Delight for Dean Robertson as GB&I pull off dramatic Walker Cup win at Lahinch

Dean Robertson choked back tears as he admitted he had been thinking about his dad David, who passed away earlier this year, as Great Britain & Ireland pulled off a dramatic 13.5-12.5 victory in the 51st Walker Cup at Lahinch.

Bidding to stop a run of five straight defeats at the hands of the United States, Robertson’s GB&I side suffered a 4-0 whitewash in the Sunday morning foursomes to find themselves trailing 9.5-6.5 heading into the concluding singles session.

That left them needing to create history to pull off a first win in the transatlantic tussle since 2015 and, to the delight of 8,000 home fans at the County Clare venue, the GB&I players duly secured a place in the record books.

Captain Dean Robertson and his GB&I players celebrate winning the 51st Walker Cup after a dramatic finish at Lahinch in County Clare | Warren Little/Getty Images

The foundations for one of the greatest fightbacks in team golf were laid by Irishman Stuart Grehan and English trio Luke Poulter, Jack Whaley and Tyler Weaver providing what Robertson described as much-needed “energy” as they delivered crucial wins in the top four matches.

For the second day running, Grehan, the R&A Amateur champion, thrilled the Irish fans by taking down world No 1 Preston Stout, coming from three down the first time and two down on this occasion.

Even then, it looked for a long time that the best result GB&I could have hoped for was a 13-13 draw, which, in truth, would have been commendable but, of course, would have meant the magnificent trophy stayed in US hands as the holders.

California-based Scot Niall Shiels Donegan, though, held his nerve to hole a testing par putt on the 18th green to secure a half before Elliot Baker produced a brilliant up and down there shortly afterwards to hand a rare singles defeat in this event to Stewart Hagestad.

All of a sudden, with the scores tied at 12-12, it had come down to the final two matches to finish, with Blairgowrie teenager Connor Graham two down with two play against the highly-rated Miles Russell and Englishman Josh Hill all square with world No 2 Tyler Watts at the same stage.

‘I believed in the team the whole time’

Rising to the occasion, Graham, who was making his third straight appearance in the event, finished birdie-birdie to secure a vital half point before Hill produced an incredible bunker shot at the 18th then knocked in a two-and-a-half foot putt to spark scenes of joy among the GB&I players and their captain.

“I believed in the team the whole time,” declared Robertson, who had been handed a second bite at the cherry after seeing his side go down 17-9 in last year’s match at Cypress Point in California after suffering a heavy defeat in the second-day singles. “They worked so hard and played so well. This morning, the Americans were so good, but I am just so proud of every one of them. This is so special.”

Robertson, who played on a losing team in 1993, is the first Scot to become a winning captain in the event, with Charlie Green, George Macgreor, Colin Dalgleish and, most recently, Stuart Wilson having all had back-to-back stints but tasting defeat on both occasions.

“You know, I was thinking about my dad,” admitted a choked-up Robertson, the University of Stirling’s head of golf, in reply to being asked about his emotions as his players dug deep to pull off a memorable victory.