Five English players, two Scots  selected for

Walker Cup team to play at Los Angeles CC

Two Scots, Connor Syme (pictured below) and left-hander Robert McIntyre, and five English players have been selected for the Great Britain and Ireland team to face the United States in the 46th Walker Cup match at Los Angeles Country Club on September 9-10, The R and A has announced today.

England's five are British Amateur champion Harry Ellis, Alfie Plant, the Silver Medal winner at The Open and European amateur champion, Alfie Plant,  Jack Singh Brar, the Lytham Trophy winner, Matthew Jordan , the St Andrews Links Trophy winner, and the 2016 Amateur champion Scott Gregory. 

 

They are in a team of ten-players and two reserves which also features two Welshmen and one player from Ireland. 

 

GB and I will be aiming to defend the trophy after securing a 16½-9½ victory in the 2015 match at Royal Lytham and St Annes; their biggest winning margin since the match was first played in 1922.

 

Scot Craig Watson, who will be captaining the GB and I team for the first time in the match, said, “We have been very impressed with the performances of many of the GB and I players so far this season and it has been a difficult decision to select only ten players. 

 

“The Walker Cup match is one of the highlights of the golfing calendar and a tremendous opportunity for the players to shine on such a big stage. The Americans will be determined not to lose two matches in a row but we have selected a strong team and I’m sure the players will give it their all to try to retain the trophy.”

The GB and I team is:

David Boote, 23, Walton Heath, Wales

Jack Davidson, 20, Llanwern, Wales

Harry Ellis, 21, Meon Valley, England

Scott Gregory, 22, Corhampton, England

Matthew Jordan, 21, Royal Liverpool, England

Paul McBride, 21, The Island, Ireland

Robert McIntyre, 21, Glencruitten, Scotland

Alfie Plant, 25, Sundridge Park, England

Jack Singh Brar, 20, Remedy Oak, England

Connor Syme, 22, Drumoig, Scotland

 

Reserves:

1st Conor O’Rourke, 26, Naas, Ireland

2nd Craig Howie, 22, Peebles, Scotland

 

Captain:

Craig Watson, 51, East Renfrewshire, Scotland

 

Player information:

 

David Boote

Boote played in last year’s GB and I St Andrews Trophy team and achieved top ten finishes at both the St Andrews Links Trophy and the Brabazon Trophy this season. The Stanford graduate lost out in a seven-man play-off at the US Open sectional qualifying event at Walton Heath and then in a play-off in Final Qualifying for The Open at Royal Cinque Ports.

 

Jack Davidson

Davidson won the Welsh Amateur Championship and has notched up two wins on Spanish soil this season, capturing the Spanish Amateur Championship and the individual event at the European Nations Cup. He achieved third place finishes at the South American Amateur Championships in Buenos Aires and the Welsh Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship.

 

Harry Ellis

Ellis, who is studying at Florida State University, bounced back from four holes down with five to play to win The Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s. He was the youngest ever winner of the English Amateur Championship in 2012 at the age of 16 and has gone on to represent England at every level.

 

Scott Gregory

The 2016 Amateur champion is the highest-ranked GB&I player in the World Amateur Golf RankingTM at fifth and played in both the Masters Tournament and the US Open. He represented England in the European Team Championship, winning two of his matches and halving the other.

 

Matthew Jordan

Jordan won this year’s St Andrews Links Trophy, was runner-up at the Scottish Stroke Play Championship, secured top five finishes at the Irish Open Amateur Championship and the Brabazon Trophy and finished sixth in the European Amateur Championship. 

 

Paul McBride

McBride, who is studying at Wake Forest University, was joint runner-up in the individual standings in the European Team Championship and reached the quarter finals of The Amateur Championship. He played all four rounds in last month’s Porsche European Open on the European Tour, finishing on two-under-par.

 

Robert MacIntyre

The left-handed MacIntyre was runner-up in the 2016 Amateur Championship and was part of the Scotland team which retained last year’s European Team Championship title. This season he finished tied fourth at the European Amateur Championship at Walton Heath and reached the round of 32 at the US Amateur Championship.

 

Alfie Plant

Plant won the European Amateur Championship to secure his place in The Open at Royal Birkdale where he went on to win the Silver Medal as the leading amateur. He also finished as joint runner-up in the individual standings at the European Team Championship.

 

Jack Singh Brar

Singh Brar won the Lytham Trophy and finished joint runner-up at the Brabazon Trophy. He also secured a top ten finish at the European Amateur Championship and represented England against Spain.

 

Connor Syme

The 2016 Australian Amateur Champion was part of the winning Scotland team in the European Team Championship. This season he qualified to play in The Open at Royal Birkdale and reached the quarter final of the US Amateur Championship.

 

For more information visit www.walkercup.org