Walker Cup winner Stuart Grehan has admitted he felt responsibility to lead Great Britain and Ireland through the tournament as he detailed the trigger behind his side’s historic comeback.
GB&I executed the biggest comeback in Walker Cup history, with the competition coming down to the final putt.
The eventual champions took a one-point lead into Sunday, only for the USA to win all four matches and open up a 9.5-6.5 advantage heading into the singles, leaving GB&I needing to win the session 7-3.
But Grehan got his side off to the best possible start, with the Amateur champion beating world No 1 amateur Preston Stout before GB&I went on to clinch a dramatic 13.5-12.5 victory.
Grehan, who lifted the Walker Cup on home soil, joined Jamie Weir and Chris Wood on the Sky Sports Golf podcast to discuss just how special it was to claim victory in such dramatic fashion.
The Irishman admitted he felt a responsibility to lead the team to their first Walker Cup win since 2015, revealing he had discussed taking on that role with captain Dean Robertson.
“We’ve spoken about it a little bit, I’d say two months prior to the match,” Grehan said when asked if he had been given a leadership role.
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“It’s something that I wanted to take on. 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.
“It is a team of 10, but I definitely felt like the responsibility this week that I might be seen as a leader. 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.
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Following Great Britain and Ireland winning the Walker Cup for the first time since 2015, the team went on to give their rendition of Wonderwall
Josh Hill completed the turnaround by seeing off Tyler Watts on the final hole, sparking wild celebrations, with Grehan having finished his game and remaining on the fairway to watch his team-mate complete the job.
The comeback had seemed almost impossible after Sunday’s initial red wash, but Grehan said his team-mates inspired him to pick himself back up after a disappointing start, helping to spark the remarkable turnaround.
“Sunday morning, I actually felt very flat, to be perfectly honest with you,” he said. “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.
“It wasn’t bad but myself and Eliot [Baker], 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.
Great Britain and Ireland celebrate after winning the Walker Cup for the first time since 2015
“I know the few other guys were the same. But in fairness to Tyler Weaver, he came in, and I just remember him saying that it’ll even make for a better story now. And I was like, OK, he still believes.
“Luke [Poulter] said something as well. I can’t remember exactly what it was, but he was very upbeat and in fairness to Dean [Robertson], he came in, he said ‘look, lads, the margins are so small. You’re all still playing really well.’ Collectively as a team, we were still pretty good. ‘Go out there this afternoon and give it your all’.
“Then the music got going at half-time as well. Then we were all kind of up for it already.
“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.”
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