Two Irish golfers have been selected for the Great Britain and Ireland team who will face off against the United States of America at the 50th Walker Cup in Cypress Point next month.
The County Louth pair of Stuart Grehan and Gavin Tiernan have both been picked while Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) will be first reserve for the biennial match in California.
The announcement came after the news that Fota Island’s Joh Doyle has also been selected to represent the Great Britain and Ireland team at the Jacques Léglise Trophy, the U18 equivalent of the St Andrews Trophy, taking place this week at Royal Club of Belgium.
Grehan made history this past weekend in Westport when he followed up his Flogas Irish Men’s Amateur Open Championship success from Seapoint earlier this summer, with the AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship.
Tiernan meanwhile has also had a phenomenal season with the highlight coming at Royal St George’s when he made it all the way to the final of the 130th R&A Amateur Championship before losing to American Ethan Fang. Fang will be part of a formidable USA outfit as they look to secure their fifth consecutive victory in the match, following their 14.5 to 11.5 win last time out at St Andrews.
GB&I are going in search of their first win in the match since 2015 and Golf Ireland High Performance Director, Neil Manchip, is excited to see the potential of this team.
“Selection for the Walker Cup is a huge honour for any player, and I’m absolutely delighted for Stuart and Gavin. To represent Great Britain and Ireland at a venue as special as Cypress Point is something that will stay with them for the rest of their lives,” said Manchip.
“We had a very strong group of Irish players pushing for places again this year. Stuart’s form over the summer has been superb and Gavin has shown his quality at the very highest level of amateur golf too.
“Both have earned this opportunity and I know they will bring a lot to the team.”
“I’m also thrilled to see John Doyle selected for the Jacques Léglise team, another wonderful honour and John is very deserving of his place given the brilliant season he is having. We wish him well in Belgium this week.”
Dean Robertson will captain the GB&I side, with the former European Tour winner leading his team to an impressive 16½-8½ triumph over the Continent of Europe at the St Andrews Trophy in Spain last month.
Robertson said, “This talented team represents the very best in skill, unity, resilience and determination and each player is thoroughly deserving of the opportunity to compete in the Walker Cup for Great Britain and Ireland.
“I’ve been watching the players over a long period to understand their personalities and attributes to meet the demands presented by Cypress Point.
“We are underdogs but I’m confident we are equipped to compete at the highest level and will give it our best shot. We are travelling to Cypress Point to embrace the challenge, honour the legacy of the Walker Cup and aim to make history by reclaiming this famous trophy.”
The top five players on the World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) and five selections make up the GB&I side. The team includes all nine players who won the St Andrews Trophy last month, including Luke Poulter, son of Ian, and fellow Englishman Tyler Weaver, the top-ranked player in the side at 11th on WAGR®.
Scottish duo Cameron Adam and Connor Graham, who both qualified to compete in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, are included with Graham the only returning player in the team that lost to the USA 14½-11½ at St Andrews in 2023. Countryman Niall Shiels Donegan is also included fresh from his run to the semi-finals of the US Amateur.
Former professional Grehan will be making his Walker Cup debut after his return to the amateur ranks in 2025 and while it was an ambition he wasn’t shy about mentioning to us earlier in the year this is a fantastic result for the County Louth golfer and one which his recent performances have completely justified.
The GB&I Team:
- Cameron Adam, Scotland, Royal Burgess, 22
- Eliot Baker, England, Tiverton, 22
- Dominic Clemons, England, Gog Magog, 23
- Charlie Forster, England, Basingstoke, 22
- Connor Graham, Scotland, Blairgowrie, 18
- Stuart Grehan, Ireland, County Louth, 32
- Luke Poulter, England, Woburn, 21
- Niall Shiels Donegan, Scotland, Meadow Club, 20
- Gavin Tiernan, Ireland, County Louth, 19
- Tyler Weaver, England, Bury St Edmunds, 20
Reserve
- Caolan Rafferty, Ireland, Dundalk, 32
Captain:
- Dean Robertson
The Scot, 55, leads the GB&I team for the first time in the Walker Cup after countryman Stuart Wilson captained the side in 2021 and 2023. Robertson enjoyed a strong amateur career including winning the Scottish Amateur Championship in 1993 and representing GB&I in the Walker Cup that year at Interlachen Country Club in the USA. Robertson also turned professional in 1993 and went on to win the Italian Open in 1999 with a one-shot win over Pádraig Harrington, made four appearances in The Open and represented Scotland in the World Cup in 1999 and 2001. Robertson is Head of Golf at the University of Stirling helping develop players including Louise Duncan and Lorna McClymont.
Player information:
- Cameron Adam
Adam is likely to be full of confidence at Cypress Point as he looks to add another highlight to his superb summer. Victory in June’s St Andrews Links Trophy helped the 22-year-old Scot to top the standings in The Open Amateur Series, thereby securing a major debut in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush. Adam was then the star performer in GB&I’s St Andrews Trophy victory over the Continent of Europe, winning all four of his matches including two victories in tandem with Dominic Clemons. The left-hander, a graduate of Northwestern University, became the Scottish Amateur Champion two years ago, breaking the course records at both Royal Dornoch and Tain with back-to-back 63s in the stroke play qualifying.
- Eliot Baker
Three of Baker’s four WAGR® victories have come inside the last 12 months, including a seven-shot triumph at the Scottish Men’s Open Amateur Championship at North Berwick in June. That success came a week after the Englishman had tied for third in the Brabazon Trophy, while he also tied for 11th at the Lytham Trophy in May. More recently, Baker put in a fine display at the St Andrews Trophy, remaining unbeaten as he contributed 3½ points to GB&I’s emphatic win over the Continent of Europe. He was subsequently the most prolific point-scorer for England’s victorious Home Internationals team in August.
- Dominic Clemons
Clemons is no stranger to the big stage having come through Final Qualifying to reach The 152nd Open in 2024. His qualification for Royal Troon was all the more impressive given it came just ten days after he had lost the final of The Amateur Championship to Jacob Skov Olesen and therefore missed out on places at The Open, US Open and the Masters Tournament. The 23-year-old University of Alabama graduate also made his PGA TOUR debut at June’s Rocket Classic, receiving a sponsor’s exemption following his victory in last year’s Folds of Honor collegiate event. Clemons, who teamed up with Cameron Adam for two foursomes victories in the recent St Andrews Trophy, also recorded an extraordinary triumph in the 2024 Scottish Men’s Open Amateur Championship at Muirfield, winning by 17 shots.
- Charlie Forster
A member of the GB&I team for each of the last two editions of the St Andrews Trophy, Long Beach State graduate Forster has recorded two emphatic victories on the US college circuit in 2025. His four-stroke success at the Lake Las Vegas Invitational in February was followed five weeks later by a six-shot triumph in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic. Forster also reached the last-16 of The Amateur Championship in 2024 and tied for 12th at this year’s European Amateur Championship. His consistent performances have lifted him to the brink of the top 50 in the WAGR®. Forster also helped Team International to victory over Team USA in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup.
- Connor Graham
Graham made history at St Andrews two years ago at the age of 16 as he became the youngest player to ever compete in the Walker Cup. The Scot has gone from strength to strength since, climbing into the top 50 of the WAGR® and coming through Final Qualifying to make his major debut at The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush. A freshman at Texas Tech, Graham has been the leading stroke play qualifier at each of the last two editions of The Amateur Championship, while he also made the knockout stages of the recent US Amateur. In addition, he won three matches out of four for GB&I at the St Andrews Trophy in 2024 and 2025 and helped Team International to victory over Team USA in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup.
- Stuart Grehan
Grehan, 32, will finally make his Walker Cup debut at Cypress Point eight years after his dreams of featuring in the 2017 match were cruelly shattered by a broken forearm sustained in an accident playing football at Maynooth University. Grehan turned professional later that year but regained his amateur status in 2025 and enjoyed a swift return to prominence with victory in May’s Irish Amateur Open and then claimed the Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship on Sunday. He also finished third in the European Mid-Amateur Championship before helping GB&I to victory in the recent St Andrews Trophy. The Walker Cup in 2026 at Lahinch, where he won the South of Ireland Championship in 2015, was a target for Grehan on his return to the amateur ranks but he will now feature in the contest on American soil. He previously represented GB&I in the St Andrews Trophy against the Continent of Europe at Prince’s in 2016.
- Luke Poulter
The son of European Ryder Cup great Ian Poulter, Luke will be aiming to emulate his father’s match play heroics at Cypress Point. The 21-year-old certainly hit the mark at the recent St Andrews Trophy, contributing 3½ points from four outings in GB&I’s victory over the Continent of Europe. Poulter also made the knockout stages of the US Amateur and claimed a first collegiate victory for the Florida Gators in March when he triumphed at the Schenkel Invitational. He was agonisingly close to qualifying for the US Open in June, losing a sudden-death play-off to experienced professional Austen Truslow. At the age of 19 in 2023, Poulter made his first appearance in a professional event and finished 22nd in the International Series England on the Asian Tour.
- Niall Shiels Donegan
Shiels Donegan is sure to be high on confidence after a thrilling run to the semi-finals of the US Amateur at the Olympic Club. The University of North Carolina student came from one down with two to play to beat Walker Cup team-mate Luke Poulter in the last-64, showed his mettle by again winning on the 18th against Christian Maas and leading stroke play qualifier Preston Stout, before winning at the 19th in the quarter-finals against Jacob Modleski. His superb week came to an end with a semi-final loss on the 18th to Jackson Herrington. Born in Scotland but now a resident of California, Shiels Donegan was fourth in this year’s St Andrews Links Trophy and has made the knockout stages of The Amateur Championship in each of the last two years.
- Gavin Tiernan
Tiernan shot to prominence with a fantastic week at The Amateur Championship in June where he threatened to become the first player to win having come through Pre-Qualifying. The East Tennessee State University student, 1,340th in the WAGR® at the time, was ultimately edged out in the 36-hole Final by Ethan Fang, who is a member of the USA team at Cypress Point. However, the Irishman’s outstanding performances at Royal St George’s and Royal Cinque Ports demonstrated his rich potential. Tiernan also finished third in this summer’s East of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open Championship before representing GB&I in their St Andrews Trophy success against the Continent of Europe.
- Tyler Weaver
The highest-ranked member of the GB&I team, Florida State’s Weaver was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2024, emulating a feat also achieved by fellow Seminole Brooks Koepka in 2009. He was unbeaten at the recent St Andrews Trophy where he won two foursomes matches alongside Connor Graham and also starred in Team International’s Arnold Palmer Cup victory over Team USA, beating world number one Jackson Koivun in the Saturday singles. A winner of the Carris Trophy during his fine junior career, Weaver made his major debut in June after qualifying for the US Open, while he beat Graham on his way to the last-32 of this year’s US Amateur.
Recent results:
2023 St Andrews, GB&I 11½ USA 14½
2021 Seminole, USA 14 GB&I 12
2019 Royal Liverpool, GB&I 10½ USA 15½
2017 Los Angeles CC, USA 19 GB&I 7
2015 Royal Lytham & St Annes, GB&I 16½ USA 9½
2013 National Golf Links of America, USA 17 GB&I 9
2011 Royal Aberdeen, GB&I 14 USA 12
Match information:
For more information on the 50th Walker Cup match, click here.
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