September 3, 2025 • by USGA, Scoreboard / Photography by Logan Whitton and Chris Keane for USGA
The 50th Walker Cup Match begins on Saturday at the stunning Cypress Point in California. The 10-man teams representing the USA and Great Britain and Ireland, contain no less than 13 current collegiate golfers from 12 different schools, plus three recent graduates, a not so recent graduate, and a future star of the college game in U.S. Amateur champion Mason Howell.
, USA
A rising junior at Auburn, the 20-year-old from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, became the first freshman to win the Haskins Award, given annually to the top collegiate golfer, since Alabama's Justin Thomas more than a decade earlier. He swept all the major college awards, including the Phil Mickelson Award for being the top freshman. As a freshman, he posted a 3-0 match-play record to help Auburn claim its first-ever NCAA title while finishing a stroke out of the top spot individually.
In 2024-25, Koivun again was a first-team All-American and selected to represent the U.S. in the Palmer Cup. He also repeated as the Southeastern Conference's Player of the Year. Koivun advanced to the Round of 32 of the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club and made it to the quarterfinals of the 2023 U.S. Amateur, losing to eventual winner Nick Dunlap, 1 down.
Koivun is a part of the inaugural Elite Amateur Program, part of the U.S. National Development Program launched by the USGA. This program serves to provide support to top amateurs as they navigate their college years and transition to the next level. He finished last season ranked #3 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, GB&I
The 19-year-old from Ireland shot to prominence with a fantastic week at The Amateur Championship in June where he threatened to become the first player to win having come through Pre-Qualifying. The East Tennessee State University student, ranked 1,340th in WAGR® at the time, was ultimately edged out in the 36-hole final by Ethan Fang.
Over the summer, Tiernan also finished third the East of Ireland Men’s Amateur Open Championship before representing GB&I in their St Andrews Trophy success against the Continent of Europe. He finished last season ranked #576 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, GB&I
The 21-year-old son of European Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter will be aiming to emulate his father’s match play heroics at Cypress Point. Poulter Jnr certainly hit the mark at the recent St Andrews Trophy, contributing 3½ points from four outings in GB&I’s victory over the Continent of Europe.
Poulter also made match play at the 2025 U.S. Amateur and claimed his first collegiate victory for the Florida Gators in March when he triumphed at the Schenkel Invitational. He came agonizingly close to qualifying for the U.S. Open in June, losing a sudden-death playoff to professional Austen Truslow.
In 2023, at the age of 19, Poulter made his first appearance in a professional event and finished 22nd in the International Series England on the Asian Tour. He finished last season ranked #26 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, GB&I
The Seminole star is the highest-ranked member of the GB&I team. He was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2024, emulating a feat also achieved by fellow Seminole Brooks Koepka in 2009, and went unbeaten at the recent St Andrews Trophy where he won two foursomes matches alongside Connor Graham. The 18-year-old also starred in Team International’s Arnold Palmer Cup victory over Team USA, beating world number one Jackson Koivun in the Saturday singles.
A winner of the Carris Trophy during his junior career, Weaver made his major debut in June after qualifying for the U.S. Open, while he beat Graham on his way to the Round of 32 at this year’s U.S. Amateur. He finished last season ranked #46 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, GB&I
Fresh off a thrilling run to the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, the recent transfer to the University of North Carolina has certainly shown his match play mettle. He came from one down with two to play to beat Walker Cup teammate Luke Poulter in the Round of 64, won on the 18th against both Christian Maas and leading stroke play qualifier Preston Stout, before winning at the 19th in the quarterfinals against Jacob Modleski. His superb week came to an end with a semifinal loss on the 18th hole to Jackson Herrington.
Born in Scotland but now a resident of Mill Valley, California, the 20-year-old was fourth in this year’s St Andrews Links Trophy and has made match play of The Amateur Championship in each of the last two years. He finished last season ranked #167 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, USA
The rising junior at the University of Notre Dame advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, matching his achievement at the 2024 U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club. The 20-year-old from Noblesville, Indiana, also won the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference individual title, the first Notre Dame player to achieve the feat, and was named second-team All-American for the 2024-2025 season. He then went on to reach the semifinals in the 2025 Western Amateur.
As a Notre Dame freshman, Modleski helped the Fighting Irish qualify for the NCAAs for the first time since the regional format was adopted in 1989. He also won the 2024 Jones Cup Invitational. He is also a part of the U.S. National Development Program’s Elite Amateur squad. He finished last season ranked #18 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, USA
The rising senior advanced to the Round of 32 at the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club after a junior season in which he earned First Team All-SEC honors during a junior season with the Sooners, a campaign that featured a victory at the 2025 Maridoe Intercollegiate and six top 10s. Summy’s 20 rounds under par in 2024-25 set a program single-season record. He finished the season ranked #13 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
This summer, the 21-year-old from Keller, Texas, captured the Western Amateur title and tied for third at the Southern Amateur. In 2024, he finished runner-up at the Sunnehanna Amateur.
, USA
The 20-year-old from Plano, Texas, captured the 130th Amateur Championship at Royal St. George’s, in England, becoming the first American in 18 years to win the oldest amateur competition. The rising junior at Oklahoma State helped the Cowboys claim the 2025 NCAA Division I title, posting a 2-1 record in match play, including a 1-up victory over Bryan Lee of Virginia in the championship match.
Fang advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2024 U.S. Amateur at Hazeltine National and reached the Round of 16 at the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur at Bandon Dunes. He played one season at the University of California-Berkeley before transferring to Oklahoma State University in the fall of 2024. He finished last season ranked #10 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, USA
The OSU Cowboys standout was the medalist at the U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, advancing to the Round of 16 before falling short to GB&I Walker Cupper Niall Shiels Donegan. Stout recently won the 2025 Northeast Amateur at Wannamoisett Country Club by eight strokes.
The rising junior helped the Oklahoma State win the 2025 NCAA Division I title, going 2-1 in match play. He defeated NCAA individual champion La Sasso (Ole Miss) in the semis, 5&4, and Oklahoma’s Jase Summy in the quarterfinals. The 21-year-old from Dallas, Texas, also won the 2024 and 2025 Big 12 Conference individual titles, qualified for match play at the 2023 and 2024 U.S. Amateurs and finished third as an individual in the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships. He finished last season ranked #6 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, USA
The Raleigh, North Carolina native topped a standout 2024/25 season by claiming the NCAA Division I individual title in May at Omni La Costa, in Carlsbad, California. La Sasso, 21, spent one season at hometown North Carolina State before transferring to Ole Miss. He represented the USA in the Palmer Cup at Lahinch, the site of next year’s Walker Cup match, and claimed three tournament titles in his All-American 2024-25 campaign in which he led the squad with a 69.51 stroke average.
As a sophomore, La Sasso led the Rebels with a 69.25 stroke average. Prior to his NCAA win, he was the runner-up in the NCAA Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional. He competed in the 2024 U.S. Amateur and made the 36-hole cut in the Western Amateur. He finished last season ranked #2 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, USA
The Longhorns’ rising senior earned the No. 2 seed and advanced to the Round of 64 at the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in a campaign that saw him record top-20 finishes at the European Amateur, The Amateur Championship at Royal St. George’s, Jones Cup, The Ford Collegiate and the Pauma Valley Invitational. The 21-year-old from Dallas, Texas, also won the 2025 Amer Ari Invitational at Mauna Lani in Hawaii.
In 2024, Morrison became the first American to win the European Amateur, defeating fellow American Preston Summerhays and Max Kennedy, of the Republic of Ireland, in a playoff. The victory earned Morrison an exemption into The Open Championship at Royal Troon. A few weeks earlier, Morrison reached the final 16 of The Amateur Championship conducted by The R&A.
In 2023, Morrison teamed with ex-Dallas Cowboys quarterback/CBS lead NFL analyst Tony Romo to qualify for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Kiawah Island Club. Later that summer, he was the medalist in the U.S. Junior Amateur at Daniel Island Club, where he advanced to the quarterfinals. He finished last season ranked #17 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
, GB&I
The Scot made history at St Andrews two years ago at the age of 16 as he became the youngest player to ever compete in the Walker Cup. Graham has gone from strength to strength since, climbing into the top 50 of the WAGR® and coming through Final Qualifying to make his major debut at The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush.
A rising sophomore at Texas Tech, Graham has been the leading stroke play qualifier at each of the last two editions of The Amateur Championship, while he also made the knockout stages of the recent U.S. Amateur. In addition, he won three out of four matches for GB&I at the St Andrews Trophy in 2024 and 2025 and helped Team International to victory over Team USA in the 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup. The 18-year-old finished last season ranked #58 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings
, USA
The 22-year-old from Milford, Connecticut, is a three-time first-team All-American at the University of Virginia and recently led the Cavaliers to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Championship.
In 2023, James won the Phil Mickelson Award for being the country's top freshman. He also represented the USA on the victorious 2023 Walker Cup team at St. Andrews in Scotland, going 2-3, and on the 2023 and 2024 Palmer Cup teams. He advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2023 U.S. Amateur, losing to Parker Bell in 19 holes, lost in the Round of 64 of the 2024 championship to eventual winner Jose Luis Ballester and fell short in the Round of 32 of the 2025 U.S. Amateur to eventual champion Mason Howell.
James tied for 33rd in the 2025 Valero Texas Open, getting into the PGA Tour event by capturing the Valero Texas Collegiate. He also played in the Travelers Championship in his home state of Connecticut in 2023 and 2024. He finished last season ranked #12 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings
: , GB&I (Northwestern), , GB&I (Alabama), , GB&I (Long Beach State).
, USA (Southern California)
: , USA (Georgia)