The R&A has named the 10 players who will represent Great Britain and Ireland team in the 48th Walker Cup Match against the United States of America at Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla., May 8-9.
GB&I is bidding to win back the famous trophy after the USA secured a 15½-10½ victory at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, England, two years ago, marking the first away win in the match since 2007 when the USA prevailed at Royal County Down in Northern Ireland.
The GB&I Team includes: Barclay Brown, Alex Fitzpatrick, Angus Flanagan, Ben Jones, Matty Lamb, Joe Long, John Murphy, Mark Power, Ben Schmidt and Sandy Scott. The two travelling reserves are Jack Dyer and Jake Bolton.
Stuart Wilson, GB&I captain, said, “The Walker Cup is the pinnacle of the amateur game for these players and we are delighted that they will have the opportunity to compete against their counterparts from the USA at Seminole. It gives them the opportunity to display their exceptional talent and will provide a lifetime of memories. After a difficult year with the Covid-19 pandemic, we are all looking forward to the match this year and I know the team will be doing their very best to win back the Walker Cup.”
The USA named its 10-man team on March 1.
The 2021 GB&I team:
Barclay Brown (20, Hallamshire, England)
Alex Fitzpatrick (22, Hallamshire, England)
Angus Flanagan (21, St George’s Hill, England)
Ben Jones (21, Northamptonshire County, England)
Matty Lamb (23, Hexham, England)
Joe Long (23, Lansdown, England)
John Murphy (22, Kinsale, Ireland)
Mark Power (20, Kilkenny, Ireland)
Ben Schmidt (18, Rotherham, England)
Sandy Scott (22, Nairn, Scotland)
Reserves
1. Jack Dyer (23, Boyce Hill, England)
2. Jake Bolton (22, Ogbourne Downs, England)
Captain:
Stuart Wilson (43, Forfar, Scotland)
Recent results:
2019, Royal Liverpool, GB&I 10½ USA 15½
2017 Los Angeles Country Club, USA 19 GB&I 7
2015 Royal Lytham & St Annes, GB&I 16½ USA 9½
2013 The National Golf Links of America, USA 17 GB&I 9
GB&I player information:
Barclay Brown
Representing Stanford University, Brown has most recently finished fifth in the Bandon Dunes Championship which builds on his two top-10 results last season, including a second place in the Cabo Collegiate. On English soil in 2020, he was a semifinalist at the English Men’s Amateur Championship, fourth in the Brabazon Trophy and reached the quarterfinals of The Amateur Championship. He has previously represented GB&I in the 2018 and 2019 Jacques Leglise Trophy matches as the playing captain.
Alex Fitzpatrick
The Englishman is making his second appearance in the Walker Cup after playing in the match at Royal Liverpool two years ago, when he secured two points for GB&I. Representing Wake Forest University, he has started this year strongly, winning the Valspar Collegiate, finishing tied-second at the Jones Cup Invitational and recording top five finishes in the Wake Forest Invitational and Arizona Collegiate. Last year, he won the Golf Club of Georgia Amateur Championship and was a member of the International team which won the Arnold Palmer Cup against the United States of America at Bay Hill. His older brother, Matthew, won the 2013 U.S. Amateur and competed on the 2013 GB&I Walker Cup Team. He is currently a professional on both the European and PGA Tours.
Angus Flanagan
Played for the International team which won the 2020 Arnold Palmer Cup against the United States of America at Bay Hill and finished second in the Windsong Invite last year. Received invites to play in this season’s Genesis Invitational and the 3M Open in 2020 on the PGA TOUR. In 2019, he won the Macdonald Cup and the Big Ten Championship.
Ben Jones
Last season, Jones recorded top 10 finishes in the Australian Master of the Amateurs, Australian Men's Amateur Championship and Ghala Open. In 2019, the Englishman reached the semifinals of The Amateur Championship at Portmarnock, finished third in the European Amateur Championship and represented England in the European Amateur Team Championship and Men’s Home Internationals. He played for GB&I in the 2017 Jacques Leglise Trophy.
Matty Lamb
He captured the North of England Open Amateur Championship and Tillman Trophy last year, as well as reached the last 32 of The Amateur Championship. He has represented England in the Men’s Home Internationals and European Amateur Team Championship.
Joe Long
The Englishman savoured success on home soil to win The 125th Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale in England after defeating compatriot Joe Harvey in an exciting 36-hole final. The win featured a 2020 season that saw Long achieve top-10 finishes in the Brabazon Trophy, South African Amateur Championship, South African Stroke Play Championship, African Amateur Stroke Play Championship and Tillman Trophy, as well as reaching the latter stages of the English Men’s Amateur Championship.
John Murphy
Earlier this year, he finished in the top 10 at the Jones Cup Invitational at Ocean Forest Golf Club (site of the 2001 Walker Cup) in South Carolina, and Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. He also recorded wins in the GCAA Amateur Series – Georgia and Dorado Beach Collegiate in 2020. He won the Bearcat Invitational and Mullingar Scratch Trophy two years ago and was the 2018 St Andrews Links Trophy winner. Murphy has represented Ireland at the World Amateur Team Championships and European Amateur Team Championship, and GB&I in the 2018 St Andrews Trophy.
Mark Power
Power reached the semifinals of The Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale last year and was the runner-up in the Brabazon Trophy. He added top-five finishes in the Mullingar Scratch Trophy and Connacht Stroke Play Championship. Power played for the winning International team in the 2020 Arnold Palmer Cup at Bay Hill in Orlando, Fla. He has previously represented GB&I in the Jacques Leglise Trophy and Ireland in the European Amateur Team Championship and Men’s Home Internationals.
Ben Schmidt
Schmidt won the New South Wales Amateur in Australia last year and was second in the Avondale Amateur. He was also runner-up in the Tillman Trophy behind fellow GB&I Walker Cup teammate Matty Lamb. Rose to prominence in 2019 after winning the Brabazon Trophy, the Carris Trophy and the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters. He also won the Lee Westwood Trophy in 2018. Schmidt has represented GB&I in the Jacques Leglise Trophy and England in the Men’s Home Internationals.
Sandy Scott
The Scotsman will make his second appearance in the Walker Cup after contributing 2½ points for GB&I in the match at Royal Liverpool in 2019. He reached the last 32 of the U.S. Amateur Championship at Bandon Dunes in Oregon last year and also earned a spot in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot due to being in the top seven of the World Amateur Golf Ranking®. As a student at Texas Tech University, Scott won the 2019 El Macero Classic and The Carmel Cup.
Jack Dyer (First travelling reserve)
Dyer will travel to Seminole as first reserve for the GB&I team following an impressive display of recent form. Competing in South Africa, he recorded four top-10 results including a runner-up finish in the South African Amateur Championship. Last year he won the South East of England Links Championship and finished fourth in the Brabazon Trophy. Playing for California State Fullerton University in Southern California, he recorded a runner-up result in the Orange County Collegiate Classic and third in the Sacramento State Invitational.
Jake Bolton (Second travelling reserve)
Bolton reached the semifinals of The Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale last year, losing out to eventual champion Joe Long. He also recorded top-10 finishes in the Cape Province Open and South African Amateur Championship. In 2019, Bolton won the Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship and Hampshire Salver.
