Making the Walker Cup team is an honor in any year, whether you’re representing the United States or Great Britain & Ireland. Making the Walker Cup team this year, however, is an extra special treat given just where the biennial match is taking place: picturesque Cypress Point Club out on the Monterey Peninsula. This will be just the second time it has been played at the Alister Mackenzie gem, the other coming in 1981, and the timing coincides with the 50th playing of the Walker Cup and the 100th anniversary of Cypress Point.
The U.S. team, captained by Nathan Smith, was formally announced on Sunday after the conclusion of the U.S. Amateur Championship. This morning, the R&A revealed the 10 members of the GB&I squad competing for captain Dean Robertson. The two teams face off Sept. 6-7, with East Coast golf fans being treated to prime-time coverage both days.
To start to get you prepped for the big event, here’s 20 facts on the 20 players who’ll be playing for country in a few weeks’ time. (WAGR rankings are as of Aug. 13, and do not account for the U.S. Amateur finishes.)
United States Ethan Fang
Plano, TexasAge: 20WAGR: 3Fun Fact: In June, the Oklahoma State junior became the first American to win the British Amateur since Drew Weaver in 2007.
Stewart Hagestad 
Sam Greenwood/R&A
Newport Beach, Calif.Age: 34WAGR: 33Fun Fact: This is the fifth time Hagestad will be playing in the Walker Cup, the most of any player since Jay Sigel played in his ninth in 1993. Hagestad will also be only the ninth American to play in five or more Walker Cups. All four previous teams were victorious.
Mason Howell 
Thien-An Truong
Thomasville, Ga.Age: 18WAGR: 362Fun Fact: The newly crowned U.S. Amateur winner (beating Jackson Herrington, 7 and 6, in the championship final on Sunday at The Olympic Club) is just the third high school golfer to compete in the matches for the U.S.
Ben James
Milford, Conn.Age: 22WAGR: 2Fun Fact: James played on the winning U.S. Walker Cup team in 2023 at St. Andrews, posting a 2-2 record. The rising senior at Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the PGA Tour University ranking heading into the 2025-26 college season.
Jackson Koivun 
Keyur Khamar
Chapel Hill, N.C.Age: 20WAGR: 1Fun Fact: The rising junior at Auburn is the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He has already locked up a PGA Tour card through the PGA Tour Accelerated Program thanks to sweeping college golf’s major individual honors his freshman year as well as posting three top-11 finishes in PGA Tour events this summer.
Michael La Sasso
Raleigh, N.C.Age: 21WAGR: 8Fun Fact: La Sasso became the second Ole Miss golfer to claim the NCAA individual title last May, winning at Omni La Costa Resort and joining Braden Thornberry. It was his third college title of the 2024-25 season, one in which he finished with a 69.51 stroke average.
Jacob Modleski
Noblesville, Ind.Age: 20WAGR: 15Fun Fact: The rising junior at Notre Dame helped the Fighting Irish qualify for the NCAA Championship in 2024, the first time the school had gotten to nationals since regional play began in 1989. Modleski also reached the quarterfinals in the U.S. Amateur for a second straight time last week in San Francisco.
DallasAge: 21WAGR: 6Fun Fact: Morrison was the first American to win the European Amateur title when he did so in 2024. That qualified to play in the Open at Royal Troon that summer. He has also teamed with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to compete in the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship.
Preston Stout 
Chris Keane
DallasAge: 21WAGR: 4Fun Fact: The winner of this year’s Northeast Amateur by a eye-popping eight shots also claimed medalist honors last week at the U.S. Amateur before bowing out in the third round. Beat two Walker Cup teammates at NCAAs en route to leading Oklahoma State to the team title (Michael La Sasso in the semifinals and Jase Summy in the quarterfinals).
Jase Summy
Keller, TexasAge: 21WAGR: 7Fun Fact: The rising senior at Oklahoma won the Western Amateur earlier this month. He also had 20 rounds under par last season with the Sooners, setting a single-season record for the program.
ScotlandAge: 22WAGR: 21Fun Fact: The graduate of Northwestern played in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July after winning the St. Andrews Links Trophy in June and topping The Open Amateur Series points standings.
Eliot Baker
EnglandAge: 22WAGR: 115Fun Fact: Baker was unbeaten for GB&I, contributing 3½ points to help defeat the Continent of Europe in the St. Andrews Trophy, then was the top points scorer for England when it won the Home Internationals in August.
Dominic Clemons
EnglandAge: 23WAGR: 38Fun Fact: After losing in the finals of the 2024 British Amateur, he came back 10 days later to earn a spot in the Open Championship via final qualifying. He’s also won the 2024 Scottish Men’s Open Amateur Championship at Muirfield by 17 shots.
Charlie Forster
EnglandAge: 22WAGR: 53Fun Fact: Forster won two college titles while playing at Long Beach State and helped the International team defeat the U.S. this past summer at the Arnold Palmer Cup.
Connor Graham 
Oisin Keniry/R&A
ScotlandAge: 18WAGR: 44Fun Fact: Returns to the GB&I Walker Cup team after making history in 2023 by being the youngers player ever to compete in the event. Qualified to play in the Open at Royal Portrush last month and has been the stroke play medalist in the last two British Amateurs.
Stuart Grehan
IrelandAge: 32WAGR: 401Fun Fact: A broken arm from an accident playing soccer dashed his dream of playing in the Walker Cup back in 2017. Had been eyeing next year’s Walker Cup at Lahinch for a possible return after regaining his amateur status this year, but wins at the Irish Amateur Open in May and Irish Men’s Amateur Close Championship last week sped things up.
Luke Poulter 
Aitor Alcalde/R&A
EnglandAge: 21WAGR: 28Fun Fact: The son of European Ryder Cup great Ian Poulter showed he too has some fight in international team events, contributing 3½ points in GB&I win over Continental Europe at the recent St. Andrews Trophy. Has a win at the Schenkel Invitational to his credit as a top member of the Florida men’s golf team.
Niall Shiels Donegan 
ScotlandAge: 20WAGR: 91Fun Fact: Enjoyed a rollicking week at the U.S. Amateur, with locals boisterously cheering him on to the semifinals at The Olympic Club. Beat one of his own teammates (Luke Poulter) in the first round, then topped to U.S. Walker Cuppers (Preston Stout, third round; Jacob Modleski, quarterfinals).
Gavin Tiernan
IrelandAge: 19WAGR: 477Fun Fact: Was ranking 1,340th entering the British Amateur in June only to get all the way to the championship match before falling to Ethan Fang.
Tyler Weaver 
Chris Keane
EnglandAge: 20WAGR: 11Fun Fact: Weaver, a rising junior at Florida State, is the highest ranked member of the GB&I squad.
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
