8th July 2026
With less than 60 days to go until the 51st Walker Cup match begins the two teams are now starting to take shape as some of the automatic selections are confirmed.
Stuart GREHAN (IRL) claimed the first place in the Great Britain & Ireland team when he won the 131st Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool G.C. on 20th June 2026.
Stuart Grehan (Photo: Oisin Keniry / R&A / R&A via Getty Images)
The top-five GB&I players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) published on 5th August will be the next to gain automatic selection.
The top 5 as at 8th July are Tyler WEAVER (ENG) #2, Luke POULTER (ENG) #7, Niall SHEILS DONEGAN (SCO) #18, Stuart GREHAN (IRL) #19 (although he does not meet the divisor of 18 rule) and Eliot BAKER (ENG) #21.
Weaver has been injured since mid-May and is running out of time to prove his fitness for the match in early September. Grehan, as the Amateur champion, has already secured his place on the team. These positions are not transferable so captain Dean Robertson may end up having one or possibly two additional picks.
The GB&I team of 10 is scheduled to be announced on Tuesday 18th August.
As Preston STOUT #1, Tyler WATTS #3 and Ethan FANG #4 were the three highest-ranked American players in the WAGR as of 8th July they have earned automatic exemptions from the USGA onto the 2026 USA Walker Cup Team.
USA WAGR Extract As At 8th July 2026 (Graphic: WAGR)
The winner of the 2026 U.S. Amateur Championship, set to be played at Merion G.C. in August, and the recipient of the 2026 McCormack Medal, will also earn automatic exemptions, should they be American.
The USA team of 10 is scheduled to be announced at the conclusion of the U.S. Amateur Championship on Sunday 16th August.
ME.
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