Nigel Edwards is man to captain GB&I in

2010 Walker Cup match at Balgownie

FROM THE GOLFWEEK.COM WEBSITE
By Alistair Tait
The R & A should take the first step now to try to win back the Walker Cup. They should appoint Welshman Nigel Edwards as Great Britain & Ireland captain for the 2011 and 2013 matches.
Edwards, 40, is far and away the best available man for the job.
After three straight defeats, the R & A needs to start planning for the next match immediately. Another loss at Royal Aberdeen two years hence and some golf fans, especially American ones, might start referring to the match by its former nickname, the “Walkover Cup.”
That was the term coined when the U.S. used to turn up every two years and win without breaking a sweat.
Fortunately, the match has been fairly competitive since 1995 when GB&I defeated the Tiger Woods-led U.S. team at Porthcawl. From 2003-07 only one point separated the teams. This year the gap grew to seven points.
I think this year’s match was merely a one off. Buddy Marucci’s team was the better side, but they weren’t seven points better than GB&I.
GB&I captain Colin Dalgleish deserves no condemnation. He couldn’t have taken a better GB&I team to Merion. They were the 10 best players in the British Isles. They just didn’t deliver.
Dalgleish prepared well and the team had lots of chemistry, but it just didn’t happen for him. That’s too bad, because he deserved at least one win from his two terms as captain.
Hopefully Nigel Edwards will not suffer the same fate.
Edwards ticks all the right boxes as GB&I captain. He played in four consecutive matches from 2001-07, compiling a 4-5-3 won, lost and tied record. He still plays top-flight amateur golf and so will be playing with potential team members on a regular basis. He is heavily involved with amateur golf in his role as director of player development and coaching for the Golf Union of Wales.
Edwards is not only the right man, he’s the right man at the right time. The Walker Cup is a joint effort between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and the captaincy is shared around the four countries. Edwards is the perfect politically correct choice since a Welshman is next in line to captain the GB&I team. Dalgleish (Scotland), Garth McGimpsey (Northern Ireland) and Peter McEvoy are the last three captains.
It seems nothing stands in Edwards’ way. The only slight hitch is that he might still want to play in the next match. That’s fair enough, but there’s an easy solution. The R & A should appoint him as captain, but name an assistant captain at the same time. Then if the Walker Cup selection committee considers it would be better for Edwards to play, the assistant captain can take over and Edwards can act as vice-captain.
I’ve been impressed over the years with the way Edwards deals with the young Welsh players. He has much experience in man management from his role for the WGU. He will be a good motivator for the next Walker Cup team. More importantly, the players will have respect for him because of his playing record.
Edwards is my man. The R & A should make him theirs.