ARDMORE, Pa. — Jay Leng Jr. thrust himself into the Walker Cup conversation with his victory at the Western Amateur earlier this month. Despite the fact he fell short at the U.S. Amateur on Sunday, his performance at Merion solidified his spot on the team.
The U.S. team announcement came shortly after the final putt dropped for England's Jack Whaley, who defeated Leng, 4 and 3, at the iconic venue. Leng's runner-up finish still comes with plenty of perks, though, among them a selection to captain Nathan Smith's American side that will compete Sept. 5-6 at Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland.
Four spots had already been solidified in early July—three automatic bids went to the three top-ranked Americans in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, at the time Preston Stout, Tyler Watts and Ethan Fang. Miles Russell, the 17-year-old lefty phenom, was added to the team via the USGA Team Selection Committee.
That left six spots, one nabbed by Leng this week, as well as Ryder Cowan, who made the cut in the U.S. Open at Shinnecock in June and tied for 23rd. Cowan made the Round of 16 at Merion this week, falling to Logan Reilly in 20 holes.
The final four spots went to mid-amateur Stewart Hagestad, who has appeared on the last five consecutive winning American teams, William Jennings, Josiah Gilbert and Kihei Akina. Reilly and Max Herendeen are alternates.
In all, the U.S. team has seven of the top-10 ranked players in the world.