AMERICANS GET DOWN TO WORK
EARLY FOR 2007 WALKER CUP
MATCH AT ROYAL CO DOWN
The Americans are beginning their preparations early for the Walker Cup match at Royal County Down, Northern Ireland on September 8 and 9.
A total of 24 players have been invited by the United States Golf Association to take part in a three-day practice session from January 3 to 5 at Old Memorial Golf Club in Tampa, Florida.
Top names in the squad are Trip Kuehne, Chris Kirk and Jonathan Moore who represented the United States in the Eisenhower Trophy world team champioinship in South Africa in October. Webb Simpson was an original selection for that team but had to withdraw with an injury. He will be showing up at the Tampa get-together.
Simpson, Moore, Kirk and Kuehne are Nos. 1-4 respectively in the Golfweek/Titleist Amateur Rankings.
The top eight Americans in the Golfweek rankings were invited. Dustin Johnson (7), Carlton Forrester (9), Colt Knost and Billy Horschel (joint 13th) complete that group.
Rickie Fowler, Philip Francis, Ben Fox, Brian Harman, John Kelly, Kevin Marsh, David May, Mike McCoy, Jon McLean, Alex Prugh, Kyle Stanley, Matthew Swan, Cameron Tringale, Kevin Tway, David Womack and Gary Woodland were also invited.
Patrick Nagle is recovering from a hand injury and had to decline his invitation.
"I think we have a good mix of players," said United States Walker Cup team captain Buddy Marucci, pictured above.
"But even though this group will take part in the session, it by far doesn't mean someone couldn't come out next year and play their way on the team. If fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened."
Sixteen collegiate players, five mid-amateurs (Forrester McCoy, Kuehne, Marsh and Womack, the reigning U.S. Mid-Am champion), and three high school seniors (Fowler, Tway and Francis) were invited.
Only two of the big preliminary squad have played in a Walker Cup match. Kuehne played on the 1995 and 2003 teams. Harman played in 2005 when the Americans ended GB&I's three-match win streak with a 12 1/2-11 1/2 victory at the Chicago Golf Club.
Marucci, who played in two Walker Cups, is in his first stint as captain. He takes over from Bob Lewis, jun., who captained the previous two United States teams.
"I'll probably do something similar to what Bobby did," Marucci said about the practice session.
GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER
"We'll have a dinner and meeting the first night (January 2) to let everyone get to know each other better. I'll tell them what I expect of them and what I expect them to do over the next six or seven months.
"The main thing is for everyone to feel comfortable around me and each other. I want to make it an open thing and try to put everyone at ease."
Marucci said he would probably divide the 24 into two squads, playing 36 holes each the first two days and 18 the last day, concentrating heavily on foursomes play with some singles mixed in.
"I want to see their strengths and weaknesses and see how players interact with other players," Marucci said. "To me, team chemistry is just as important as a good golf game in a competition like the Walker Cup."
United States lead the Walker Cup series 32-7-1, but GB&I have a 5-4 edge since 1989. The Americans last won on foreign soil in 1991 when the Walker Cup was held for the first time ever in Ireland at Portmarnock, near Dublin.
Royal County Down Golf Club, a classic links course, is about 30 miles south of Belfast on the Northern Ireland coastline.

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