County Louth golfer Stuart Grehan has been selected for the Great Britain and Ireland team who will face off against the United States of America at the 51st Walker Cup in Lahinch next month.
Grehan has been picked while last weekend’s AIG Irish Men’s Amateur Close Champion Thomas Higgins (Roscommon) and David Howard (Fota Island) will be reserves for the biennial match.
Today’s announcement came after the news that Adam Fahey (Portmarnock), Harry O’Hara (Clandeboye) and Isaac Oliver (Glasson) have been selected to represent Great Britain and Ireland at the Jacques Léglise Trophy, taking place at The Island later this week.
Niall MacSweeney (Athenry) will captain the Great Britain and Ireland Jacques Léglise team while Sara Rose Shelly (Dun Laoghaire) is team assistant for the Junior Vagliano side, which also begins there on Friday.
Grehan made his Walker Cup debut at Cypress Point last year, eight years after a broken forearm ended his hopes of playing in the 2017 match. This June he made history when he became the first Irish golfer since James Sugrue to win the Amateur Championship in Royal Liverpool. In doing so, he qualified for The Open, the Masters and US Open.
The Walker Cup will take place on 5 and 6 September against the backdrop of the picturesque north-west coast of County Clare. GB&I are aiming for their first win since 2015 but Golf Ireland High Performance Director, Neil Manchip, is excited to see what Grehan and his teammates are capable of.
“Stuart has had a brilliant year and he fully deserves his place. Winning the Amateur was a fantastic achievement and he has shown all season that he can compete with the very best at this level,” said Manchip.
“It will mean a huge amount to him to play a Walker Cup in Ireland and Lahinch is going to be a great venue. It’s also great to see Thomas and David named as reserves and hopefully, we’ll have plenty of Irish support for the team.
“We are also really pleased for Adam, Harry and Isaac who have all had terrific seasons. Team captain Niall MacSweeney will have his team well prepared to face a very strong Continent of Europe side.”
Golf Ireland CEO Mark Kennelly added that he believes Grehan and his GB&I teammates have a great chance at making their own piece of history in Lahinch.
“It’s fantastic to see Stuart selected. He has had a remarkable season and representing Great Britain and Ireland in a Walker Cup on home soil is another special achievement,” said Kennelly.
“There will be a huge amount of interest in Lahinch and we’re really looking forward to seeing Stuart and the rest of the team take on the United States.”
2026 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup Team
- Eliot Baker, England, Tiverton, 23
- Ben Bolton, England, Enville, 19
- Sam Easterbrook, England, Olton, 21
- Connor Graham, Scotland, Blairgowrie, 19
- Stuart Grehan, Ireland, County Louth, 33
- Josh Hill, England, Fox Den, 22
- Luke Poulter, England, Woburn, 22
- Niall Sheils Donegan, Scotland, Meadow Club, 21
- Tyler Weaver, England, Bury St Edmunds, 21
- Jack Whaley, England, Rotherham, 22
Reserves:
- Thomas Higgins, Ireland, Roscommon, 23
- David Howard, Ireland, Fota Island, 27