Last Updated – 8th september 2025
The GB&I Team Selection Criteria
The R&A’s selection policy for their 2025 GB&I men’s teams was as follows:-
– The 2025 Amateur champion (if eligible);
– The 2025 U.S. Amateur champion (if eligible);
– The top 5 highest ranked GB&I players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) on Wednesday 6th August 2025 (with a minimum divisor of 18)*;
– the remaining players will be selected by the Captain.
*Should the Amateur Champions occupy one of the WAGR positions or any of the leading five WAGR players be either unavailable or not have a minimum divisor the place(s) will not transfer to the next ranked GB&I player but will become an extra Captain’s pick.
Ahead of most matches an initial squad of 15-20 players has been announced in the prior December or January. Most of the team has then come from this squad but there has always been the opportunity for others to play their way on to the team based on their results during the season. No such squad was announced in 2025.
GB&I eligibility is based on being eligible to play for one of the Home Nations.
_______________________________________
GB&I Selection Notes
In May 2023 three-time GB&I captain Nigel Edwards gave an interview to Matt Cooper for Global Golf Post discussing his thoughts on the selection process.
“When you’re picking a team I would say that 90% of the time eight of the ten pick themselves.”
“It’s a huge week (for the players) and unlike anything they’ve ever dealt with because very few golfers play more than one Walker Cup these days. There’s a long lead-in culminating in an opening ceremony, the television cameras are watching, and also the simple fact that the match is almost always the culmination of the amateur career adds more pressure. That combination makes it inevitable that not everyone will play their best golf, so I wanted characters who could overcome that – golfers with a good attitude that made them competitors.”
Then there’s the question of performing under pressure. Short game and putting – if you’re on the last, can you hole out? Are you doing it consistently? Down the stretch, can you keep the ball in play? The Old Course is wide open, but 16 and 17 aren’t, and they will be pivotal holes.”
“My message to the players was always, ‘Let’s put them under pressure, because no one performs at their best under pressure’. People get nervous and we want to be the ones who deal with that. It’s a great challenge. Accept it and thrive on it. The Americans will be very buoyant, so show them you’re up for the challenge. You need to be in the mindset of prepare better, play better, hole out better, compete hard and be positive.”
_______________________________________
GB&I Selection History
British golf before World War II was largely the preserve of the upper class and therefore GB&I’s early teams were frequently selected from Oxford and Cambridge Universities and the most prestigious golf clubs.
There were few amateur competitions to assist selectors in the early years too.
In this age of true amateurism funds were limited for both The R&A and many of the players. Indeed some players were forced to turn down selection invitations due to an inability to extract themselves from their day jobs.
A combination of being known to a selector and an ability to assist with the funding of the trip was a distinct advantage for a leading player up until the 1950s.
ME.
Copyright © 2015-2025, Mark Eley. All rights reserved.