The Walker Cup and Curtis Cup, coveted biennial matches for male and female amateurs, will be played in the same calendar year in 2021. Chalk it up as another rarity caused by COVID.
Last month, the USGA released a list of 16 male amateurs who were invited to a Walker Cup practice session to take place at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida, this month. A similar band of female amateurs were assembled a year ago in anticipation of the Curtis Cup, which was moved from June 2020 to August 2021.
The R&A has now released similar lists for those matches. The Great Britain & Ireland practice squad for the Walker Cup includes 15 men. That eventually will be whittled down to the 10-man team that will compete May 8-9 at Seminole Golf Club in Junior Beach, Florida.
The initial squad includes:
- Jake Bolton (22, Ogbourne Downs, England)
- Barclay Brown (19, Hallamshire, England)
- Callum Farr (22, Northamptonshire County, England)
- Alex Fitzpatrick (21, Hallamshire, England)
- Angus Flanagan (21, St George’s Hill, England)
- Benjamin Jones (21, Northamptonshire County, England)
- Matty Lamb (22, Hexham, England)
- John Murphy (22, Kinsale, Ireland)
- Tom McKibbin (17, Holywood, Ireland)
- Joseph Pagdin (19, Lake Nona, England)
- Mark Power (20, Kilkenny, Ireland)
- Caolan Rafferty (27, Dundalk, Ireland)
- Benjamin Schmidt (18, Rotherham, England)
- Sandy Scott (22, Nairn, Scotland)
“We have selected a talented group of players to work with in preparation for the match against the United States of America next year,” GB&I Walker Cup captain Stuart Wilson said in a release. “We will be closely monitoring their form and results in a number of important events over the coming months while other players still have time to play their way into contention before we finalize the team which will travel to Florida. We will go to Seminole with belief in ourselves and will give it our best shot to win back the trophy.”
On the women’s side, the GB&I team has won the past two matches at home – at Nairn in 2012 and Dun Laoghaire in 2016. The Curtis Cup will be played Aug. 26-28 at Conwy Golf Club in Wales.
There are 17 women on the initial GB&I Curtis Cup squad, and by August, that number will be cut to eight team members.
“We have a good blend of youth and experience in the squad but there is still time for other players to make their case for inclusion in the final teams selected. I know the girls will relish the opportunity to compete and try to win the two matches,” GB&I captain Elaine Ratcliffe said.
That squad includes:
- Hannah Darling (17, Broomieknowe, Scotland)
- Annabell Fuller (18, Roehampton, England)
- Chloe Goadby (23, St Regulus, Scotland)
- Paula Grant (27, Lisburn, Ireland)
- Charlotte Heath (19, Huddersfield, England)
- Lily May Humphreys (18, Stoke by Nayland, England)
- Hazel MacGarvie (21, Royal Troon, Scotland)
- Julie McCarthy (21, Forrest Little, Ireland)
- Caley McGinty (20, Knowle, England)
- Shannon McWilliam (21, Aboyne, Scotland)
- Olivia Mehaffey (23, Royal County Down Ladies, Ireland)
- Emily Price (21, Ludlow, England)
- Euphemie Rhodes (18, Burnham and Berrow, England)
- Emily Toy (23, Carlyon Bay, England)
- Lauren Walsh (20, Castlewarden, Ireland)
- Isobel Wardle (20, Prestbury, England)
- Annabel Wilson (19, Lurgan, Ireland)
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