So, Jack Whaley goes and wins the U.S. Amateur. Turns out, that's enough to get him a ticket to the Walker Cup for Great Britain & Ireland. Who'd have guessed winning a major amateur tournament might actually, you know, lead to more golf? Honestly, the plot twists in this sport never cease.
Whaley's not the only fresh face. There are three other newbies on the squad, and I'm told they also managed to hit a few decent shots recently. Among them is Luke Poulter, the heir apparent to the "other guy's" golfing legacy. He's back on the team, and I'm sure it's purely because he's been practicing his sand saves and not at all because his dad might have pulled a few strings. Or, you know, he might have actually played well. We'll file that under "mysteries of the universe."
Dean Robertson, a chap who’s apparently done this captain gig before, is back for more. He’s thrilled. Naturally. Everyone gets a bit giddy for the Walker Cup. It’s that charming, slightly less intense (unless you’re actually playing) battle between the best young amateurs from GB&I and the Yanks. This year, it’s in Ireland. Because, shocker, Ireland has golf courses. Who knew?
The Americans still have the bragging rights in the overall series. Imagine that. They’ve won most of them. We're hoping to, you know, change that, apparently. It's amateur golf, though. It’s fine. It’ll happen. Then we’ll all nod sagely, forget about it for two years, and then do it all again. Until then, back to the driving range, I suppose.