An initial 20-man squad for the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team to face the USA at Royal Lytham & St Annes in September has been announced by The R&A.
The 45th Walker Cup match will be played September 12-13 and will see GB&I bidding to win back the trophy after the USA’s convincing 17-9 victory in the 2013 match at the National Golf Links of America in New York. The final ten-man GB&I team will be announced in August.
Amateur champion Bradley Neil leads a strong Scottish contingent in the squad, which also includes the 2014 St Andrews Links Trophy champion, Grant Forrest, and Jamie Savage, who won the Irish Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship.
Double European Amateur champion Ashley Chesters, Adam Chapman, who won the South of England Open Amateur Championship last year, and Sam Horsfield, who recently successfully defended his New Year’s Invitational title in Florida, are among the English players in the squad.
Ireland’s Gavin Moynihan is the only player in the squad with previous Walker Cup experience. The current Scottish Open Stroke Play Champion played in the 2013 match, where he earned two points for GB&I. He is joined by fellow Irishmen Gary Hurley, who finished joint runner-up in the 2014 European Amateur Championship, and Paul Dunne, who came through Final Qualifying to play in last year’s Open at Royal Liverpool.
Wentworth Club member David Boote, who enjoyed a top-10 finish in last year’s European Amateur Championship, is the sole Welshman included.
The squad’s first group meeting will be held on July 21-22 at Royal Lytham & St Annes, and the players will also meet ahead of the Lytham Trophy in May.
Nigel Edwards, captain of the GB&I team, said: “We have selected a strong squad of players and they will all know that they are in contention for a place on the team and it is up to them to perform this season. As the season progresses I am sure that a number of players who do not form part of this current squad will challenge for places on the team, as has happened in previous years with the likes of Steven Brown and Danny Willett playing their way on to the 2011 and 2007 teams. Players who do not form part of this squad can still play their way on to the team for September.”
The GB&I squad:
| Tomasz Anderson (Brocket Hall) | Gary Hurley (West Waterford) |
| David Boote (Walton Heath) | Nick Marsh (Huddersfield) |
| Daniel Brown (Bedale) | Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock (Barassie)) |
| Adam Chapman (Windermere) | Gavin Moynihan (The Island) |
| Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park) | Jimmy Mullen (Royal North Devon) |
| Paul Dunne (Greystones) | Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) |
| Grant Forrest (Craigielaw) | Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) |
| Sam Horsfield (Davenport, USA) | Jamie Savage (Cawder) |
| Paul Howard (Southport & Ainsdale) | Cormac Sharvin (Ardglass) |
| Jack Hume (Naas) | Ben Stow (Rushmore) |