U.S. Walker Cup Roster Taking Shape

The United States Golf Association has revealed eight of the ten young men who will attempt to defend the Walker Cup against the Great Britain-Ireland squad Sept. 12-13 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA.

Oklahoma State's Rickie Fowler and the University's of Georgia's Brian Harman, who are the only members of the team to have previously competed in the Walker Cup competition, headline the team that will be lead into battle by Buddy Marucci. 

Thirty-year-old Nathan Smith, who hails from Pittsburgh, Pa.,  was the biggest surprise on the list of eight names. Smith’s selection was most likely a reward for his strong play this summer in marquee events such as the Sunnehanna Amateur and the Western Amateur, which concluded over the weekend.

Smith, Fowler and Harman are joined on the team by Bud Cauley, 19, of Jacksonville, Fla.; Brendan Gielow, 21, of Muskegon, Mich.; Morgan Hoffmann, 19, of Saddle Brook, N.J.; Adam Mitchell, 22, of Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Drew Weaver, 22, of High Point, N.C.

Fowler, who will likely turn pro following the Walker Cup, is one of the nation’s top amateur talents and received the 2008 Ben Hogan Award, which is presented annually to the country’s outstanding male amateur and collegiate golfer of the year. Fowler represented the U.S. in the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down as the Americans won 12.5 to 11.5.

Fowler will be joined on the 2009 team by Hoffmann, his teammate at Oklahoma State. Coming off an outstanding freshman season with the Cowboys, Hoffman heads into the biennial international competition ranked No. 2 in the R&A’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.

Weaver, a recent graduate from Virginia Tech, qualified for this year’s U.S. Open at Bethpage Black and made the cut. He won the 2007 British Amateur championship.

The final two players of the team that will compete against 10 amateurs representing Great Britain and Ireland will be named following the conclusion of the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship, scheduled to be played Aug. 24-30 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.

The Walker Cup consists of 16 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate shot) matches. The U.S. Team has won the last two Matches, posting one-point victories at Chicago (Ill.) Golf Club in 2005 and Royal County Down in 2007. The USA leads the series overall, 33-7-1.