Amateur champion Stuart Grehan has detailed how Great Britain and Ireland staged the biggest comeback in Walker Cup history to defeat the United States 13.5 to 12.5 on home soil.
Great Britain and Ireland held a one-point lead after Saturday before the United States swept all four Sunday morning matches, establishing a 9.5 to 6.5 advantage heading into the singles. The surge left captain Dean Robertson's team needing to win the afternoon session 7 to 3 to reclaim the trophy.
Josh Hill completed the turnaround by defeating Tyler Watts on the final hole of the match, sealing GB&I's first Walker Cup victory since 2015 and triggering wild team celebrations on the fairway.
Leadership role and early singles momentum
Grehan launched the singles revival by defeating world No 1 amateur Preston Stout in the opening match. As the only Irishman in the 10-player team, Grehan revealed he had discussed taking on a leadership role with captain Robertson two months before the tournament.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast with hosts Jamie Weir and Chris Wood, Grehan admitted he felt a responsibility to guide his teammates. "We've spoken about it a little bit, I'd say two months prior to the match," Grehan said of his conversations with Robertson.
"It's something that I wanted to take on," Grehan explained. "Obviously I'm a little bit older, one, and I probably knew the golf course more than anyone as well, which is another thing. It's a role I wanted this week, to go out and lead being the only Irishman in the event."
Grehan emphasized that while every player contributed leadership, being chosen to hit first in the singles was a special moment. "It is a team of 10, but I definitely felt like the responsibility this week that I might be seen as a leader," he said. "There's loads of leaders, they're all leaders in their own sense, but yeah, to be able to go out there and hit first… It was an incredible moment for me and everyone that's helped me get to that point."
Sunday morning collapse and half-time rally
The historic comeback seemed unlikely after Sunday morning's 4 to 0 session loss. Grehan and partner Eliot Baker struggled to build momentum in testy conditions, leaving Grehan feeling deflated at the break.
"Sunday morning, I actually felt very flat, to be perfectly honest with you," Grehan recalled. "I was very flat myself. It was probably all the mental energy I kind of expended on Saturday, but I just couldn't get up for it and my game was not very good on Saturday morning."
Grehan acknowledged that their performance was below standard for elite international amateur competition. "It wasn't bad but myself and Eliot, we just couldn't get anything going. I think we were still 300-par and in pretty testy conditions. But at this level, that's just not good enough. So, we lost the session 4-0, clean sweep, I was very flat at halftime."
Morale began to recover in the locker room when teammate Tyler Weaver told the team that trailing would "even make for a better story now," proving to Grehan that belief remained strong. Teammate Luke Poulter also delivered an upbeat message to rally the group.
Captain Robertson reinforced the belief before sending his players back out for the singles matches. Robertson told the squad: "look, lads, the margins are so small. You're all still playing really well," adding, "go out there this afternoon and give it your all."
Locker room spirit and final hole celebration
Music in the half-time locker room helped lift spirits further before the squad returned to the course. Grehan admitted he started slowly in his singles match against Stout, but watching teammates succeed behind him provided the necessary push.
"I didn't get off to a great start, but the rest of the guys behind me did, and that kind of spurred me on, to be perfectly honest," Grehan said.
After completing his opening victory over Stout, Grehan stayed on the fairway to support his teammates, watching Hill hole the deciding putt against Watts to finish the match and spark celebrations, which included a team rendition of Wonderwall.
The Walker Cup is a biennial golf trophy contested by 10-man amateur teams representing Great Britain and Ireland and the United States. Selection for the match represents one of the highest achievements in amateur golf, with many participants later turning professional.
GB&I's dramatic win on home soil ends an eight-year title drought dating back to 2015, completing the largest comeback in the competition's history.
