SAM Hutsby will become the first Hampshire-born player to represent Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup when they take on the United States on one of America's most historic courses, Merion, in Philadelphia, next month.

The Liphook Golf Club member was named by the R&A selectors on Monday in the squad of 10 players who will travel to the States trying to arrest a run of back-to-back defeats for GB&I.

Hook's Justin Rose was the last player from Hampshire to appear in the Walker Cup, back in 1997 – when having just turned 17 the South African-born teenager became the youngest player to appear in the biennial contest.

The 42nd Walker Cup will see Hutsby bow out of the amateur game, having reached the pinnacle by playing in the amateurs' equivalent of the Ryder Cup.

A delighted Hutsby said after hearing of his selection: "It's fantastic. It was always something I wanted to play in. Even as a young lad it was like the Ryder Cup to me.

"It felt like so far out of reach when I started, but when I won the Spanish Amateur in 2006, I knew I could win against the men.

"I thought I could do it – now four years later I'm there. It's a fantastic way to sign off my amateur career. Walker Cup status is a massive thing and great to have on your CV. You know you've reached the pinnacle of amateur golf."

The England number one all but secured his selection with a storming performance at the British Amateur Championship at Formby in June, only to lose in the final to the 16-year-old Italian sensation Matteo Manassero.

The latter is the only European amateur ranked higher than the Englishman in the R&A official world amateur rankings.

"It hasn't really sunk in to be honest. The build-up is going to be awesome. I'm going to enjoy every minute of it," added Hutsby.

The squad will head to Valderrama on Spain's Costa del Sol next week for a squad get-together before the Walker Cup takes place on September 12-13.

The only other two Hampshire-based players to have appeared in the Walker Cup were both soldiers stationed at Aldershot, who played at the town's Army Golf Club.

Stewart Murray played in the 1963 contest at Turnberry, winning two out of a possible four points as the USA won 14-10, while Major David Blair played alongside Irish legend Joe Carr and Sunningdale's Gerald Micklem at St Andrews in the 10-2 defeat in 1955.

Blair featured again six years later in Seattle as GB&I were hammered 11-1 – despite the presence of Carr, Michael Bonallack and the Surrey trio of Michael Lunt, Doug Frame and Martin Christmas.