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Great Britain and Ireland’s leading amateur golfers are hoping to make home advantage count this weekend as they seek to win the Walker Cup against the United States for the first time since 2015.
There could be no more iconic venue for the historic match than the Old Course at St Andrews. The contest marks 100 years since the contest was first played in the United Kingdom.
The 1923 the match was also played at the home of golf and the US celebrated a narrow 6½-5½ victory. This time the rankings suggest a more convincing outcome for the visitors.
Gordon Sargent is the world’s best player from the game’s unpaid ranks. The big hitter from Alabama is the NCAA individual champion and earned a special invitation to this year’s Masters.
Sargent was also the low amateur at the US Open, where he finished just inside the top 40. He plays alongside the recently crowned US Amateur champion Nick Dunlap, who is fifth in the amateur rankings, one place behind team-mate David Ford.
But these giants are encountering the Old Course for the first time, while the home side has plenty of experience of this most venerable and revered links.
“The more you play the Old Course the more you learn,” GB&I captain Stuart Wilson told BBC Sport. “You find a different undulation or the wind is from a slightly different direction or you find a pin position you’ve not seen before.
“So the more times you can play it the better, without a doubt.”
Wilson is convinced putting will be a deciding factor. There will be four foursomes on Saturday morning followed by eight singles and then four more alternate shot contests on Sunday, prior to all 10 from each team facing off in the second singles session.
Prowess on the greens is always a valuable commodity, but especially on the vast putting surfaces at St Andrews.
“It’s a different prospect trying to get the ball close to the hole because of the size of the greens,” Wilson added.
“Quite often you play away from the flag. Everybody knows it is the guy that holes the most putts that walks away with the trophy.”
The US have won the trophy 38 times, with nine defeats and just one tied match. At Seminole in Florida two years ago the home side prevailed 14-12 and they are heavy favourites again this time.
“That’s been the piece over the last 101 years or whatever,” Wilson admitted. “But in more recent times home advantage has come into play more.
“And if you look at the stats across all sports home advantage is a massive thing to have in your bag. So we’ll definitely be trying to play on that and I’m sure St Andrews, Fife and Scotland will turn out for this.
“Hopefully that enthusiasm and energy will rub off on the team.”
The Americans do not lack motivation and appear inspired by the historic environs. Austin Greaser may have already turned pro had he not suffered a hand injury, but the prospect of playing this match was a key reason for delaying joining the paid ranks.
“It feels like I have the rest of my life to play professional golf,” said the 22-year-old.
“I had this one opportunity to be a part of a Walker Cup team. Not only that, but to do it at St Andrews on the almost birthday of the event.”
Greaser added: “I’m from a small itcy town in Ohio, and I’m not sure my dreams ever got to playing a Walker Cup at such a historic place.
“To be able to feel the nerves and the pressure and just the amazing opportunity to represent the United States of America, I don’t care how many or what holes I play, I just want to play.”
John Gough, 24, the younger brother of Conor who played in GB&I’s defeat at Royal Liverpool in 2019, is the home team’s highest ranked player at 13 in the world.
No fewer than nine of the US team are ranked higher, with the experienced Stewart Hagestad the lowest in the standings at 19 in the world.
GB&I are up against it, to say the least.
By Iain Carter
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