GB & I Walker Cup captain Dean Robertson has assured that while top Scottish amateur Connor Graham may not be in attendance this week at Dumbarnie Links he will be playing a ‘leading role’ in this year’s 50th anniversary hosting of the Walker Cup in California.
Robertson, 54, was appointed earlier last year as GB & I captain taking over from fellow Scot Stuart Wilson for this year’s showdown taking place on the famed Alister MacKenzie designed Cypress Point course from 6-7 September, 2025.
Robertson along with his fellow Scot in Assistant Captain and also 1993 Walker Cup ‘Foursomes’ team-mate Raymond Russell plus 12 potential team members are being hosted by Dumbarnie Links in Fife this week in a two-day ‘get together’.
Included in the dozen is England’s inform Eliottt Baker, a runaway seven-shot winner of last Sunday’s Scottish Men’s Championship at North Berwick on the opposite side of the Firth of Forth.
Scotland’s Connor Graham will be heading to this year’s 50th anniversary Walker Cup at Cypress Point.
Top Scottish amateur Graham is not at Dumbarnie Links given he’s respresenting his Texas Tech University also this week in the Arnold Palmer Cup at the Congaree GC course in South Carolina but Robertson has assured the 18-year-old Crail and Blairgowrie member will be a member of his team.
Robertson said: “We have some of the players here at Dumbarnie Links that will feature in the GB & I team and some that will miss out.
“Connor Graham may not be here this week, and while there will only be a couple of players in the team who will have prior Walker Cup experience, I like the way Connor is maturing. He was only 16 years old the last time at St. Andrews but he will be with us at Cypress Point playing a leading role.
“On paper, they are saying that this year’s Walker Cup is a not contest as the US players are so much more highly-ranked than the GB & I players but as we all know, the competition is not played on paper”.
Robertson will formally annouce his full 12-man team later next month.
Of the 49 matches, USA has won 39 matches, Great Britain and Ireland have won 9 with 1 match tied.
