Golf Club: Tiverton, England
University: N/A
Selection: WAGR #16 5th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #13
Ben BOLTON (19)
Golf Club: Enville, England
University: N/A
Selection: Captain’s Pick 18th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #86
Sam EASTERBROOK (19)
Golf Club: Olton, England
University: Purdue
Selection: Captain’s Pick 18th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #76
Connor GRAHAM (19)
Golf Club: Blairgowrie, Scotland
University: Texas Tech
Selection: Captain’s Pick 18th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #26
Stuart GREHAN (33)
Golf Club: Tullamore, Ireland
University: N/A
Selection: Amateur Champion July 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #28
Josh HILL (22)
Golf Club: Fox Den, TN, USA, representing England
University: Tennessee
Selection: Captain’s Pick 18th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #93
Luke POULTER (22)
Golf Club: Woburn, England
University: Florida
Selection: WAGR #5 5th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #8
Niall SHEILS DONEGAN (21)
Golf Club: Meadow Club, CA, USA, representing Scotland
University: North Carolina
Selection: WAGR #18 5th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #18
Tyler WEAVER (21)
Golf Club: Bury St. Edmunds, England
University: Florida State
Selection: WAGR #2 5th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #3
Jack WHALEY (22)
Golf Club: Rotherham, England
University: Florida State
Selection: U.S. Amateur Champion August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #45
Average Team WAGR on 2nd September 2026: 39.6
Reserves
Thomas HIGGINS (23)
Golf Club: Roscommon, Ireland
University: Clemson
Selection: R&A Selection 18th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #170
David HOWARD (27)
Golf Club: Fota Island, Ireland
University: Mid-Amateur
Selection: R&A Selection 18th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #768
GB&I have six returning players in their 2026 line-up, namely Eliot Baker, Connor Graham, Stuart Grehan, Luke Poulter, Niall Sheils Donegan and Tyler Weaver.
GB&I Walker Cup Team (Graphic: The R&A)
USA Team
Team USA (l-r) – Tyler Watts, Ethan Fang, Preston Stout, Stewart Hagestad, Jay Leng Jr, William Jennings, Josiah Gilbert, Kihei Akina, Nathan Smith, Ryder Cowan and Miles Russell (Photo by Oisin Keniry / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)
Non-Playing Captain – Nathan SMITH (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA)
Kihei AKINA (20)
Hometown: Alpine, Utah
University: Brigham Young
Selection: USGA Selection 16th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #11
Ryder COWAN (21)
Hometown: Edmond, Oklahoma
University: Oklahoma
Selection: USGA Selection 16th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #6
Ethan FANG (21)
Hometown: Plano, Texas
University: Oklahoma State
Selection: Performance / WAGR #4 July 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #9
Josiah GILBERT (21)
Hometown: Millbrook, Alabama
University: Auburn
Selection: USGA Selection 16th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #7
Stewart HAGESTAD (35)
Hometown: Newport Beach, California
University: Mid-Amateur
Selection: USGA Selection 16th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #25
William JENNINGS (20)
Hometown: Greenville, South Carolina
University: Alabama
Selection: USGA Selection 16th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #4
Jay LENG JR (20)
Hometown: San Diego, California
University: Stanford
Selection: USGA Selection 16th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #12
Miles RUSSELL (17)
Hometown: Jacksonville Beach, Florida
University: Junior (Florida State, 2028)
Selection: Performance / WAGR #5 July 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #5
PRESTON STOUT (21)
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
University: Oklahoma State
Selection: Performance / WAGR #1 July 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #1
Tyler WATTS (18)
Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama
University: Junior (Tennessee, 2027)
Selection: Performance / WAGR #3 July 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #2
Average Team WAGR on 2nd September 2026: 8.2
Alternates
Max HERENDEEN (21)
Hometown: Bellevue, Washington
University: Illinois
Selection: USGA Selection 16th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #24
Logan REILLY (19)
Hometown: Lovettsville, Virginia
University: Illinois
Selection: USGA Selection 16th August 2026
WAGR on 2nd September 2026 WAGR: #38
The USA have three returning players in their 2026 line-up, namely Stewart Hagestad, Ethan Fang and Preston Stout.
USA Walker Cup Team (Graphic: USGA)
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Caddie Draw
Lahinch G.C. provided all of the caddies for the match with their allocation across the 20 players based on a draw.
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Lahinch Golf Club, County Clare, Ireland
The course was originally laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1892. Dr. Alistair Mackenzie re-designed it solely in the sandhills in 1926/27. Martin Hawtree oversaw a sympathetic restoration in 2003.
The course is not heavily bunkered with only 68 such hazards featuring.
Lahinch is the long standing home of the South of Ireland Amateur Championship which has been played annually since 1895. It hosted the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in 2019, an event won by Spain’s John Rahm.
The Head Greenkeeper is Brian McDonagh who is supported by 11 permanent greenstaff. For The Walker Cup 38 volunteer green staff are being added to his roster.
This is how the course was set up across the two days: –
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Match Notes
The R&A announced on 10th July 2023 that Lahinch, located on the west coast of Ireland, would host the 51st Walker Cup match. Lahinch joined Portmarnock (1991) and Royal County Down (2007) as the third Irish course to be afforded this honour.
Dean Robertson, the first professional golfer to captain a GB&I Walker Cup team, led the team for a second and final time. The R&A confirmed that he would remain in charge at Lahinch on 13th October 2025 a few weeks after his first match at Cypress Point ended.
The USGA’s International Team Selection (ITS) Working Group arranged a USA Walker Cup practice session on 18th-20th December 2025. The players played at Jupiter Hills Golf Club, McArthur Golf Club and Seminole Golf Club in Florida. Evan BECK (Virginia), Luke COLTON (Texas), Ethan FANG (Texas), Josiah GILBERT (Texas), Stewart HAGESTAD (California), Max HERENDEEN (Washington), Mason HOWELL (Georgia), Jackson KOIVUN (North Carolina), Michael LA SASSO (North Carolina), Bryan LEE (Virginia), Bobby MASSA (Texas), Jacob MODLESKI (Indiana), Miles RUSSELL (Florida), Lance SIMPSON (Tennessee), Preston STOUT (Texas), Cameron TANKERSLEY (Tennessee), Jack TURNER (Florida) and Tyler WATTS (Alabama) attended this gathering.
GB&I held a few training sessions during the year primarily around the St Andrews Links Trophy, The Amateur and South of Ireland Amateur Championships. In addition to practicing specific links-focussed shots a number of head-to-head matches, over three and six holes, we’re played between attendees.
At the GB&I session that took place at Dumbarnie Golf Links in early June Captain Robertson invited a number of Scottish pros, amongst them Cameron Adam, Grant Forrest, David Law, Jack McDonald and Richie Ramsay, and they played match play singles against various squad players before answering questions on their Walker Cup experiences.
The South of Ireland Amateur Championship was played at the host venue Lahinch G.C. on 22nd-26th July 2026. All of the potential members of the GB&I team were encouraged to play in this event. Selected players Ben Bolton, Sam Easterbrook, Connor Graham, Stuart Grehan and Josh Hill all participated. Eliot Baker and Tyler Weaver did not but attended the pre-Championship training camp in County Clare. Only Luke Poulter, Niall Sheils Donegan and Jack Whaley didn’t benefit from this host course experience.
Official Match Poster By Lee Wybranski
GB&I had six returning players in their team – Eliot Baker, Connor Graham, Stuart Grehan, Luke Poulter, Niall Sheils Donegan and Tyler Weaver all played in 2025. This is the most since 1959 when there were also six.
Stuart Grehan (33) is the oldest player to make the GB&I team since Nigel Edwards (39) in 2007 when the Walker Cup was played at Royal County Down.
Connor Graham is making his third appearance in the Walker Cup and is the first GB&I player to reach that milestone since Nigel Edwards in 2005.
For only the second time in history, both the Amateur Champion, Stuart Grehan, and U.S. Amateur Champion, Jack Whaley, will be on the GB&I team. The pair will follow in the footsteps of Garrick Porteous and Matt Fitzpatrick who won these Championships in 2013 before playing in that year’s Walker Cup match at the National Golf Links of America.
GB&I’s Eliot Baker finished 15th on -3 at Trump International Golf Links in the Nexo Championship on the DP World Tour two weeks before the match commenced.
The match was sold out in advance with 8,000 fans attending each of the two competitive days. The attendance included over 1,700 young people attending through The R&A’s successful ‘Kids Go Free’ initiative, which provided free entry for U16s when accompanied by a paying adult.
The GB&I team met up on Friday 28th August for a two-day camp at Ballybunion G.C. The scripted clothing was presented and relaxed links practice took place. The team travelled up to Lahinch on the evening of Sunday 30th. Practice at Lahinch took place on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
The GB&I Team At Ballybunion G.C. (Photo: The R&A)
GB&I captain Dean Robertson was supported by Raymond Russell, who was a Walker Cup teammate in 1993 and Kath O’Connor, a Welsh amateur international. Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley and paralympian Scott Meenagh were also brought in to help advise and motivate the team. The R&A’s Euan Mordaunt again managed the team.
The USA team flew into Shannon Airport on Saturday 29th August.
Both teams stayed at the Vaughan Lodge Hotel in the town.
The County Clare hurlers visited Lahinch G.C. and met with the two teams on Monday evening for a skills demonstration. Both teams also visited the Cliffs of Moher, USA on Monday and GB&I on Tuesday, early in the week.
On Tuesday 2nd September Lahinch’s 2026 Club Captains presented each player and both team captains with a personalised replica of Lahinch’s iconic goat statue as a keepsake of their visit to the club.
John Gleeson, Dean Robertson, Nathan Smith, Miriam O’Keefe (Photo: Lahinch G.C.)
The R&A’s Conor Finlay was responsible for the course set up. This is no small task at Lahinch where the tee and hole location options are various but the coastal weather often unpredictable.
American players Ethan Fang and William Jennings were unable to practice on Thursday morning after contracting stomach illnesses. Preston Stout later joined Fang and Jennings in missing the Walker Cup Welcome Dinner in the evening due to a similar illness. Stout had been due to receive the McCormack Medal at the event. All three players then missed Friday morning’s practice session too but were fit enough to compete when the match got underway on Saturday.
On Day 1 Miles Russell became the second youngest player to represent USA in the Walker Cup aged 17 years, 10 months and 4 days. He is 3 months older than Akshay Bhatia when he played in 2019.
USA had two left handed players in their team, namely Miles Russell and Tyler Watts. The only other time this has occurred for either side was when Ralph Howe III and Phil Mickelson played together in 1989 at Peachtree G.C.
Russell and Watts became the first left handed foursomes pairing in Walker Cup history, playing together on both days.
Stewart Hagestad played in his sixth consecutive USA Walker Cup team match. This was his first team loss and he extended his enviable individual Singles record to P10-W8-L2. He is the first player on either side to make a sixth appearance since Gary Wolstenholme in 2005 and is now tied 3rd on the all-time USA appearance list (16 games) alongside Francis Ouimet. Jay Sigel (33 games) and William C. Campbell (18 games) are the only players ahead of him.
GB&I’s win was the biggest ever comeback victory and required an unprecedented GB&I final Singles series win of 7.0 – 3.0. No team had ever won the Cup having been three points behind after the first three sessions.
GB&I captain Dean Robertson became the first Scotsman to lead a GB&I team to victory in the Walker Cup. In the previous nine wins we had seen 5 English led victories, 3 Welsh and 1 Irish.
ME
Copyright © Mark Eley. All rights reserved.