Saturday, September 25, 2010

Interview with Welshman who will be GB and I captain for Royal Aberdeen match

Walker Cup captain Nigel Edwards on caddie duties as the Welsh Golf Union's full-time director of player development over his home course at Whitchurch GC, Cardiff in the Women's Home Internationals earlioer this month. Katie Bradbury is the Welsh player on the left (Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

A European Walker Cup team would be weaker,

not stronger - says 2011 captain Nigel Edwards

EXCLUSIVE By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Nigel Edwards, captain of the Great Britain and Ireland for the Walker Cup match at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club next September, could have passed for a human version of the mythical Welsh Red Dragon when I had the audacity to suggest to him - on our very first meeting - at the recent Women's Home Internationals at his home club, Whitchurch in Cardiff, that the time was coming when the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup matches would follow the example of the Ryder Cup in the late 1970s and become Europe rather than GB and I against the United States.
"After all," I said to the 41-year-old man who played in the 2001-03-05-07 Walker Cup matches and won four and drew three of his 12 games and was still ranked just outside the top 100 amateurs in the world until fairly recently, "like the women, the best male amateurs in the whole of Europe are now on the Continent.
"Romain Wattel (France) is No 3 and Andrea Pavan (Italy) No 5 in the World Amateur Rankings with Ireland's Paul Cutler and Scotland's James Byrne the best of our bunch at No 19 and 20 - and the Continent of Europe beat the GB and I team (captained by Edwards) 14-10 in Italy a few weeks back in the biennial St Andrews Trophy match.
"On top of that, the United States won last year's Walker Cup match by the comprehensive margin of 16 1/2-9 1/2 at Merion, Pennsylvania."
I was taking a big chance that Nigel would either turn on his heel and walk away or land a right hook to my chin because GB and I won the Walker Cup matches of  1999 (at Nairn), 2001 (at Sea Island) and 2003 (at Ganton) and were very narrow losers of the 2005 (Chicago) and 2007 (Royal Co Down)  matches - and he played in the last four of these encounters!
But it's often the silliest of questions that draw out the best answers and I was not disappointed with Nigel Edward's response once he had stopped snorting fire and brimstone down his nostrils!
"That's nonsense and you know it," he said. "I wouldn't waste my time arguing about whether or not it should be a European team in the Walker Cup but I can tell you that it would be a weaker team if that happened because the European Golf Association would pick it and it would not be done on merit.
"To keep all the member countries happy, it would be two players from Germany, two from France, two from Spain, two from GB and I, and so on.
"What I would rather spend time on is debating or finding out the reason why the GB and I team were a collective 64 over par in last year's Walker Cup match in the States.
"I don't know the answer to that because I wasn't there but it might help me if I did.
"My goal is to win back the Walker Cup at Royal Aberdeen and I will lead the team with great pride and enthusiasm.
"I will put all of my Walker Cup experience to good use in ensuring that the team selected prepares well and performs to the very best of its ability.

"The Walker Cup is a great sporting spectacle that conjures up moments and experiences that will live with players for their entire careers and I am really excited about continuing my involvement with the match."

Edwards is the Director of Player Development and Coaching at the Golf Union of Wales, taking responsibility for directing player development and managing the provision of coaching for elite players and national teams.
in the course of his distinguished playing career, Edwards has held nine amateur course records, including those of Royal Lytham and St Annes and the New and Jubilee courses at St Andrews.



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