BASINGSTOKE Golf Club’s Charlie Forster was “over the moon” to learn that he will become just the eighth player from Hampshire to appear in the Walker Cup, when Great Britain and Ireland face the USA at California’s stunning Cypress Point, next month.
The 22-year-old, who went to Peter Symonds College, in Winchester – before joining Long Beach State via Southeastern Louisiana University two years ago – thanked those people who have helped steer his career from the Hampshire junior programme to appearing in the 50th Walker Cup match.
Charlie, who graduated in consumer affairs at the California campus back in the spring – having helped his Beach team-mates to the NCAA Regional Finals for a second year in a row – started by praising coach Rob Murrary, who hails from Essex, and now runs the Long Beach golf programme.
Since completing his formal study time on the south side of Los Angeles, Charlie has crossed the Atlantic a couple of times to compete in the Amateur Championship at Sandwich, and the European Amateur in Sweden, in June.
He also represented England at the European Amateur Team Championships in Ireland, in July, when they finished third by beating the hosts in the 3rd/4th place play-off, and was partnered with Luke Poulter, son of the Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter.
His international commitments this side of the pond finished with a second appearance for Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) in the St Andrews Trophy, regaining the trophy they lost when Charlie made his debut against Europe last summer at Royal Porthcawl.
The former South of England Boys Open winner then headed back to the States for last week’s US Amateur Championship – only two Englishmen have won that event in 130 years.
Charlie Forster, from Basingstoke GC, working on the range at the US Amateur at San Francisco’s Olmpic Club.
Forster was unlucky to lose to Michigan Amateur Champion Caleb Bond, who holed a monster putt on the 15th to win 2&1 in the first round of the matchplay knockout, having qualified in eighth position.
He had shot an excellent 66 in the first round on the Olympic Course, starting from the 10th, making six birdies to post the joint-best score of the day on four-under.
The second round featured the second hole-in-one in competition this year – having made one in Wyoming on the way to his win for Long Beach.
Charlie had got off to a poor start with five shots going in three holes from the third, and running the risk of missing out on a place in the top 64.
Having beaten Jose Luis Ballester at last year’s Amateur Championship – before the Spaniard went on to lift the Havemeyer Trophy at the 2024 US Amateur – a matchplay place was the goal.
Forster’s round on the Lake Course, which hosted the 2012 US Open, featured two doubles and three bogeys, balanced out by three birdies and his ace.
The latter at the 15th repaired some of the earlier damage as he pitched his nine-iron two-feet past the hole before spinning the ball back into the cup, followed by a birdie four at the long 16th to post 73, three-over for the day.
Charlie was joined in the hat by Scotland’s Niall Shiels-Donegan and Suffolk’s Tyler Weaver in the knockout. The Scot reached the semi-final to seal his place in Robertson’s Walker Cup team. Weaver knocked out fellow Scot Connor Graham in the second round.
GB&I Walker Cup team v USA (Cypress Point Sept 6&7) – England unless otherwise stated:–
Cameron Adam (Royal Burgess) Scot; Eliot Baker (Tiverton); Dominic Clemons (Gog Magog); Charlie Forster (Basingstoke); Connor Graham (Blairgowrie) Scot; Stuart Grehan (County Louth) Ire; Luke Poulter (Woburn); Niall Shiels-Donegan (Meadow Club) Scot; Gavin Tiernan (County Louth) Ire; Tyler Weaver (Bury St Edmunds).
•The other Hampshire players who played in the Walker Cup were:
1963 Stuart Murray (North Hants); 1987 Bobby Eggo (L’Ancresse); 1997 Justin Rose (North Hants); 2009 Sam Hutsby (Lee-on-the-Solent); 2013 Neil Raymond (Corhampton); 2017 Harry Ellis (Meon Valley); Scott Gregory (Corhampton).