GB&I Team

August 2020

Joe LONG (ENG) won the 125th Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale G.C. on Sunday 30th August 2020, beating Joe HARVEY (ENG) by 4&3 in the Final.

Long is therefore guaranteed the first playing spot on the Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) Walker Cup team.

The R&A Men’s Selection Committee will choose the remaining members of the GB&I team in April 2021.

Team selection for the match at Seminole G.C. on 8th-9th May 2021 is going to be challenging for GB&I as their main playing season will not have commenced by then.

The Covid-19 pandemic has only added to the difficulties with much of the 2020 season cancelled. The loss of the St. Andrews Trophy, World Amateur Team Championship and Men’s Home Internationals are particularly damaging to the selection pathway.

The current Selection Committee comprises Andy INGRAM (Chairman / Wales), Stuart WILSON (Captain / Scotland), Nigel EDWARDS (England) and Padraig HOGAN (Ireland).

GB&I Selection Notes

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.