16 year old Gough set for GB&I Walker Cup debut as teams confirmed
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16-year-old Conor Gough named among 10-man GB&I Walker Cup side as teams confirmed for biennial contest at Royal Liverpoool next month
Conor Gough, the 16-year-old who won the English Amatuer Championship earlier this month, headlines the 10-man Great Britain and Ireland Walker side set to take on the United States of America at Royal Liverpool in September.
The World No.2 in golf’s amateur rankings is one of five English players in the team heading to Hoylake on Saturday, 7 and Sunday 8, September as they bid to win back the trophy after losing to the USA at Los Angeles Country Club (19-7) in 2017.
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Gough, who was originally left off the 16-man squad (down from 23) in July before his victory at Hankley Common, joins Alex Fitzpatrick – brother of multiple European Tour winner Matthew Fitzpatrick, Harry Hall, Thombas Plumb and Tom Sloman, all from England.
The Amateur champion James Surgue is among three Irish players in the team, joining 26-year-old Caolan Rafferty (the eldest player in the team) and Conor Purcell (16th in the WAGR), who claimed the Australian Amateur Championship earlier this year.
Euan Walker, who finished runner-up in both The Amateur Championship and European Amateur Championship, joins Texas Tech player Sandy Scott as one of the two Scottish players in the team.
Craig Watson, GB&I captain, said, “It has been a very difficult decision to select ten players for Great Britain and Ireland from a strong squad but we have been very impressed with the results of those we have picked and we believe they will give us the best chance of regaining the Walker Cup against a strong American team.
“The Walker Cup is a fantastic opportunity for these amateur golfers to demonstrate their talents on the big stage and it will be an experience that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. We are looking forward to the match at Hoylake and I’m sure the players will give it their very best to win.”
The GB&I Walker Cup Team : Country/WAGR
Alex Fitzpatrick (20): ENGLAND (Hallamshire) | WAGR #41
Conor Gough (16): ENGLAND (Stoke Park) | WAGR #2
Harry Hall (22): ENGLAND (West Cornwall) | WAGR #76
Thomas Plumb (20): ENGLAND (Yeovil) | WAGR #138
Conor Purcell (22): IRELAND (Portmarnock) | WAGR #16
Caolan Rafferty (26): IRELAND (Dundalk) | WAGR #23
Sandy Scott (21): SCOTLAND (Nairn) | WAGR #51
Tom Sloman (23): ENGLAND (Taunton & Pickeridge) | WAGR #35
James Sugrue (22): IRELAND (Mallow) | WAGR #62
Euan Walker (23): SCOTLAND (Kilmarnock) | WAGR #14
Reserves
1. Benjamin Schmidt (17): ENGLAND (Rotherham) | WAGR #
2. Benjamin Jones (20): ENGLAND (Northamptonshire County) | WAGR #
Captain:
Craig Watson, East Renfrewshire, 53
The United States Walker Team
The 10-man United States Team was confirmed on Sunday, and is as follows;
John Augenstein (21) | WAGR #38 – U.S. Amateur runner-up
Akshay Bhatia (17) | WAGR #5
Steven Fisk (22) | WAGR #12
Stewart Hagestad (28) | WAGR #7
Cole Hammer (19) | WAGR #1
Andy Ogletree (21) | WAGR #120 – U.S. Amateur champion
John Pak (20) | WAGR #25
Isaiah Salinda (22) | WAGR #20
Alex Smalley (22) | WAGR #18
Brandon Wu (22) | WAGR #11
Reserves
1. Chandler PHILLIPS (22) | WAGR #13
2. Ricky CASTILLO (18) | WAGR #9
Spectator information:
Fans will be able to attend the match for as little as £40 for an Adult Weekend Ticket and £25 for a Daily Ticket, while families are also being encouraged to attend with children under the age of 16 being admitted free of charge and reduced price tickets available for those aged 16-24 years old.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.randa.org/walkercuptickets
