6/22/25
Team USA has announced the first three players on its 2025 Walker Cup Team. The Walker Cup is a 10-man amateur team competition between the United States and a team of Great Britain and Ireland. The competition is being held this year at Cypress Point Club in Pebble Beach, California, on September 6 and 7. In 2028, the event will be held at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Oregon. The Walker Cup was held in Seattle in 1961 at Seattle Golf Club, where 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus and the second PGA Tour commissioner, Deane Beman, led the United States to an 11-1 win.
Jackson Koivun, Ben James, and Michael La Sasso have earned spots on the team due to their rankings in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) as of June 18. Koivun, James, and La Sasso are the top three players in the WAGR.
Jackson Koivun is a junior at Auburn, and as a freshman, won the Haskins Award, given to the top collegiate golfer. This feat hadn’t been accomplished since two-time major champion Justin Thomas did so with Alabama in 2012. Koivun played in the Farmers Insurance Open, where he finished T-56, and at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he finished T-48. Earlier this month, Koivun teed it up at the U.S. Open but missed the cut. Koivun also helped lead Auburn to the National Championship in 2024. Koivun is number one in the WAGR.
Ben James is an amateur at the University of Virginia. James helped lead Virginia to the championship match, where they lost to Oklahoma State. James was on the 2023 Walker Cup Team that won at St. Andrews in Scotland. James played in the Valero Texas Open in April and finished T-33. James also played in the U.S. Open, where he missed the cut. As a freshman, James won the Phil Mickelson Award for being the top freshman in college golf.
Michael La Sasso plays his college golf at Ole Miss after transferring from his hometown school of NC State. La Sasso won the NCAA Division I Individual National Championship in May. La Sasso had the lowest scoring average in a single season in Ole Miss history, with a scoring average of 69.48. La Sasso also competed in the U.S. Open but missed the cut. La Sasso is third in the WAGR.
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