Watts, Gilbert and Jennings to head to Ireland
The U.S. Walker Cup team will have an Alabama feel to it when the matches tee off against Great Britain and Ireland on Sept. 5-6 at Lahinch Golf Club, on the west coast of Ireland.
Previously, Huntsville’s Tyler Watts who is bound for the University of Tennessee, was named to the team – eveb before setting foot on campus.
On Sunday, the remainder of the team was announced and it includes Auburn University’s Josiah Gilbert and University of Alabama’s William Jennings.
Watts, Gilbert and Jennings all qualified for the match play portion of the U.S. Amateur at Merion just outside of Philadelphia.
Watts and Jennings reached the Round of 16 before bowing out. Gilbert, of Millbrook, lost in the opening round of match play.
Joining the team Sunday were:
Kihei Akina, 19, of Alpine, Utah; Ryder Cowan, 21, of Edmond, Okla.; Stewart Hagestad, 35, of Newport Beach, Calif., and Jay Leng Jr., 20, of San Diego, Calif.
The six players join Ethan Fang, Miles Russell and Preston Stout, all of whom were named to the team last month.
“These six players have earned their spots and are terrific additions to this year’s team,” said Nathan Smith, captain of the USA Team.
“I couldn’t be more pleased to see their hard work pay off with this opportunity. With the roster now complete, I’m excited to turn our full attention to getting ready for Lahinch Golf Club,” Smith said.
The USA Team returns three players from the 2025 squad that defeated Great Britain & Ireland 17-9 at Cypress Point Club. Fang posted a 1-2-1 record; Hagestad went 2-1, and Stout finished 2-2.
Gilbert, of Millbrook, Ala., is a rising senior at Auburn University, where he helped lead the Tigers to their 2024 and 2026 NCAA Division I titles. During this year’s championship run, Gilbert was Auburn’s individual low man in both the NCAA Regionals and the NCAA National Championship, where he shot 11 under to finish third in stroke play.
His 2-1 match-play record was highlighted by his 4-and-3 victory over Oklahoma State’s Ethan Fang in the semifinals as well as a win over Walker Cup teammate Jay Leng Jr. in the quarterfinals.
Gilbert’s 2026 season earned him PING Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors. Currently No. 8 on the WAGR®, Gilbert advanced to match play in his third U.S. Amateur appearance.
Jennings, 20, of Greenville, S.C., is a rising junior at the University of Alabama who is coming off his runner-up finish during the stroke-play portion of the 2026 NCAA National Championships.
His 2026 season with the Crimson Tide featured four additional top-5 finishes, including his win at the NCAA Marana (Ariz.) Regional. In 2025, Jennings picked up a pair of runner-up finishes and his first collegiate victory at the Folds of Honor Collegiate. He also advanced to match play at the 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club, in San Francisco, Calif., and made the quarterfinals of the 2025 North & South Amateur. He reached the Round of 16 of the 2026 U.S. Amateur.
Akina, of Alpine, Utah, earned the 2026 Phil Mickelson Award as the nation’s top collegiate freshman after being named 2025-26 Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year in his first season at Brigham Young University. Akina tied for eighth in the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa and was runner-up in the Big 12 Conference Championship.
Cowan, of Edmond, Okla., earned low-amateur honors at the 2026 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, finishing T-23 at 5-over-par 285. The rising University of Oklahoma senior qualified for his first U.S. Open by posting 6-under 138 at BallenIsles C.C. and then surviving a 3-for-2 playoff for the final spots. Cowan posted one collegiate victory this past season in Hawaii.
Hagestad, of Newport Beach, Calif., is competing in his sixth Walker Cup Match, owning a 7-1 mark in Walker Cup singles play. Hagestad is a three-time champion of the U.S. Mid-Amateur (2016, 2021, 2023) and has qualified for five U.S. Opens (made cut in 2022 at The Country Club).
Leng Jr., of San Diego, Calif., is coming off an impressive summer that includes a runner-up showing in the 2026 U.S. Amateur at Merion, a win at the Western Amateur, a runner-up finish at the Northeast Amateur and a tie for fifth at the Southern Amateur. The rising junior at Stanford helped the Cardinal qualify for match play at the 2026 NCAA Championship.
The Walker Cup Match is a 10-man amateur team competition between the USA and Great Britain and Ireland. The Match is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate-shot) matches.
Lahinch will be hosting its first Walker Cup Match.
Featured image courtesy of the USGA
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