US Amateur champion Whaley and Poulter's son named in GB&I Walker Cup team

Great Britain and Ireland captain Dean Robertson: "Before last week, I wouldn't have seen Jack in the team. But after watching him [win the US Amateur], the talent he's got... I'm really excited to welcome him"; watch the Walker Cup, live on Sky Sports from September 5-6

US Amateur champion Jack Whaley has been selected in the Great Britain and Ireland team for the 2026 Walker Cup against the USA.

The 22-year-old Englishman forms part of a 10-strong squad, alongside Ian Poulter's son Luke - one of six returning players from the 2025 staging of the event at Cypress Point in California.

Great Britain and Ireland will be looking to beat the USA for the first time since 2015 - and their 16½-9½ triumph at Royal Lytham & St Annes - when the 51st Walker Cup takes place at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland - live on Sky Sports from September 5-6.

Amateur Champion Stuart Grehan and Connor Graham, who will make his third successive appearance, return along with Eliot Baker, Poulter, Niall Sheils Donegan and Tyler Weaver.

Ben Bolton, Sam Easterbrook, Josh Hill and Whaley will make their Walker Cup debuts. Irish pair Thomas Higgins and David Howard have been named as first and second reserve, respectively.

Also returning for another crack at beating the USA is GB&I captain Dean Robertson, who admitted that Whaley would not have been one of his picks to make the team had he not won the US Amateur.

The Doncaster-born golfer defeated American Jay Leng Jr in a gruelling 36-hole final on Sunday to become just the third English player in history to win the tournament following on from Harold Hilton in 1911 and current world No 4 Matt Fitzpatrick in 2013.

"Before last week, I wouldn't have seen Jack in the team," Robertson admitted. "But after watching him, the talent he's got and the humility that he's got - the way that he spoke - I'm really excited to welcome him.

"The only downside of that is that if it wasn't for Jack, Tom Higgins would have been in the team, 100 per cent."

The Walker Cup Match is a biennial 10-man amateur team competition between a team composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland and the USA. It is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes matches. The USA leads the overall series 40-9-1.

Robertson added: "We have a really exciting blend of players who have experienced the Walker Cup before and others who have earned their first opportunity through some excellent performances over the last year.

"We have players who have won important championships, performed at the highest level in amateur golf and demonstrated that they can deliver results in international match play.

"We know there will be fantastic support for the team in Ireland and our players will be determined to give those supporters plenty to get behind.