Next month the GB&I team for the 2023 Walker Cup will be announced. It is likely to be unveiled after the home internationals, which conclude on August 11th. But who will make it in? Golfnews24 editor Mark Flanagan speculates as to who will make the final ten
St Andrews, the Home of Golf, will take centre stage in early September (2-3) when 10 Great Britain & Ireland players attempt to wrestle back the Walker Cup from the USA for the first time since 2015. The hosts face a daunting task. The WAGR rankings, even with its bias towards collegiate players, has Americans filling 11 of the top 12 places. But the likes of Gordon Sargent and Michael Thorbjornsen have shown their undoubted class outside of college events in recent times. The former at the US Open and the latter by finishing 17th at the John Deere Classic earlier this month.
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At the start of the year the R&A announced a 19-man Walker Cup training squad but many of them have had disappointing years. Whichever team GB&I captain Stuart Wilson names, it will start as big outsiders but just who is going to make it? Apart from an obvious few… the race to earn a spot looks wide open.
CERTAINTIES
JOHN GOUGH (Eng)
Surely the first player captain Wilson will ink on to his teamsheet. The 24-year-old is almost certain to turn professional after the Walker Cup and he will do so after a completing a stellar amateur career, which has included winning The Lytham Trophy, English Amateur and Spanish Amateur. The likeable BB&O star, who is the top European in the WAGR rankings (No 13), has not quite had the 2023 to match what he achieved in a remarkable 2022, but has shown flashes of his undoubted quality. Last week The Irish Open champion also more than held his own at the Betfred British Masters, finishing 39th in the high-profile DP World Tour event.
BARCLAY BROWN (Eng)
The Yorkshireman is another absolutely nailed on to make it and for the Stanford University student it would represent his second appearance in the competition. He has repeatedly shown he is the man for the big occasion, famously attracting the headlines at last year’s Open, where he started with a 68 and made the cut at St Andrews in the 150th Open. This year he made it through Final Qualifying to reach the US Open and in the season-ending NCAA Division One Championship, was tied for a highly-impressive fourth.
PROBABLES
CALUM SCOTT (Sco)
The teenager from Nairn has long been touted as an exceptional talent but he has not quite had the summer he would have hoped for. It undoubtedly helped his cause to shoot four sub-70 rounds in finishing third at the St Andrews Links Trophy at The Home of Golf and he has almost certainly done enough to gain a call-up. In America, in his first year at Texas Tech, he proved a highly consistent performer and has done ok in most of the major events since returning to the UK. At the European Amateur he finished in a tie for 21st and his reliability will certain be attractive to the GB&I selectors, especially with two sessions of foursomes.
JAMES ASHFIELD (Wal)
The current Welsh amateur champion has enjoyed an excellent few months, recording top three finishes in the Lytham Trophy, European Nations Cup and the European Amateur. In the latter, the Delamere Forest player once again proved his ability to go very low, opening with a pair of 64s on his way to third. When Ashfield gets hot, he tends to get very hot and his ability to put together bursts of brilliant scoring, few others can match, will not have gone unnoticed. Just feels like his time to shine and no-one will be surprised if he turns out to be the GB&I star of the week at St Andrews come September. His selection this week for the European team to play in the Bonallack Trophy, has to be a very good sign.
ALEX MAGUIRE (Ire)
The Laytown & Bettystown player was not named in the 19-man training squad but has been the undoubted obvious one to force his way into the forefront of the GB&I selectors’ minds. The way he tore it up on The Old Course, venue for the 2023 Walker Cup, in winning the St Andrews Links Trophy must make his inclusion a virtual certainty, especially when you add in the fact he reached the last eight of The Amateur at Hillside, also won the East of Ireland Championship and was fourth in the Irish Open won by John Gough.
Original 2023 Walker Cup training squad:
• James Ashfield (Delamere Forest, Wales)
• Matthew McClean (Malone, Ireland)
• Josh Berry (Doncaster, England)
• Robert Moran (Castle, Ireland)
• Barclay Brown (Hallamshire, England)
• Liam Nolan (Galway, Ireland)
• Archie Davies (Carlisle, Wales)
• Peter O’Keeffe (Douglas, Ireland)
• Arron Edwards-Hill (Chelmsford, England)
• Mark Power (Kilkenny, Ireland)
• Hugh Foley (Royal Dublin, Ireland)
• Dylan Shaw-Radford (Huddersfield, England)
• Connor Graham (Blairgowrie, Scotland)
• Calum Scott (Nairn, Scotland)
• John Gough (Beaconsfield, England)
• Harley Smith (The Rayleigh Club, England)
• Josh Hill (Trump International Dubai, England)
• Tyler Weaver (Bury St Edmunds, England)
• Frank Kennedy (Trump National Jupiter, England)*
Since turned pro
MARK POWER (Ire)
One of the stars of the GB&I 2021 team, Power would have been in the certainty category at the start of the season but he has not quite delivered. His best finish in the major European contests of 2023 was joint 13th at the European Amateur in Estonia earlier this month. However the Kilkenny star almost certainly has enough credit in the bank to earn a spot and experience of the big occasion will be important. Played with Brown in the successful St Andrew Trophy win last year against the Continentals and the Irishman, overall, collected 3.5 points out of a possible 4. That’s twice he has delivered in major team events.
MATTHEW MCCLEAN (Ire)
The experienced Malone man has enjoyed another solid year but his win in the US Mid-Amateur Championship in September catapulted him into serious Walker Cup contention and he has backed it up in 2023 thanks to a third in the South African Amateur and seventh at the Brabazon. Another highly consistent performer who looks made for foursomes. Won both his foursomes matches at the St Andrews Trophy, playing alongside Sam Bairstow, who has now turned professional.
POSSIBLES
LIAM NOLAN (Ire)
This is likely to be a team heavy with Irish players and the Brabazon Trophy champion could well be one of at least five Irishman selected. Nolan started the year by winning the South American Amateur in Ecuador and since then the undoubted highlight was that victory in the English Men’s Open Stroke Play at Sunningdale, which he won in a play-off. Since then it has been solid if unspectacular from the Galway golfer but may well have already done enough.
JACK BIGHAM (Eng)
The 2021 British Boys champion has done well since returning from his first year in college at Florida State, where he performed admirably and rounded off an excellent year with a highly-creditable 36th-placed finish in the NCAA D1 Championship. The Hertfordshire golfer has since come 12th in the St Andrews Links and fourth at the European Amateur so, purely on form, must be in with a great shout.
CONNOR GRAHAM (Sco)
Might well be considered a wildcard option but the junior from Blairgowrie certainly has a fair amount of X-Factor. Is another, like Ashfield, who gets really hot when he hits top gear, ably demonstrated at the Scottish Men’s Open in early June, when he won by four shots at Meldrum House thanks to a closing 63. The 16-year-old has time on his side if he doesn’t make it this time around but he must have done enough to be considered a serious contender. Finished tenth at The Brabazon, reached the last 16 at the Spanish Amateur and also finished second in the French Boys. Would be an exciting pick on home ground.
ARRON EDWARDS-HILL (Eng)
After some impressive efforts in 2022, it has not really gone to plan for the Essex man. He hasn’t really featured in the big ones but has a good record in team events and was another to get 3.5 points out of 4 in the St Andrews Trophy last September and won both his singles as England retained the Seve Ballesteros Trophy in May. A good English Amateur would really help his cause and has time to find top form.
ARCHIE DAVIES (Wal)
Hasn’t been seen much this year but did well at St Andrews (12th) in the Links so has good form around The Old Course. Is another who played in the successful St Andrews Trophy side last year so clearly in the selectors’ sights. Probably has not quite done enough this year but clearly has the game when he is playing well.
DYLAN SHAW-RADFORD (Eng)
Probably the one English youngster who has played himself into contention. Is now a regular in the England men’s team thanks to a run of hugely consistent efforts in the big men’s competitions. Was second behind John Gough at the Irish Open and managed an impressive seventh at the Toyota Junior World Cup last month. Rarely has a bad one and put in a particularly eye-catching effort as England drew 15-15 with Spain to retain the Seve Ballesteros Trophy in May. The Huddersfield player won both his singles and, together with fellow Yorkshire player Josh Berry, demolished Carlos Abril Segura & Alejandro Aguilera Martin 7&6 in the second of two foursomes.
CAOLAN RAFFERTY (Ire)
Another of the highly consistent Irish performers. Another who wasn’t in the original 19-man training squad but his results are hard to overlook. The Dundalk member reached the last 32 of The Amateur having finished fifth in the St Andrews Links. Was second behind Alex Maguire in the East of Ireland Open, losing in a play-off. He was also seventh in the Irish Open.
JAMES CLARIDGE (Eng)
The Staffordshire ace got off to a flier this year, taking the much-coveted Berkhamsted Trophy and West of Ireland Open in quick succession. Since then he has done more than enough to be worthy of due consideration, notably finishing third at the Brabazon at Sunningdale. If you add in the fact he reached the last 32 in The Amateur and was 13th in the European Amateur and you have a strong case for inclusion.
ELIOT BAKER (Eng)
Would be a real left-field selection but the unassuming Devonian has quietly put together an impressive run of scores in the biggest events on this side of The Atlantic. Shot a 64 as he qualified for the knockout stages of The Amateur in style and then lost in the last 32 stage. That after he came 10th in The Lytham Trophy. As an R&A Student regular, plays a lot of Links golf and should not be overlooked just because he has yet to gain international recognition.