Sheffield golfers make Great Britain and Ireland team for prestigious Walker Cup

The pair, who studied at Tapton and Birkdale respectively, are joined by Ben Schmidt from Rotherham as well as amateur champion Joe Long, Angus Flanagan, Ben Jones and Matty Lamb.

Scotland’s Sandy Scott and the Irish pair of John Murphy and Mark Power make up the team which will attempt to win back the trophy at Seminole in Florida from May 8-9. England’s Jack Dyer and Jake Bolton are the travelling reserves.

The United States won by five points at Royal Liverpool two years ago, the first away victory in the biennial contest since their 2007 success at Royal County Down.

Scott and Fitzpatrick, the younger brother of European Tour player Matt, are the only survivors from the 2019 defeat.

Last month Alex earned a place at The Valspar Championship – a PGA Tour event – after he won the Valspar Collegiate Invitational in Florida, which featured some of the best-ranked college teams in the country.

GB&I captain Stuart Wilson said: “The Walker Cup is the pinnacle of the amateur game for these players and we are delighted that they will have the opportunity to compete against their counterparts from the USA at Seminole.

“It gives them the opportunity to display their exceptional talent and will provide a lifetime of memories.

“After a difficult year with the Covid-19 pandemic, we are all looking forward to the match this year and I know the team will be doing their very best to win back the Walker Cup.”