Great Britain & Ireland and the United States lock horns at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland, for the 2026 Walker Cup on September 5-6.
The 51st staging of the prestigious amateur team match sees the USA arrive as defending champions after a 17-9 victory at Cypress Point in 2025.
The Americans have won each of the last five Walker Cups and lead the all-time series 40-9, with one match tied.
Great Britain & Ireland will aim to reclaim the famous trophy on home soil at Lahinch, a historic links course in Ireland which is hosting the Walker Cup for the first time.
The 2026 Walker Cup teams are led by Great Britain & Ireland captain Dean Robertson and USA captain Nathan Smith. Each side consists of 10 amateur golfers, selected by The R&A for GB&I and the USGA for the United States.
Great Britain & Ireland 2026 Walker Cup Team
- Dean Robertson (Captain)
Team
- Eliot Baker (England)
- Ben Bolton (England)
- Sam Easterbrook (England)
- Connor Graham (Scotland)
- Stuart Grehan (Ireland)
- Josh Hill (England)
- Luke Poulter (England)
- Niall Sheils Donegan (Scotland)
- Tyler Weaver (England)
- Jack Whaley (England)
- Reserves: Thomas Higgins (Ireland) & David Howard (Ireland)
The GB&I team contains six players who featured in the 2025 Walker Cup at Cypress Point, along with four debutants.
Stuart Grehan heads into the match as the reigning Amateur champion after winning The Amateur Championship at Royal Liverpool in June.
The Irishman will have the chance to play the Walker Cup in his home country and at a course where he previously won the South of Ireland Championship in 2015.
Jack Whaley also arrives with a major amateur title to his name after becoming only the third English winner of the U.S. Amateur. Whaley defeated Jay Leng Jr. in the final at Merion to secure his Walker Cup debut.
Connor Graham will make his third successive Walker Cup appearance at only 19 years old. He first made history at St Andrews in 2023 as the youngest player to compete in the match.
Eliot Baker, Luke Poulter, Niall Sheils Donegan and Tyler Weaver also return from the GB&I side that played at Cypress Point last year.
Dean Robertson captains Great Britain & Ireland for a third time. The Scot played in the 1993 Walker Cup at Interlachen and previously led GB&I against the USA at Cypress Point in 2025.
United States 2026 Walker Cup Team
- Nathan Smith (Captain)
Team
- Kihei Akina
- Ryder Cowan
- Ethan Fang
- Josiah Gilbert
- Stewart Hagestad
- William Jennings
- Jay Leng Jr
- Miles Russell
- Preston Stout
- Tyler Watts
- Alternates: Max Herendeen & Logan Reilly
The USA team features a deep group of elite amateur players and will seek a sixth consecutive Walker Cup victory at Lahinch.
Preston Stout, Tyler Watts and Ethan Fang were the first Americans selected after occupying the top three eligible USA positions in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at the July selection point.
Miles Russell was also named in the initial group by the USGA selection committee.
The final six places went to Kihei Akina, Ryder Cowan, Josiah Gilbert, William Jennings, Stewart Hagestad and Jay Leng Jr. Leng earned his selection after reaching the final of the U.S. Amateur at Merion.
Hagestad adds enormous Walker Cup experience as a mid-amateur who has been part of the last five winning American teams.
The Americans’ strength is illustrated by the world-ranking pedigree of the squad. Stout is ranked No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, while Russell, Jennings, Gilbert, Cowan and Akina are also among the world’s leading amateur players.
Nathan Smith leads the USA side as captain for the Lahinch match.
2026 Walker Cup Schedule
The 2026 Walker Cup is played across two days of foursomes and singles match play at Lahinch Golf Club.
Friday, September 4 – Opening ceremony
Saturday, September 5 – 4 foursomes matches in the morning, 8 x singles matches in the afternoon
Sunday, September 6 – 4 foursomes matches in the morning 10 x singles matches in the afternoon
There are 26 points available across the two days. Every match is worth one point, while a match tied after 18 holes is worth a half-point to each side.
The USA need 13 points to retain the Walker Cup, while Great Britain & Ireland require 13.5 points to win it back.
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