Seven of the 10 U.S. Walker Cup team members from this year’s victory at Cypress Point have been tabbed for the upcoming practice session ahead of next year’s Walker Cup at Lahinch.
The practice session will take place Dec. 18-20 at Seminole Golf Club, McArthur Golf Club and Jupiter Hills Club in South Florida. In total, 18 players were invited and have accepted their invitations.
Among the invitees is world No. 1 Jackson Koivun, a junior at Auburn who already has his PGA Tour locked up via PGA Tour University’s Accelerated program. Koivun can choose to turn pro after either of the next two NCAA Championships and take up his season-and-a-half of membership. He still is undecided on his plans, though accepting a spot in the practice session certainly means he’s at least thinking about remaining amateur another year.
Three mid-amateurs will attend – five-time Walker Cupper Stewart Hagestad, along with Evan Beck and Bobby Massa. Four high-schoolers also will be there – Mason Howell, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion who made his Walker Cup debut this year, plus Miles Russell, Luke Colton and Tyler Watts.
Here is the full list:
- Evan Beck, 35, of Virginia Beach, Va. (Wake Forest, class of 2013)
- Luke Colton, 18, of Frisco, Texas (high school class of 2026)
- Ethan Fang, 20, of Plano, Texas (Oklahoma State, junior)
- Josiah Gilbert, 20, of Houston, Texas (Auburn, junior)
- Stewart Hagestad, 34, of Newport Beach, Calif. (USC, class of 2013)
- Max Herendeen, 20, of Bellevue, Wash. (Illinois, junior)
- Mason Howell, 18, of Thomasville, Ga. (high school class of 2026)
- Jackson Koivun, 20, of Chapel Hill, N.C. (Auburn, junior)
- Michael La Sasso, 21, of Raleigh, N.C. (Ole Miss, senior)
- Bryan Lee, 21, of Fairfax, Va. (Virginia, senior)
- Bobby Massa, 37, of Dallas, Texas (UT Arlington, class of 2010)
- Jacob Modleski, 20, of Noblesville, Ind. (Notre Dame, junior)
- Miles Russell, 16, of Jacksonville Beach, Fla. (high school class of 2027)
- Lance Simpson, 22, of Knoxville, Tenn. (Tennessee, senior)
- Preston Stout, 21, of Dallas, Texas (Oklahoma State, junior)
- Cameron Tankersley, 22, of Dickson, Tenn. (Ole Miss, senior)
- Jack Turner, 21, of Orlando, Fla. (Florida, junior)
- Tyler Watts, 17, of Huntsville, Ala. (high school class of 2027)
The 2026 Walker Cup is set for Sept. 5–6 in County Clare, Ireland, as the biennial competition switches to even years.
