Power, McClean, Nolan and Maguire make Walker Cup team; Rafferty a reserve
Mark Power at Seminole in 2021. Picture: USGA
Ireland will have four players in the 10-man Great Britain and Ireland side that will try to win back the Walker Cup at St Andrews from 2-3 September.
Kilkenny’s Mark Power returns to the side for his second cap following the 14-12 GB&I defeat at Seminole in 2021 and is joined in the team by Laytown and Bettystown’s Alex Maguire, Malone’s Matthew McClean and Galway’s Liam Nolan.
Their selections were widely expected.
Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty, who was a member of the side that lost at Royal Liverpool in 2019, is named as second reserve.
GB&I is bidding to win the famous trophy for the first time since 2015 when it secured a 16½-9½ victory at Royal Lytham & St Annes with five players on the team in Paul Dunne, Cormac Sharvin, Gavin Moynihan, Jack Hume and Gary Hurley,
The biennial encounter is taking place over the Old Course, marking 100 years since it was first played at the home of golf.
Stuart Wilson, GB&I captain, said: "We have selected ten players who we believe will give us the best chance of regaining the Walker Cup against the United States of America.
"This is their opportunity to perform on the biggest stage in amateur golf and have their name written alongside some of the greatest names in the history of the sport by winning the Walker Cup.
"There is arguably no more iconic venue in the world to achieve that feat than on the Old Course in St Andrews.
"We look forward to the challenge of winning the match next week and I know these players will give it their all to win back the trophy in front of a home crowd.”
The USA is the hot favourite to win the match for the fourth time in succession with all 10 of their team ranked inside the top 20 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, headed bye world number one Gordon Sargent.
Just one of Great Britain and Ireland side is ranked inside the top 20, the reigning Flogas Irish Amateur Open champion John Gough of England, who is 11th.
The Americans will be without world number two Michael Thorbjornsen, who withdrew earlier this month due to a stress fracture in his back.
Kilkenny’s Mark Power returns to the side for his second cap following the 14-12 GB&I defeat at Seminole in 2021 and is joined in the team by Laytown and Bettystown’s Alex Maguire, Malone’s Matthew McClean and Galway’s Liam Nolan.
Their selections were widely expected.
Dundalk’s Caolan Rafferty, who was a member of the side that lost at Royal Liverpool in 2019, is named as second reserve.
GB&I is bidding to win the famous trophy for the first time since 2015 when it secured a 16½-9½ victory at Royal Lytham & St Annes with five players on the team in Paul Dunne, Cormac Sharvin, Gavin Moynihan, Jack Hume and Gary Hurley,
The biennial encounter is taking place over the Old Course, marking 100 years since it was first played at the home of golf.
Stuart Wilson, GB&I captain, said: "We have selected ten players who we believe will give us the best chance of regaining the Walker Cup against the United States of America.
"This is their opportunity to perform on the biggest stage in amateur golf and have their name written alongside some of the greatest names in the history of the sport by winning the Walker Cup.
"There is arguably no more iconic venue in the world to achieve that feat than on the Old Course in St Andrews.
"We look forward to the challenge of winning the match next week and I know these players will give it their all to win back the trophy in front of a home crowd.”
The USA is the hot favourite to win the match for the fourth time in succession with all 10 of their team ranked inside the top 20 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, headed bye world number one Gordon Sargent.
Just one of Great Britain and Ireland side is ranked inside the top 20, the reigning Flogas Irish Amateur Open champion John Gough of England, who is 11th.
The Americans will be without world number two Michael Thorbjornsen, who withdrew earlier this month due to a stress fracture in his back.
49th Walker Cup, Old Course, St Andrews, 2-3 September
GB&I
James Ashfield, Wales, Delamere Forest, 22
Jack Bigham, England, Harpenden, 19
Barclay Brown, England, Hallamshire, 22
John Gough, England, The Berkshire, 24
Connor Graham, Scotland, Blairgowrie, 17
Alex Maguire, Ireland, Laytown & Bettystown, 22
Matthew McClean, Ireland, Malone, 30
Liam Nolan, Ireland, Galway, 23
Mark Power, Ireland, Kilkenny, 23
Calum Scott, Scotland, Nairn, 20
Reserves: 1, Tyler Weaver, England, Bury St Edmonds, 18; 2, Caolan Rafferty, Ireland, Dundalk, 30
USA
Gordon Sargent, 20
David Ford, 20
Nick Dunlap, 19
Caleb Surratt, 19
Nick Gabrelcik, 21
Austin Greaser, 21,
Stewart Hagestad, 32,
Ben James, 19,
Dylan Menante, 22,
Preston Summerhays, 19.
Reserves: Maxwell Moldovan, 21, and Neal Shipley, 23.
Captain:
Stuart Wilson
Wilson is captain of the GB&I team for the second consecutive Walker Cup. Twenty years ago, in the Walker Cup in 2003, he was a member of the winning GB&I team at Ganton. In 2004, he won The Amateur Championship over the Old Course at St Andrews with a 4&3 win over Lee Corfield in the Final. He went on to win the Silver Medal as the low amateur in The 133rd Open at Royal Troon later that year and compete in the 2005 Masters Tournament. In addition to leading GB&I in the Walker Cup, he also captained last year's GB&I team when they beat the Continent of Europe in the St Andrews Trophy and captained European teams in the Junior Ryder Cup in 2012 and 2014.
Player information:
James Ashfield
Ashfield is representing GB&I in the Walker Cup for the first time. In 2023, the member of Wales’ national team has finished runner-up in both the Lytham Trophy and European Amateur Championship in Estonia, finished tied third in the Sotogrande Cup in Spain and reached the last-64 in The Amateur Championship at Hillside. In 2022, he won the Welsh Amateur Championship, reached the last-16 in The Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes and represented Wales in the Eisenhower Trophy in France. Two years ago at Nairn, he reached the semi-finals of The Amateur.
Jack Bigham
In 2023, the member of England’s national team has recorded top-12s in both the European Amateur Championship in Estonia and St Andrews Links Trophy, represented his country in both the European Amateur Team Championships and The R&A Men’s Home Internationals and completed his first collegiate season at Florida State University. In 2021, he won the R&A Boys’ Amateur Championship at Royal Cinque Ports and reached the quarter-finals of the English Amateur at Moortown and the last-16 of The Amateur Championship at Nairn. He makes his Walker Cup debut in St Andrews.
Barclay Brown
Brown makes a second Walker Cup appearance after playing at Seminole in 2021. So far in 2023, the member of England’s national team has earned All-America honours in his senior season at Stanford University, finished tied-fourth in the NCAA Division One Individual Championship and competed in the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club. In 2022, he reached the last-64 in The Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes and after qualifying for The 150th Open at St Andrews, was tied 12th after 36 holes to make the cut. In that year, he was also a member of the winning GB&I team in the St Andrews Trophy against the Continent of Europe. Reached the quarter-finals of The Amateur Championship in 2020 and the semi-finals of The R&A Boys’ Amateur in 2019.
John Gough
Gough has been eager to make the GB&I team given his younger brother, Conor, represented GB&I at Royal Liverpool in 2019. So far in 2023, the member of England’s national team has won both the Australian Master of the Amateurs and Irish Amateur Open, finished runner-up in both the Avondale Amateur and the Sotogrande Cup, reached the last-32 in The Amateur Championship and made the cut in the DP World Tour’s Betfred British Masters. In 2022, he won both the Spanish Amateur and the Lytham Trophy, finished runner-up in the Scottish Amateur Open, reached the semi-finals of The Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes and represented England in the Eisenhower Trophy. Before his defeat to Sam Bairstow in the semi-finals of The Amateur last June, he had gone on a run of only losing one of 24 match play ties. Last year, he was also a member of the winning GB&I team in the St Andrews Trophy against the Continent of Europe.
Connor Graham
At the age of 17, Graham becomes one of the youngest players on either team to ever compete in the Walker Cup. So far in 2023, the member of Scotland’s national team has won the Scottish Amateur Open and finished runner-up in the French Under-18 Amateur Open. In 2022, he won The R&A Junior Open at Monifieth and finished runner-up in the Lytham Trophy, tied third in the Scottish Boys’ Amateur Open and shared seventh in the St Andrews Links Trophy.
Alex Maguire
After winning the first-ever Open Amateur Series to qualify for The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool in July, Maguire has achieved another highlight. This year, the member of Ireland’s national team has also won the St Andrews Links Trophy and East of Ireland Amateur Open, reached the quarter-finals of The Amateur Championship at Hillside, finished fourth in the Irish Amateur Open and closed his senior season at Florida Atlantic University with a tie for fourth in his conference championship. In 2022, he won the East of Ireland Amateur Open and reached the semi-finals of The Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes. In 2021, he won the North of Ireland Amateur Open and reached the quarter-finals of the South of Ireland Amateur Open.
Matthew McClean
A Walker Cup debut for McClean. Last year, he won the US Mid-Amateur Championship by defeating Hugh Foley in the final at Erin Hills in Wisconsin. To date in 2023, the member of Ireland’s national team has competed in both the Masters Tournament and the US Open and recorded top-ten finishes in the South African Amateur, East of Ireland Amateur Open and Brabazon Trophy. He also reached the last-64 of the US Amateur and the semi-finals of the Western Amateur. In addition to his USGA championship title in 2022, he also finished runner-up in both the Irish Amateur Open and North of Ireland Amateur Open, reached the last-16 in The Amateur Championship at Royal Lytham & St Annes and represented Ireland in the Eisenhower Trophy. In that year, he was also a member of the winning GB&I team in the St Andrews Trophy against the Continent of Europe.
Liam Nolan
Nolan makes his Walker Cup debut thanks to a fine season in which the member of Ireland’s national team has won the South American Amateur in Ecuador and Brabazon Trophy and reached the last-64 in The Amateur Championship at Hillside. In 2022, he recorded top-four finishes in the North of Ireland, South of Ireland and West of Ireland Amateur Open championships and finished in a share of tenth in the Brabazon Trophy and tied-14th in the St Andrews Links Trophy. In 2021, he won an R&A Student Tour Series event in Ireland and finished runner-up in both the West of Ireland Amateur Open and Connacht Men’s Stroke Play.
Mark Power
A second Walker Cup appearance for Power who went 3-1-0 in 2021 at Seminole and was 2-0-0 in foursomes with John Murphy. To date in 2023, the Ireland national team player has completed his fourth collegiate season at Wake Forest University and finished tied 13th in the European Amateur Championship in Estonia. In 2022, he reached the last-32 in The Amateur Championship and the last-64 in the US Amateur and represented Ireland in the Eisenhower Trophy. In that year, he was also a member of the winning GB&I team in the St Andrews Trophy against the Continent of Europe. In 2020, he finished runner-up in the Brabazon Trophy, reached the semi-finals of The Amateur Championship at Royal Birkdale and represented the International team in the Arnold Palmer Cup.
Calum Scott
In 2019, his older brother Sandy represented GB&I at Royal Liverpool and Scott now joins the family roll of honour. This year, the member of Scotland’s national team finished tied third in the St Andrews Links Trophy, reached the last-64 in The Amateur Championship at Hillside, made the last-32 of the US Amateur and completed his second season at Texas Tech University. In 2022, he finished third in the European Amateur Championship and represented Scotland in the Eisenhower Trophy. In that year, he was also a member of the winning GB&I team in the St Andrews Trophy against the Continent of Europe. In 2021, he reached the quarter-finals of The Amateur Championship over his home course of Nairn and reached the last-16 in both The R&A Boys’ Amateur and Scottish Amateur Open.
Recent results:
2021 Seminole, USA 14 GB&I 12
2019 Royal Liverpool, GB&I 10½ USA 15½
2017 Los Angeles Country Club, USA 19 GB&I 7
2015 Royal Lytham & St Annes, GB&I 16½ USA 9½
2013 The National Golf Links of America, USA 17 GB&I 9
2011 Royal Aberdeen, GB&I 14 USA 12
