The initial GB&I roster includes 19 players and it will be trimmed to 10 in August. Headlining the current roster is the sixth ranked player in the World Amateur Golf Rankings Scott Gregory of England. Gregory won last summers British Amateur and he will be joined by the player whom he defeated in the final on the roster, world No. 10 Robert MacIntyre of Scotland.
Also on the roster is 19th ranked amateur Connor Syme, the winner of the 2016 Australian Amateur and defending Irish Amateur Open Champion Colm Campbell. Reinstated amateur Barry Hume is apart of the initial roster as well.
Here is a complete look at the 19 players on the GB&I roster that will be competing to play for first- time captain Craig Watson:
David Boote, Wales Paul McBride, Ireland Daniel Brown, England Bradley Moore, England Colm Campbell, Ireland Conor O’Rourke, Ireland Owen Edwards, Wales Marco Penge, England Alex Gleeson, Ireland Alfie Plant, England Scott Gregory, Scotland Craig Ross, Scotland Stuart Grehan, Ireland Sandy Scott, Scotland Craig Howie, Scotland Connor Syme, Scotland Barry Hume, Scotland James Walker, England Robert MacIntyre, ScotlandSpeaking on the 19 players currently on the GB&I roster captain Watson said, "We have identified a strong group of players who are all in contention for a place on the team and we will be monitoring their performance and results over the coming season. We will also pay close attention to the progress and form of players who have not been included in this current squad as they also have the opportunity to play their way into contention for the team selected to play the USA in September.”
GB&I is hoping to retain the trophy after winning it on home soil by a score of 16.5-9.5 in 2015 at Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Team USA announced their early roster in November and held a practice session at Los Angeles Country Club shortly before Christmas.
Editors Note: The R&A contributed to this story