The Walker Cup is two months away, and the USGA announced Wednesday the first four selections for the United States squad.<\/p>\n
Preston Stout, Tyler Watts, Ethan Fang and Miles Russell will represent the stars and stripes Sept. 5-6 at Lahinch in Ireland, site of the 51st Walker Cup \u2014 a biennial match between the top amateurs from the United States and those from Great Britain and Ireland.<\/p>\n
Stout, Watts and Fang earned automatic spots on the U.S. side thanks to being the highest-ranked Americans in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, while Russell was selected by the Walker Cup committee.<\/p>\n
Stout, a rising senior at Oklahoma State, recently moved to No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He won the individual title at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship<\/a> in June and was on the Walker Cup team last year at Cypress Point. He also won medalist honors at the 2025 U.S. Amateur and he’s likely to be No. 1 on the PGA Tour University Class of 2027 rankings. Last week, he made his first cut in a PGA Tour event, finishing in the top 15 at the John Deere Classic<\/a>, where he played on a sponsor exemption.<\/p>\n Watts won the Northeast Amateur two weeks ago<\/a>, jumping into the top five of WAGR and becoming the youngest champion in the event’s history. The 18-year-old is ranked No. 3 in the world and is an incoming freshman at Tennessee, where he’s likely to be one of several teenagers on the team.<\/p>\n Fang, also a rising senior at Oklahoma State, is also a returning Walker Cup member. He won the 2025 British Amateur at Royal St. George’s<\/a> and went 1-2-1 at Cypress Point. He’s ranked No. 4 in the world and helped the Cowboys reach the semifinals at the NCAA Championship.<\/p>\n Miles Russell, a rising high school senior committed to Florida State, is No. 1 in the American Junior Golf Association ranking and is widely considered the best junior in the world. The 17-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida, played his way through local and final qualifying for the U.S. Open<\/a> and made the cut at Shinnecock, finishing in a tie for 39th.<\/p>\n The Walker Cup is a two-day event with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes matches. The U.S. leads the overall series, 40-9-1, though its advantage is only 12-7 since 1989. The team will be finalized after the conclusion of the U.S. Amateur, set for Aug. 10-16 at Merion in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n