USA Team – Walker Cup

162. USGA Confirm 2023 USA Walker Cup Team

20th August 2023

Following the completion of the U.S. Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills G.C. the USGA’s International Team Selection Working Group (ITS) confirmed the remaining six players who would complete the USA’s 2023 Walker Cup team: –

Nick GABRRELCIK, 21, of Trinity, Florida – WAGR #10
Austin GREASER, 22, of Vandalia, Ohio – WAGR #8
Stewart HAGESTAD, 32, of Newport Beach, California – WAGR #15
Ben JAMES, 20, of Milford, Connecticut – WAGR #6
Dylan MENANTE, 22, of Carlsbad, California – WAGR #5
Preston SUMMERHAYS, 21, of Scottsdale, Arizona – WAGR #18

These six players join the four that had previously been selected to the team.

Nick DUNLAP, 19 – Huntsville, Alabama
David FORD, 20 – Peachtree Corners, Georgia
Gordon SARGENT, 20 – Birmingham, Alabama
Caleb SURRATT, 19 – Indian Trail, North Carolina

The three highest ranked American players, Gordon SARGENT #1, Michael THORBJORNSEN (21) #2 and David FORD #4 (previously #3), in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) on 21st June 2023 received automatic selections two months ago. On 9th August 2023 Thorbjornsen withdrew from the match due to a back injury, thus opening up another space in the line-up.

Nick DUNLAP (WAGR #9), who won the U.S. Amateur Championship earlier today, and Caleb SURRATT (WAGR #7) were added to the USA team by the ITS on 31st July 2023 having impressed with their strong play over the early summer period.

Summerhays was perhaps the surprise pick in the final wave as the ITS overlooked two higher WAGR ranked players, namely Cole Sherwood (12th) and Luke Clanton (14th). Summerhays’ stronger ‘USGA pedigree’ no doubt helped his case.

“These six players are outstanding additions to round out this year’s team,” said Mike McCoy, captain of the USA Team. “This group of players has earned the opportunity to be part of this team and I’m thrilled to see their hard work rewarded. I am beyond excited to have our full team set as we begin to prepare for the Old Course.”

Maxwell MOLDOVAN, 21, of Uniontown, Ohio and Neal SHIPLEY, 23, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania were also named as the USA’s non-travelling first and second alternates, respectively.

The USA Team will play Great Britain and Ireland in the 49th Walker Cup Match on 2-3 September 2023 at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

USA Team (Graphic: USGA)

Here are the USGA’s biographies (edited) of all of the USA team: –

Nick Dunlap, 19, of Huntsville, Alabama
– The 2023 U.S. Amateur champion.
– He joined Tiger Woods as the only players to have won the U.S. Junior Amateur (2021) and U.S. Amateur titles (2023).
– Dunlap has also won the 2023 Northeast Amateur and North & South Amateur titles.
– Match play record since winning the AJGA’s Polo Classic in 2021 is P32, W30, L2.
– He is a rising sophomore at the University of Alabama.

David Ford, 20, Peachtree Corners, Georgia
– Ford will join the small group of left-handed Walker Cup players.
– He claimed the 2022 Southern Amateur at Sea island G.C.
– He is a rising junior at the University of North Carolina.
– A member of the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup team.
– Has twin brother, Maxwell, who is also an elite amateur golfer.

Nick Gabrelcik, 21, of Trinity, Florida
– Earlier this summer, he notched a victory at the Southern Amateur Championship at the Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee.
– He is a rising senior at the University of North Florida.
– In 2021, he earned the Phil Mickelson Award as the top freshman in college golf. He is a three-time USA Palmer Cup competitor and made the cut in the 2023 Valspar Championship on the PGA Tour, shooting a second-round 67.

Austin Greaser, 21, of Vandalia, Ohio
– Greaser was runner-up to James Piot in the 2021 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont C.C.
– He is a fifth-year senior at the University of North Carolina.
– Greaser won the 2022 Western Amateur Championship, defeating Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira in the finals.

Stewart Hagestad, 32, of Newport Beach, California
– A mid-amateur member of three winning USA Walker Cup Teams (2017, 2019, 2021).
– He has played in 26 USGA championships, including 13 U.S. Amateurs.
– He captured the 2021 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Sankaty Head Golf Club, defeating Mark Costanza, 2 and 1. He also defeated Scott Harvey in 37 holes in the 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship final, producing the largest comeback victory since the 36-hole final was introduced in 2001.
– Hagestad was the low amateur in the 2017 Masters Tournament, becoming the first invited Mid-Amateur champion to make the 36-hole cut.

Ben James, 19, of Milford, Connecticut
– James advanced to the quarterfinals of this week’s U.S. Amateur, falling in 19 holes to Parker Bell.
– He is coming off an accolade-filled freshman year at the University of Virginia, where he was named winner of the 2023 Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award, a First-Team Ping All-American, ACC Freshman of the Year and a finalist for both the Haskins and Jack Nicklaus Awards.
– He finished sixth at the NCAA Championships, set the UVA record with five first-place finishes and finished in the top six in 11 of 13 tournaments.
– James was also selected to the 2023 U.S. Palmer Cup Team.

Dylan Menante, 22, of Carlsbad, California
– Menante is a fifth year senior at the University of North Carolina.
– He was previously a member of the Pepperdine team that captured the 2021 NCAA Championship
– He has competed in five U.S. Amateurs (2018,

Gordon Sargent, 20, of Birmingham, Alabama
– Ranked #1 in WAGR and winner of the 2023 Mark McCormack Medal
– The low amateur at the 2023 U.S. Open Championship at Los Angeles C.C.
– Sargent is a rising junior at Vanderbilt University. He won the NCAA Division I Championship in 2022 as a freshman.
– Played in the USA’s World Amateur Team in 2022 (3rd place) and has already been selected for the 2023 team.

Preston Summerhays, 21, of Scottsdale, Arizona
– Summerhays won the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur.
– He won the 2020 Sunnehanna Amateur, becoming the youngest champion in tournament history.
– In 2022, Summerhays was named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Year after recording eight top 10s during his first year at Arizona State University.

Caleb Surratt, 19, of Indian Trail, North Carolina
– Runner-up to Dunlap at the 2023 Northeast Amateur.
– Caleb is a rising sophomore at the University of Tennessee.
– Runner-up in the the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur and winner of the 2021 Western Amateur.

Here are the current World Amateur Golf Rankings with the full USA team overlayed on it: –

WAGR Top 20 16th August 2023 Release (Graphic: WAGR)

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160. Thorbjornsen Withdraws From The USA Team

9th August 2023

Michael THORBJORNSEN has announced on his Instagram account that he has withdrawn from the 2023 USA Walker Cup team due to a stress fracture in his back.

Michael Thorbjornsen (Photo: Stanford University)

Thorbjornsen, who is a rising senior at Stanford University and the #2 ranked player in the current World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), has been advised to take a 4-8 week break from the game so that the injury can hopefully heal naturally.

Thorbjornsen had been in the three-man group, alongside David FORD and Gordon SARGENT, who had been automatically selected for the 2023 USA team due to them having the three best American WAGR’s on 21st June 2023.

As one of the world’s leading amateurs his loss is equally a blow for the United States team and the match itself where he would have been one of the big draws for the supporters at St. Andrews.

Thorbjornsen’s Instagram Post

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157. USA’s Three 2023 WAGR Picks Are Confirmed

21st June 2023

In line with the USGA’s International Team Selection Working Group’s (ITS) guidance provided in May we now know the first three members of USA’s 2023 Walker Cup team.

David Ford, Gordon Sargent & Michael Thorbjornsen (Photo: USGA)

The three highest ranked American players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) on 21st June 2023, namely Gordon SARGENT (20) #1, Michael THORBJORNSEN (21) #2 and David FORD (20) #3, have all secured automatic selections.

All three play in the U.S. college system. Next season Sargent will be a junior at Vanderbilt, Thorbjornsen a senior at Stanford and Ford a junior at University of North Carolina.

Sargent who currently has 16 PGA TOUR University Accelerated points will gain 2 more when he represents USA at the Walker Cup. When a player reaches 20 points and has completed their junior season (as a minimum) they become eligible for a full PGA Tour card for the rest of that season and the one after that. With other amateur and pro events coming up this summer ahead of his September trip to St. Andrews Sargent looks very likely to become the first player to complete this route to the Tour.

The three selectees all attended the USA’s Squad practice session in Jupiter, Florida in December 2022.

The ITS will name a second set of additional players to the 10-man team in late July and then round things off following the completion of the U.S. Amateur Championship on 20th August 2023.

WAGR Top 10 21st June 2023 Release (Graphic: WAGR)

Whilst the match is never played on paper USA players currently occupy nine places in the latest WAGR top 10 and fifteen in the top 20.

Click here to view the current – WAGR Men’s Ranking

Click here to view my earlier article – ‘155. USGA Provides 2023 Walker Cup USA Team Selection Timetable’

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155. USGA Provide 2023 Walker Cup USA Team Selection Timetable

17th May 2023

The USGA’s International Team Selection Working Group (ITS) has this week confirmed the 2023 USA Walker Cup team’s selection timetable.

This process is in line with the USGA’s selection policy announcement of July 2018 which the ITS have followed for the last two matches.

The three highest ranked American players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) on 21st June 2023 will receive automatic selections onto the team.

As at 17th May 2023 the three eligible players under this category would be Gordon SARGENT #2, Michael THORBJORNSEN #3 and David FORD #4. All three attended the USA’s Squad practice session in Jupiter, Florida in December 2022.

If an automatic selection declines their spot it will be offered to the next ranked USA player on WAGR.

A second set of players, which I assume will be three to five in number, will be confirmed by the ITS in mid-to-late July.

The remaining players will then be announced immediately following the Final of the U.S. Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills C.C. in Colorado on 20th August. This is because the 2023 U.S. Amateur champion and the recipient of the 2023 McCormack Medal, should they be American, also earn automatic spots onto the team.

At least one mid-amateur (25 years and older) player, will be included in the USA team by the ITS. It seems likely that Stewart HAGESTAD, currently WAGR #15, will pick up this berth, making it four matches in a row at St. Andrews.

Click here to view the USGA’s full press release – Automatic USA Walker Cup, WATC Team Selections Set For June 21

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116. Nathanial Crosby Re-appointed USA Walker Cup Captain For 2021

25th October 2019

Nathaniel Crosby, who turns 58 on 29th October, has been re-appointed as captain of the USA Walker Cup team for the 2021 match which will be played at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Florida.

Crosby was always expected to be given the now customary second term after leading his USA team to a 15.5-10.5 away victory at Royal Liverpool G.C. last month and given the fact he lives close to and is a member of the famed Seminole club.

Upon confirming the captaincy Stuart Francis, USGA Championship Committee chairman, said “Nathaniel’s previous Walker Cup experience and guidance proved to be the right mix to lead the 2019 team to victory. Our players experienced life lessons from a true gentleman and competitor and we are excited to have him lead the team again at Seminole.”

Nathaniel Crosby (© USGA / Simon Dale)

“The 2019 Walker Cup experience was an unbelievable journey from start to finish, and I am honored to be allowed to once again guide an outstanding group of young men in 2021” said Crosby.

In an interview with the Silver Club Golfing Society Podcast on 16th September 2019, shortly after returning home from England, he spoke in more detail about the possibility of being re-appointed for 2021, saying, “It would be an incredible privilege to be picked again. I know that has been a tradition with the USGA over the last three decades. I worry about a (former) player or two who could be passed over. The funny thing about Seminole is that if you’re a Walker Cup captain you are one of ten people. I don’t even want to think about it and the possibilities at this point. It’s a definite commitment of time and effort and I don’t know how any experience could match what’s just happened for me. That being said I don’t want to take myself out of the running ! This privilege was a lifelong memory and a highlight of my life. It would be greedy to want another one.”

The 48th Walker Cup Match is scheduled for 8th – 9th May 2021 and will mark the first time that the biennial team competition will be held in the spring in the U.S.

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95. 2019 Walker Cup Practice Squads Revealed

19th November 2018

The USGA’s International Team and The R&A Men’s Selection Committees have invited various players to attend 2019 Walker Cup practice sessions in December.

The U.S. gathering is scheduled to take place between December 14^th– 18^that Seminole G.C. in Florida.

16 players will be in attendance (current SPWAR / WAGR): –

John AUGENSTEIN – Owensboro, Kentucky (6 / 27)
Akshay BHATIA – Wake Forest, North Carolina (104 / 29)
Will GORDON – Davidson, North Carolina (9 / 37)
Stewart HAGESTAD – Newport Beach, California (80 / 15)
Cole HAMMER – Houston, Texas (15 / 11)
Brandon MANCHENO – Jacksonville, Florida (39 / 50)
Bryson NIMMER – Bluffton, South Carolina (11 / 38)
Kevin O’CONNELL – Cary, North Carolina (270 / 21)
Matt PARZIALE – Brockton, Massachusetts (130 / 155)
Chandler PHILLIPS – Huntsville, Texas (22 / 12)
Trent PHILLIPS – Inman, South Carolina (105 / 37) *
Isaiah SALINDA – South San Francisco, California (13 / 32)
Alex SMALLEY – Wake Forest, North Carolina (16 / 24)
Tyler STRAFACI – Davie, Florida (21/ 75)
Matthew WOLFF – Agoura Hills, California (14 / 5)
Brandon WU – Scarsdale, New York (19 / 47)

* Davis RILEY – Hattiesburg, Mississippi (10 / 8) withdrew on 25th November having decided to forego his final semester of eligibility at Alabama University and turn professional. He was replaced by Trent PHILLIPS.

Stewart Hagestad is the only member of the 2017 USA Team who will attend the practice session and one of three mid-amateurs invited; the others being Matt Parziale and Kevin O’Connell.

The absence of Collin Morkikawa (2 / 2), Braden Thornberry (3 / 3) and Justin Suh (4 / 1) suggests all three have made their intentions to turn Pro at the end of the current U.S. College season known to the USGA.

Zachary Bauchou (12 / 18) and Philip Knowles (20 / 69) are two of the more noteworthy U.S. players missing from the list.

John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of Championships said: “This practice session presents an excellent opportunity for the players, the captain (Nathaniel Crosby) and the USGA to become familiar with each other as we begin the process of team selection. While these 16 talented individuals represent the first pool of potential team members, we expect many others will be considered as the selection process moves toward its conclusion next August.”

Looking back at recent Walker Cup practice sessions six of the 16 players named in 2017 made the final 10-man USA Team whilst nine of the 16 did so in both 2013 and 2015.

The final 2019 USA Walker Cup team will potentially include five automatic selections drawn from: –

– the top 3 USA players in the WAGR (as of early August).

– the 2019 U.S. Amateur champion (if eligible);

– the Mark H. McCormack Award winner (WAGR world No.1 immediately after U.S. Amateur – if eligible);

The remaining five to seven U.S. players will be decided by the USGA’s International Team Selection Committee after the U.S. Amateur concludes.

The R&A, who chose not to make a formal announcement, have also recently invited a group of players to a practice session to be held at the 2019 venue Royal Liverpool G.C. on 18-19 December 2018 *.

Unfortunately the dates clash with the South Beach International Amateur which a number of Great British and Irish players have already committed to. Amongst those planning to be in South Florida and high in the rankings are Jake BURNAGE (ENG), Conor GOUGH (ENG), David LANGLEY (ENG), Ben JONES (ENG), Joe PAGDIN (ENG), Tom PLUMB (ENG) and Robin WILLIAMS (ENG). I assume all of them will be sending their apologies.

*Subsequently photos were released by The R&A reporting that 10 players attended the two day session. These were: –

Bailey GILL (ENG)
Alex FITZPATRICK (ENG)
Jake HAPGOOD (WAL)
Billy MCKENZIE (ENG)
Conor PURCELL (IRE)
Caolan RAFFERTY (IRE)
Sandy SCOTT (SCO)
Jamie STEWART (SCO)
Tom THURLOWAY (ENG)
Euan WALKER (SCO)

📸 2019 USA and GB&I #WalkerCup hopefuls took part in pre-selection practice sessions this past week. Check it out: https://t.co/br2RlrS34r pic.twitter.com/jaItLUpi90

— The Walker Cup (@WalkerCup) December 23, 2018

The 47th Match will be played at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England on September 7^th– 8^th2019.

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83. Nathaniel Crosby Will Captain The U.S.A. Team In 2019

13th December 2017

The U.S.G.A. today announced that 56 year old Nathaniel CROSBY had been selected to captain the U.S.A. team at the 2019 Walker Cup match.

Stuart Francis, U.S.G.A. Championship Committee chairman, said “Nathaniel Crosby has proven experience as an amateur player at the highest levels in both individual and team competition, and this will lend itself well to providing leadership for the USA Walker Cup team in 2019”. He has the key attributes of “sportsmanship, patriotism and a competitive spirit, that will assist him as captain.”

Crosby played in the 1983 Walker Cup match at Royal Liverpool GC. His appointment therefore has a nice symmetry with the 2019 contest also being staged at the historic links in Hoylake, England.

Nowadays he plays much of his golf at Seminole G.C. where the Walker Cup is being staged in 2021. Whilst there are other candidates with links to this exclusive Florida Club it does seem likely that his appointment will be for the now standard two match term.

In the USGA announcement Crosby said: “I am thrilled and overwhelmed to be chosen captain. It will again be a privilege to be a part of the Walker Cup competition. Many of my closest friends are former captains who will hopefully take the time to share their approaches in an effort to help me with my new responsibilities.”

Former U.S. captains Jim Holtgrieve, Bob Lewis Jr and Jay Sigel were all teammates of Crosby’s in 1983.

Nathaniel Crosby (Photo: USGA / Simon Dale)

Nathaniel Crosby – Golf Biography

Nathaniel (‘Nate’) Crosby was introduced to golf by his famous father, Bing. Bing was often described as a golfer that liked to sing given his obsession with the game.

He started playing golf when he was 4, taking lessons from Maurice Ver Brugge at the family’s home club, Burlinghame C.C., near San Francisco, and went on to become a very accomplished golfer.

His biggest achievement was his victory, aged 19, in the 1981 US Amateur Championship at Olympic Club in San Francisco. Playing number 3 for the University of Miami during the year and having showed little form beforehand his win was something of a surprise. He did however have the benefit of sleeping in his own bed at his parent’s house during the event. Huge crowds, drawn by the Crosby name, saw Nathaniel beat Brian Lindley on the 37^th hole of the final. He staged a great comeback having been both 4 Down with 10 holes to play and 2 Down with 3 to play.

Sadly his father was unable to witness his achievement. Bing had died four years earlier on 14^th October 1977, collapsing from a heart attack after playing 18 holes at La Moraleja G.C. near Madrid. His last words being “That was a great game of golf, fellas.” However, Nathaniel later revealed he wore Bing’s 1941 US Amateur competitor badge around his neck all week rubbing it occasionally when seeking inspiration or calmness. “It was a something to relax me. It was a way of keeping positive thoughts in my mind. I knew he was up there and he was on my side.”

In 1982 Nathaniel achieved low amateur honours at the US Open Championship at Pebble Beach, finishing 59th, won the prestigious Porter Cup and helped the USA win that year’s World Amateur Team Championship title in Switzerland.

The USA won the 1983 Walker Cup match 13.5 – 10.5 at Royal Liverpool. Captained by Jay Sigel (who also played himself), Crosby lost his Day 1 Singles 6&4 to Phil Parkin before he and William Hoffer beat George Macgregor and Philip Walton by 2 holes in their Day 2 Foursomes game. He sat out both the Day 1 Foursomes and Day 2 Singles.

Crosby graduated from the University of Miami in 1984 with a degree in politics and public administration. He then turned professional, playing briefly in the U.S. before trying his hand on the European Tour. With little success he ‘retired’ after three years, moving into the business world in 1988.

He regained his amateur status in 1994. This was initially so that he could play in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, a tournament that had grown out of his father’s Bing Crosby National Pro-Amateur (also known as the Crosby Clambake). After Bing’s death in 1977, the tournament was hosted by the Crosby family for eight years, before the association was finally ended in 1985. Nathaniel had also planned to compete in Senior amateur events but this doesn’t appear to have come to anything in recent years.

Nathaniel Crosby – Personal Biography

Nathaniel Patrick Crosby was born on 29^th October 1961 in Hillsborough, California but now lives in Jupiter, Florida.

He is the seventh child of Bing Crosby and the youngest of his three children with his second wife, the entertainer Kathryn Grant. Grant was 31 years Bing’s junior when they married.

His four half brothers are now all dead. He has an elder brother Harry and a sister Mary. Mary famously played Kristin Shepard, the mistress responsible for shooting J.R. Ewing in the hit television series ‘Dallas’. Nathaniel also performed on stage and screen many times with various family members when he was a child.

Nathaniel has four children of his own, all from his first marriage – Nathaniel Jr (27), Brendan (25), Bridget (23) and Claire (21). He is now remarried to another divorcee, Sheila (Biggs), who has two children of her own – Turner (26) and Courtney (24).

When his playing career came to an end he moved into the golf equipment business working firstly for Toney Penna (a touring pro. who had been Nathaniel’s teacher), then The Nicklaus Equipment Company and finally Orlimar Golf. He is currently chairman of AppleTree Golf Society, a membership programme that is tied to around 30 premier golf clubs in vacation and second-home destinations.

In 2016 he released a book, written with the assistance of golf journalist John Strege, entitled ’18 Holes With Bing: Golf, Life and Lessons From Dad’, where he talked about his relationship with his father through their shared love of golf.

Additional information

In June 2008 Michael Bamberger wrote an interesting profile of Nathaniel Crosby for Golf.com. Read it here – http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/why-nathaniel-crosby-holds-special-place-game

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