370: 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!Chapters0:00 Intro: Walker Cup broadcast schedule & preview8:20 Ryder Cowan joins: earning his Walker Cup spot10:20 Tying Jackson Koivun for low-amateur honors13:21 What Ryder learned studying Koivun's game19:09 Forgetting his golf balls before facing Miles Russell23:20 Beating Miles Russell & Walker Cup teammates28:39 Jack Whaley joins: US Am win & major exemptions29:49 Merion's brutal, back-loaded finish31:19 Wasp sting, a storm, and battling back36:00 Walker Cup matchups & English course roots39:10 FSU's pipeline, airport rankings & sign-off41:40 TJ Ford joins: his game & Lahinch's history43:50 Course design history: Old Tom Morris & MacKenzie45:44 Flyovers begin53:18 2019 Irish Open flashback: Rahm's 6256:55 MacKenzie's design philosophy & the toughest holes59:17 Lahinch's famous roaming goats & Jordan Spieth1:03:12 New clubhouse & TJ's prediction1:06:14 Walker Cup rosters & matchup breakdown1:12:09 Final score predictions#golf #pgatour #walkercup #lahinch #smylieshow #smyliekaufman