Meet the 2017 GB&I Walker Cup Team

August 22, 2017 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

The ten GB&I Walker Cuppers are more than capable of defending their title at LACC

The team looking to defend its trophy includes five Englishmen, two Scots, two Welshmen and one player from Ireland

LOS ANGELES, CA (August 22, 2017) - The 10-man Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team will include champions of many of Europe's most important amateur tournaments, plus the low amateur in the British Open.

The R&A announced the team on Monday on the heels of the USGA's announcement of the U.S. Team immediately after the conclusion of the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Related: Formidable GB&I Walker Cup Team Announced by the R&A
Related: TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: The 46th Walker Cup Match

The 10 players chosen by the R&A are:

David Boote

David Boote, 23, Walton Heath, Wales: Boote played in last year’s GB&I St Andrews Trophy team and achieved top ten finishes at both the St Andrews Links Trophy and the Brabazon Trophy this season. The Stanford graduate lost out in a seven-man play-off at the U.S. Open sectional qualifying event at Walton Heath and then in a play-off in Final Qualifying for The Open at Royal Cinque Ports. Boote won the 2015 Welsh Amateur and the 2012 Tillman Trophy, was the quarterfinalist in the 2016 U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills GC, and has had numerous top-five finishes in major events including the NCAA Championship, the Pac-12 Championship, South American Amateur and Portuguese International Amateur.

Jack Davidson

Jack Davidson, 20, Llanwern, Wales: Davidson won the Welsh Amateur Championship and has notched up two wins on Spanish soil this season, capturing the Spanish Amateur Championship and the individual event at the European Nations Cup. He achieved third place finishes at the South American Amateur Championships in Buenos Aires and the Welsh Amateur Open Stroke Play Championship. He also finished seventh at the St. Andrews Links Trophy and the Portuguese International Amateur. Last year Davidson traveled to Australia and had top-tens in the Australian Master of the Amateurs, Lake Macquarie Amateur, and New South Wales Amateur.

Harry Ellis

Harry Ellis, 21, Meon Valley, England: Ellis, who is studying at Florida State University, bounced back from four holes down with five to play to win The Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s. He was the youngest ever winner of the English Amateur Championship in 2012 at the age of 16 and has gone on to represent England at every level. At Florida State, Ellis has recorded top-five finishes in the NCAA West Regional, the Seminole Intercollegiate (runner-up), and the Jerry Pate Intercollegiate. He represented the Seminoles on the team that made the NCAA Championships this spring.

Scott Gregory

Scott Gregory, 22, Corhampton, England: The 2016 Amateur champion is the highest-ranked GB&I player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking at fifth and played in both the Masters Tournament and the U.S. Open. He represented England in the European Team Championship, winning two of his matches and halving the other. Gregory traveled to Australia and won the New South Amateur this spring, and also has runner-up finishes in the Spanish International Amateur and the English Amateur in recent years. He has also finished in the top five of the European Amateur and Berkshire Trophy, and made the final 32 of the U.S. Amateur last year.

Matthew Jordan

Matthew Jordan, 21, Royal Liverpool, England: Jordan won this year’s St Andrews Links Trophy, was runner-up at the Scottish Stroke Play Championship, secured top five finishes at the Irish Open Amateur Championship and the Brabazon Trophy and finished sixth in the European Amateur Championship. He also finished seventh in the Lytham Trophy and made match play in the Amateur Championship. Though 2017 has clearly been his breakout season on the international amateur stage, he has recorded top-ten finishes in the Lytham Trophy, Irish Open Amateur, and Duncan Putter in recent years. Jordan is the second-highest Englishman in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Ranking at #28.

Paul McBride

Paul McBride, 21, The Island, Ireland: McBride, who is studying at Wake Forest University, was joint runner-up in the individual standings in the European Team Championship and reached the quarter finals of The Amateur Championship. He played all four rounds in last month’s Porsche European Open on the European Tour, finishing on two-under-par. He also represented England at the World Amateur Team Championship last year. At Wake Forest, McBride has had several top-five finishes, including the Nike Golf Collegiate Invitational, the Rod Myers Invitational, the General Hackler Collegiate, the Irish Creek Intercollegiate, and a runner-up finish in the ACC Championship earlier this spring.

Robert MacIntyre

Robert MacIntyre, 21, Glencruitten, Scotland: The left-handed MacIntyre was runner-up in the 2016 Amateur Championship and was part of the Scotland team which retained last year’s European Team Championship title. This season he finished tied fourth at the European Amateur Championship at Walton Heath and reached the round of 32 at the U.S. Amateur Championship at Riviera. He also had a semifinal finish at the Australian Amateur Championship. MacIntyre was the Scottish Amateur champion in 2015. He briefly attended McNeese State University and won his first college tournament, the Sam Hall Intercollegiate, but returned home soon thereafter.

Alfie Plant

Alfie Plant, 25, Sundridge Park, England: The only mid-amateur on the team (the U.S. also has just one in Stewart Hagestad), Plant won the European Amateur Championship to secure his place in The Open at Royal Birkdale where he went on to win the Silver Medal as the leading amateur. He also finished as joint runner-up in the individual standings at the European Team Championship. Last year Plant won the Lytham Trophy and finished third in the World Amateur Team Championship representing England. He was also the runner-up in the English Amateur Championship two years ago.

Jack Singh Brar

Jack Singh Brar, 20, Remedy Oak, England: Singh Brar won the Lytham Trophy and finished joint runner-up at the Brabazon Trophy. He also secured a top ten finish at the European Amateur Championship and represented England against Spain. Singh Brar traveled to Australia earlier this spring and was the runner-up in the Avondale Medal, a quarterfinalist in the New South Wales Amateur, and Final 16 in the Australian Amateur. He also was the medalist at his U.S. Amateur qualifying site and made match play in the U.S. Amateur at Riviera. Singh Brar is the highest-ranked GB&I player in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Ranking at #20.

Connor Syme

Connor Syme, 22, Drumoig, Scotland: The 2016 Australian Amateur Champion was part of the winning Scotland team in the European Team Championship. This season he qualified to play in The Open at Royal Birkdale (the only amateur to advance through Final Qualifying) and was a quarterfinalist in the U.S. Amateur Championship, the best finish of any European player. Syme was the medalist in last year's British Amateur and was a semifinalist in 2014. He has also recorded top-five finishes in the European Amateur, St. Andrews Links Trophy, Scottish Open, and African Amateur Stroke Play where he was the runner-up.

The Walker Cup Match is a biennial amateur team competition between the USA and a team composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland, selected by The R&A. The Match is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate-shot) matches. The USA leads the overall series, 35-9-1, but the teams have split the last 14 meetings since 1989.

The 46th Walker Cup Match will be played at The Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club’s North Course, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 9-10.

- The Royal & Ancient Golf Club contributed to this report.

About the The Walker Cup

The Walker Cup Match is a biennial 10-man amateur team competition between the USA and a team composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland and selected by The R&A. It is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternat...

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