OLIVIA McMILLAN: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is my great pleasure to be joined by the winning GB&I -- well, some of the winning GB&I Team. Of course, Captain Dean Robertson. We've got Josh Hill and Stuart Grehan.
Dean, can you just summarize the day, the moment, how you're all feeling?
DEAN ROBERTSON: We are so elated. It's hardly -- we're hardly able to put it into words. There's a lot of emotion, a lot of happy tears. But pride, pride is the word I would use to describe, yeah.
Q. Hi, Dean. You had all the training camp, and people came over to the South of Ireland and practiced, and that was all in terrible weather. Then this morning, it was terrible weather and it didn't go great. But to what extent was all those experiences beforehand? They weren't just building ability in bad weather that came to the fore in the afternoon, but also the resilience that was clear this afternoon, were those sort of things being built as well as just bad weather experience?
DEAN ROBERTSON: There's most definitely a belief in the players, and even though we were swept 4-0 this morning, there wasn't a despondency. The American team were outstanding this morning. The quality of the golf was sensational. It really was, and you've really just got to tip your cap and say well played.
I believe they were 16-under par, and the wind was blowing hard. But when we came in at lunch time, I had to change the order and we had to bring some energy so that we could feed off of that.
And my man on my right-hand side, he brought the energy, and Luke Poulter, Jack Whaley, Tyler Weaver. They kind of started to kind of grow from there. And then this man here produced a Matt Fitzpatrick bunker shot at the last and holed it, and we've got the Walker Cup.
(Laughter.)
Q. My second one was kind of like to spin off that. When I think about you over the last two years, I've seen you so many times at the top of dunes with your little backpack and your binoculars and thinking and sort of plotting and caring about this. I wanted to know, all those two years that have taken so long, when you've actually had these two days, do they go really fast? You just said actually that you've been able to make decisions ahead of the singles, but were you able to keep your mind focused so that thing didn't fly past you, you were able to make those decisions?
DEAN ROBERTSON: That was one message I had to the team this week, Matt, was to walk slowly to take it all in because it's going to pass in a flash. It did pass in a flash.
But the last two years also passed in a flash, but those countless hours walking the top amateur events was getting to know these players in depth, getting to know them as individuals, but getting to know their games and their skill sets. And that's when we came together and we really kind of galvanized in our training and certain areas -- we knew the examination of Lahinch.
Cypress Point was harder, but this one we knew. The boys have delivered, and it's just -- I am incredibly proud of each and every one of them.
Q. Firstly, guys, just huge congratulations. What a great day. My question is actually about energy, something we're not too sure it's on next door, I think. Can you actually talk to how the energy of today kind of ebbed and flowed? What started in the morning and then essentially coming back from a deficit that I don't think anyone in this room expected to be writing about come this evening. I guess you're all playing at different points in the day. How did the energy sort of flow?
DEAN ROBERTSON: Most definitely the energy was taken out of our sails by the fantastic performance of the U.S. Team this morning. To lose 4-0 really put us behind the eight ball, and it was imperative that it was on Stuart. Stuart was game No. 1. It's very difficult as a captain of the Walker Cup to really have influence or get a rhythm of any of the matches if you're being here, there, and everywhere because you just become a supporter.
So yesterday I chose -- I went with Jack Whaley 18 holes, and you're right there, you're almost -- you're in his bubble. You're feeling the shots. You're understanding the way the golf course is playing and you're not making decisions for them, but you're making sure that he's clear in the decisions he's making and being committed.
And today rather than standing on the 1st tee and becoming all -- you know, you're not doing anything but just wishing the players well as they go, and then before you know it, the first game is on the 9th hole or the 7th hole. My job today was to be with Stuart, to be by his side and to support him and to have his back.
He went out there, and yesterday he was 3-down early. This afternoon he was 2-down early, but he showed grit. He showed character. He showed tenacity, and he brought what was required, which was the 11th man, the Irish crowd, and that energy was fed by it.
But Luke Poulter and Jack Whaley played a part in that as well because I was telling Stuart -- Stuart is 2-down, and I'm saying, these guys will do it behind you. You need to bring the energy, Stuart, come on. And he did. Literally, that was it.
STUART GREHAN: You're not lying. I suppose from my perspective I was very flat this morning. I don't know if that was the team from yesterday kind of boiling over, and I just couldn't get over it.
But this afternoon, as Dean kind of said, he got me going. After the start, he kind of give me a few words -- I won't say what they were, but kind of after the 5th and 6th hole I played some really good golf. So I'm very proud of myself.
Q. Stuart, you've had a fantastic year and a great two years generally since you've come back to the amateur game. Would you say that today or this afternoon particularly is the best you've ever had on a golf course? And if it is, it's not often it starts off with a duff pitch and a shanked bunker shot.
STUART GREHAN: Thanks for bringing that up. That's great. Yeah, it's definitely the highlight of my golf career to be honest. Individual titles are great, but to win as a team on the biggest stage you could do it really, it's amazing.
I'm just so happy for everyone involved -- the background staff, the players. But I'm just so happy for Dean for all the time and effort he's put in and everything he's been through this year. I'm just absolutely delighted for him, to be honest.
Q. Josh, my question is for you about the 18th hole. How aware were you of the moment? Silly question, but how were the nerves? What's your mindset like in that situation where it is -- it's a match play, it's a playoff for the Walker Cup and you know you've got to hit a bunker shot plus you know you've got to hole the putt. What's going through your mind?
JOSH HILL: I obviously knew we were still in it after seeing the scoreboard on the 18 tee, and Jack and Sam came up to me and gave me some hype.
Then hit a good drive down there; hit a pretty good second shot. It was close to being really good. Then obviously knew at that point because there was a big cheer from Connor after he halved his match, I guess. So I knew it was all down to me.
But I didn't know if I needed a half point or a full point. So I got up there and Dean came up to me by the bunker, and I asked him, do I need a half point or a full point? He said a full point, so I was like, all right, let's step up and hit a golf shot, and I hit a golf shot.
I was kind of walking through the crowd hoping that it was good, but it obviously wasn't, but it was nice to hole the putt and have that winning moment.
Q. Just wondering if you could speak to -- this is a tremendous accomplishment for your team, but also can you speak to what this means for the Walker Cup as a whole to prevail for the first time since 2015, maybe restore a little bit of balance between GB&I and the United States teams, and what this could mean for the future of the Walker Cup?
DEAN ROBERTSON: That's a very good question. There's no denying that the talent that's been on display the last two years that I've witnessed is just absolutely spectacular, and having played the game on a good level and played with some really good players in my career, these kids now are ready. They are too ready.
So in order to compete you need to match that, and that takes an inordinate amount of work. Where it goes from here I don't know, but that's exactly what's required.
Q. Josh, you entered this Walker Cup as, I think, the lowest ranked player in World Amateur Golf Ranking, and you're leaving as a Walker Cup legend. I know it's about two hours into it, but how do you think this will carry you through the rest of your golf career? What has this meant to you where your name is stamped in history now, in Walker Cup lore forever?
JOSH HILL: It's obviously an honour to be in Walker Cup history. I think from the lowest ranked in the field point of view, I didn't really care about that. I had full confidence in myself.
I feel like I underachieved a lot in college, and that only just drove me to prove my worth this week. Hopefully I proved my worth this week.
Q. Josh, just to follow up on the bunker shot, if he had told you you just needed a half point, would you have played it differently than you did?
JOSH HILL: No.
Q. Just checking.
(Laughter.)
Dean, Josh was essentially the lowest ranked player, but you picked him and essentially over a player from Ireland. Could you imagine it would come down to him, and what was it about Josh that made him special to you? Was it his play in the South of Ireland or something deeper than that?
DEAN ROBERTSON: No. The South of Ireland most definitely cemented my thoughts. When I spoke to his coach at Tennessee, Brennan, who was the coach for the Palmer Cup team, I'd done a lot of -- I spoke to a lot of the coaches, and I knew he had a desire to come and be a part of the Walker Cup.
He went from La Costa all the way to St Andrews to play in the St Andrews links, upside down in terms of time. Watched some of the amateur championship, and we came and had a training camp here just prior to the South of Ireland.
Josh's personality was huge. What he brings to a team environment was huge. But then Josh was the outstanding performer in our training camp, and he was the outstanding performer in some really challenging conditions. I know that he lost to another fantastic golfer in David Howard in the quarterfinals of the South, but that made my mind up. Josh was -- he was on my team.
OLIVIA McMILLAN: We'll have the rest of the team join us, and then we'll have a couple more questions.
(Cheers.)
Q. Just a quick one for Dean. I know you're very proud of the 1999 Italian Open --
PLAYERS: Fifth major!
Q. In terms of satisfaction, where does this stand?
DEAN ROBERTSON: Absolutely supersedes everything. This is incredible.
Q. Quick question for Luke. Well, the paper boy. You might have become a man today. You've been around so many great moments with your dad. You've had some yourself. Did he say that this topped Medinah?
LUKE POULTER: I don't know, Medinah is his little thing, but this is my thing now.
(Applause.)
PLAYERS FROM THE FLOOR: The boys made this one up, but the Legend of Lahinch.
JOSH HILL: I think it's better than Medinah.
Q. Stuart, as the elder statesman of the team, Dean, there's a method to the madness, long itineraries and the practice games and all the planning and everything. What do you think his legacy is as a Walker Cup captain?
STUART GREHAN: His legacy? Geez. He's only the tenth GB&I captain to do it, isn't he? That says everything. But I suppose his preparation, I've always said it, over the last two years -- not even this year, last year as well -- it was just incredible to get us as mentally prepared as possible, physically prepared as possible.
As I said later on, I'm just so happy for him, the amount of time that him and his background staff put in. I'm just so, so chuffed for him. But he's going to be a legend forever, isn't he?
Q. Lads, a lot is made in sport of when a team comes from behind of what happened during halftime. Can you guys take us into the team room?
PLAYERS: The team room!
Q. We just heard the celebrations there, but what was going on after the morning session? Josh, why don't you take us into the team room there.
STUART GREHAN: I'll just jump in there. I was nearly asleep after that. I was so deflated. I have to say the lads came in -- in fairness, I think Tyler might have said, we're still in this. Once the tunes got going, I was like F it.
JOSH HILL: Luke jumps on the aux, and that was it. We're like we're beating these American boys. We're beating them.
Q. I was going to say, Josh, you quickly said afterward that the beats went on. Luke, what song do you use to try to get the spirit going back there?
LUKE POULTER: I think the first song I picked was Wonderwall.
OLIVIA McMILLAN: Gentlemen, thank you.
PLAYERS: (Singing Wonderwall).
OLIVIA McMILLAN: Thank you so much for all the memories this week, and enjoy your celebrations this evening.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports