The R&A has announced the Great Britain and Ireland team to face the USA in the 45th Walker Cup match which will be played at Royal Lytham & St Annes on September 12-13.
A ten-player team and two reserves have been named for the match, with a record five Irish players included in the line-up, although just two Englishmen, Sam Horsfield (pictured) and Ashley Chesters.
GB&I will be aiming to win back the trophy after the USA enjoyed a 17-9 victory in the 2013 match at the National Golf Links of America in New York.
Nigel Edwards, who will be captaining the GB&I team for the third time, said, “We have selected a talented group of players who compete at the highest levels of amateur golf and, in some cases, have played in Major Championships and Tour events. The Walker Cup offers these players a tremendous opportunity to display their abilities and gain invaluable experience of playing in international team competition. I know there will be players who are disappointed not to have made the team and it has been a difficult decision to make with such strength in depth in the British and Irish game at the moment, but we believe we have selected the best players for the team and are very much looking forward to the match.”
GB&I team
Ashley Chesters, 26, Hawkstone Park, England
Paul Dunne, 22, Greystones, Ireland
Grant Forrest, 22, Craigielaw, Scotland
Sam Horsfield, 18, Davenport, Florida, USA
Jack Hume, 21, Naas, Ireland
Gary Hurley, 22, West Waterford, Ireland
Jack McDonald, 22, Kilmarnock (Barassie), Scotland
Gavin Moynihan, 20, The Island, Ireland
Jimmy Mullen, 21, Royal North Devon, England
Cormac Sharvin, 22, Ardglass, Ireland
Reserves:
Ewen Ferguson, 19, Bearsden, Scotland
Bradley Moore, 17, Kedleston Park, England
TEAM PROFILES
Ashley Chesters
Chesters is the highest-ranked British player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking in sixth position and put in an excellent performance in The Open at St Andrews to finish tied for 12th. The two-time European Amateur Champion and English international reached the last 16 of the Amateur Championship at Carnoustie, finished tied second at the Welsh Open Stroke Play Championship and tied seventh at the Brabazon Trophy.
Paul Dunne
Dunne also distinguished himself at The Open and was the joint leader after 54 holes before finishing tied 30th. The former Irish Boys Champion has enjoyed an excellent season, securing top ten finishes at the Brabazon Trophy and the individual standings of the European Amateur Team Championship in Sweden. He reached the quarter final stage of last week’s U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympia Fields.
Grant Forrest
Forrest was the runner-up in this year’s Amateur Championship and played a key role in Scotland’s victory at last month’s European Amateur Team Championship, winning five points out of six. In 2014, the former Scottish Boys and Scottish Amateur Champion won the St Andrews Links Trophy and was part of the victorious European Palmer Cup team.
Sam Horsfield
Horsfield was born in England but his family moved to Florida when he was aged five. Currently ranked 23rd in the World Amateur Golf RankingTM, the 2013 Florida State Amateur Champion reached the quarter finals of this year’s Western Amateur Championship and qualified for the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay. He reached the last 32 at last week’s U.S. Amateur Championship.
Jack Hume
Hume has been a consistent performer this season, finishing tied third in the Brabazon Trophy and tied sixth in the St Andrews Links Trophy. As well as finishing in the top 20 at the European Amateur Championship in Slovakia and the Irish Amateur Open Championship, Hume was part of the winning Irish team at the recent Home Internationals.
Gary Hurley
Hurley was runner-up in the recent European Amateur Championship, after finishing joint runner-up in 2014, and was also second at the Spanish International Amateur Championship earlier this year. The R&A Foundation Scholar finished in the top 20 in the Lytham Trophy and was part of the Irish team which finished second at the Southern Cross Invitational. He has also represented Europe in the Palmer Cup on two occasions.
Jack McDonald
McDonald reached the semi-finals of the Amateur Championship and was part of the winning Scottish team in the European Amateur Team Championship, like Forrest, winning five points out of six, and finishing tied fourth in the individual standings. The R&A Foundation Scholar also achieved top 15 finishes at the Lytham Trophy, the Irish Amateur Open Championship, the Scottish Stroke Play Championship and the St Andrews Links Trophy.
Gavin Moynihan
Moynihan played in the 2013 Walker Cup match at the National Golf Links of America, earning two points out of four for the GB&I team. He won the Irish Open Amateur Championship for the second time this year, finished runner-up at the Brabazon Trophy, third at the European Amateur Championship and was part of Ireland’s winning Home Internationals team.
Jimmy Mullen
Mullen is the reigning Welsh Amateur Open Stroke Play Champion. He was part of the England team which finished fourth at the European Amateur Team Championship and also represented his country in this year’s Home Internationals. He finished tied third in the Duncan Putter and tied 19th at the Lytham Trophy. In 2014, he reached the last 16 of the U.S Amateur Championship.
Cormac Sharvin
Sharvin won this year’s Brabazon Trophy to capitalise on a rich vein of form which saw him finish runner-up to Moynihan at the Irish Open Amateur Championship, tied second at the Lytham Trophy and third at the Scottish Open Stroke Play Championship. The R&A Foundation Scholar also represented Ireland at the European Amateur Team Championship.
For more information visit www.walkercup.org.