Great Britain and Ireland staged a remarkable comeback on Sunday to win the 2026 Walker Cup, defeating the United States 13½–12½ in a dramatic finish at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland.
The hosts entered the final singles session three points behind after the United States swept the morning foursomes. With 10 singles matches remaining, the Americans appeared to be in a strong position to retain the trophy.
Instead, Great Britain and Ireland won the singles session 7–3 to complete a historic turnaround.
The victory gave Great Britain and Ireland their first Walker Cup triumph since 2015 and ended a run of five consecutive victories for the United States.
A dramatic final day
The United States needed only 3½ points from the 10 singles matches to retain the trophy. Great Britain and Ireland, however, began fighting back almost immediately.
Stuart Grehan set the tone by recovering from an early deficit to defeat world number one amateur Preston Stout 2&1. Grehan had also produced an impressive comeback against Stout on Saturday.
Luke Poulter, son of former Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter, also delivered an important point, defeating Ethan Fang 3&1.
Jack Whaley then produced one of the biggest wins of the competition, defeating William Jennings 8&7. It was reported as the largest margin of victory by a Great Britain and Ireland player in the Walker Cup since matches became 18 holes in 1963.
Tyler Weaver followed with a 4&3 victory over Jay Leng Jr., helping GB&I take the lead in the singles session.
The pressure increased
The United States refused to surrender easily.
Josiah Gilbert defeated Sam Easterbrook, while Ryder Cowan beat Ben Bolton 3&2 to give the Americans hope of holding on to the trophy.
With the competition becoming increasingly tense, several matches went down to the final holes.
Niall Sheils Donegan secured a crucial half point after American Kihei Akina missed a short putt on the 18th. Eliot Baker then defeated Walker Cup veteran Stewart Hagestad after making a crucial putt on the final hole.
Connor Graham also earned a vital half point against Miles Russell after winning the final two holes of their match.
Josh Hill seals the victory
Everything eventually came down to the final match between England’s Josh Hill and American Tyler Watts.
The pair were level heading into the par-five 18th hole, with the Walker Cup still in the balance.
Hill found a greenside bunker, but produced a superb recovery shot that left him around four feet from the hole.
Watts could not make his putt, leaving Hill with the chance to win the Walker Cup.
Hill calmly holed the short putt to complete the comeback and give Great Britain and Ireland a 13½–12½ victory.
The victory was particularly significant because GB&I had never previously recovered from such a large deficit in the Walker Cup.
Around 8,000 spectators watched the dramatic finish at Lahinch, with celebrations breaking out after Hill’s winning putt.
GB&I captain Dean Robertson praised the players for their belief and resilience after the historic victory.
The comeback has already drawn comparisons with Europe’s famous 2012 Ryder Cup comeback against the United States at Medinah.
For Great Britain and Ireland, however, the achievement stands on its own: a three-point deficit, a dominant singles comeback and a final-hole victory that delivered the Walker Cup for the first time in 11 years.
