Walker Cup Preview: Ryder Cowan, Jack Whaley & TJ Ford Break Down Lahinch

Smylie Kaufman and Charlie Hulme preview the 2026 Walker Cup at Lahinch Golf Club with three guests: Team USA's Ryder Cowan, US Amateur champion Jack Whaley - whose victory at Merion earned him a GB&I roster spot, and Lahinch operations manager TJ Ford, who walks us through some truly stunning flyovers. Ryder discusses matching Jackson Koivun for low-amateur honors at the US Open, what he learned studying Koivun's game, and the golf balls he forgot before his Round of 64 win over Miles Russell. Jack recaps his US Amateur run at Merion — wasp sting included — and the major exemptions that came with it. TJ takes them through Lahinch's Old Tom Morris and Alister MacKenzie design, the club's famous roaming goats, and tells an incredible stories about some caddie shenanigans on the 5th hole. Charlie and Smylie close it out with the full team rosters and their own final score picks. Don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, and follow us on socials @thesmylieshow! Chapters 0:00 Intro: Walker Cup broadcast schedule & preview 8:20 Ryder Cowan joins: earning his Walker Cup spot 10:20 Tying Jackson Koivun for low-amateur honors 13:21 What Ryder learned studying Koivun's game 19:09 Forgetting his golf balls before facing Miles Russell 23:20 Beating Miles Russell & Walker Cup teammates 28:39 Jack Whaley joins: US Am win & major exemptions 29:49 Merion's brutal, back-loaded finish 31:19 Wasp sting, a storm, and battling back 36:00 Walker Cup matchups & English course roots 39:10 FSU's pipeline, airport rankings & sign-off 41:40 TJ Ford joins: his game & Lahinch's history 43:50 Course design history: Old Tom Morris & MacKenzie 45:44 Flyovers begin 53:18 2019 Irish Open flashback: Rahm's 62 56:55 MacKenzie's design philosophy & the toughest holes 59:17 Lahinch's famous roaming goats & Jordan Spieth 1:03:12 New clubhouse & TJ's prediction 1:06:14 Walker Cup rosters & matchup breakdown 1:12:09 Final score predictions #golf #pgatour #walkercup #lahinch #smylieshow #smyliekaufman