Byrne and Stewart but no Law in next week's GB and I Walker Cup practice

 By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Colin@scottishgolfview.com

Walker Cup captain Nigel Edwards will be bringing a squad of 18 players to Royal Aberdeen Golf Club next week for three days’ practice over the venue for the Walker Cup match against the United States on September 10 and 11.

Compared with the squad who played in the first similar practice at the Balgownie links in May, James Byrne (Banchory), Alastair Jones (Radyr), Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) and Andrew Sullivan (Nuneaton) will be added while David Law (Hazlehead) and Irishman Dermot McElroy have not been invited this time round.

“It’s disappointing,” said Law, pictured, who won the Scottish boys championship at Royal Aberdeen in 2009 and completed the double by winning the Scottish men’s amateur championship at Royal Troon later the same year.

David realises his chance of making the Walker Cup team of 10 – to be announced on August 15 have all but gone. He would need to win the Scottish amateur championship again – at Western Gailes from July 25 to 30 – to have any chance of selection.

Byrne and Jones missed the May practice because they were attending US colleges.

Sullivan, who went on to win the Scottish stroke-play at Blairgowrie, and British amateur championship finalist Stewart were both injured at the time.

“The GB and I team is supposed to be announced on August 15 but one place has to be kept open should the winner of the United States amateur championship – to be played at Erin Hills, Wisconsiion from August 22 to 28 – be eligible to play for us in the Walker Cup match,” said skipper Edwards.

Edwards would welcome spectators at next week’s practice session for which he will again arrange a competitive format.

“We won’t be doing much on the Tuesday, but, yes, I would be delighted if spectators came along on Wednesday and Thursday to watch the potential GB and I Walker Cup team going through their paces at the match venue,” he said.

There will be no admission charge to the Balgownie practice and car parking will also be free.

Tickets for the Walker Cup match itself in September will cost £25 each day for an adult and £10 each day for a juvenile. But car parking will be free.

The 18 players assembling next week at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club with Nigel Edwards wioll be:

Tom Lewis, Paul Cutler, Jack Senior, Steven Brown, Rhys Pugh, Kevin Phelan, Kris Nicol, Stiggy Hodgson, Tyrrell Hatton, Rhys Enoch, Ross Kellett, Oliver Farr, Darren Wright, Alan Dunbar, Michael Stewart, Andrew Sullivan, James Byrne and Alastair Jones.

+To purchase tickets for the GB and I v USA Walker Cup match at Royal Aberdeen GC on Saturday-Sunday, September 10-11, log on to the R and A website, www.randa.org