Walker Cup Comeback
Stuart Grehan's dramatic late comeback gives Great Britain and Ireland a vital Walker Cup edge.
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Key Points
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Grehan played the final 15 holes in eight under par and sank four putts from more than 10 feet during the closing stretch. He described himself as “surprisingly very, very calm” on the 18th green.
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Grehan’s winning birdie putt was reported as a 14-footer, while Stout had earlier produced a 21-foot birdie attempt after escaping from a difficult lie on the par-five 18th.
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Before his singles comeback, Grehan and Eliot Baker halved their morning foursomes match against Preston Stout and Ethan Fang, contributing to GB&I’s 2½-1½ advantage at lunch. Grehan and Baker were scheduled to face the same American pairing again in Sunday morning’s foursomes.
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Lahinch became only the third golf course in Ireland to host the Walker Cup, with an announced crowd of about 8,000. Grehan said the spectators’ support echoed around the course and spurred the players on.
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Grehan’s return to the Walker Cup followed a winding career path: he had been in contention for the 2017 team before breaking his arm playing soccer, then turned professional before later giving up that pursuit to spend more time with his family and regain amateur status in 2025.
Stuart Grehan produced one of the Walker Cup's most dramatic comebacks at Lahinch on Friday, storming back from three holes down to defeat world No. 1 amateur Preston Stout and give Great Britain and Ireland a 6½-5½ lead after the opening day golf.com. The 33-year-old Irish amateur sank a 14-foot birdie putt on the 18th green as thousands of home fans erupted, capping a stunning final nine holes played in eight under par golf.com.
Grehan's victory was especially poignant — he dedicated the emotional moment to his late uncle Willie Egan, who died the previous week irishgolfdesk.com. The comeback represented a remarkable return to competitive amateur golf for Grehan, who won the Amateur Championship earlier this year and had previously turned professional before stepping away from the sport ca.headtopics.com.
From Three Down to Final-Hole Victory
Grehan started badly, losing the first three holes to Stout. But the Tullamore golfer found his rhythm with precision putting and aggressive birdie play down the stretch golf.com. He sank four putts from more than 10 feet during the closing stretch, describing himself as "surprisingly very, very calm" when he stepped onto the 18th green golf.com.
On the demanding par-five 18th, Stout had escaped a difficult lie to attempt a 21-foot birdie. But Grehan answered with his own 14-footer to steal the match golf.com. The roar from the crowd was deafening — Grehan later said of the Irish supporters: "That was one loud roar" golfchannel.com.
Morning Foursomes Set Foundation for GB&I Advantage
Before his singles heroics, Grehan and partner Eliot Baker halved their morning foursomes match against Stout and Ethan Fang tsn.ca. That result helped GB&I win the foursomes session 2½-1½, giving the home team momentum heading into the afternoon tsn.ca. The two teams then split the singles matches 4-4, but GB&I's morning advantage held firm ca.headtopics.com.
A Winding Road Back to Amateur Competition
Grehan's path to Friday's triumph included multiple detours. He had been in contention for the 2017 Walker Cup team before breaking his arm playing soccer golf.com. He then turned professional but later gave up that pursuit to spend more time with family, regaining his amateur status in 2025 golf.com.
His 2025 Amateur Championship victory proved he still had the competitive edge. Now at age 33, Grehan is competing in just his second Walker Cup appearance, and he has already left an unforgettable mark on the event ca.headtopics.com. Lahinch, hosting only the third Walker Cup ever held in Ireland, provided the perfect stage for his comeback golf.com.
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