BYRNE, STEWART ONLY SCOTS IN GB AND I WALKER CUP LINE-UP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A

The R and A has announced the Great Britain and Ireland team for the Walker Cup, being played at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. The team will face the United States of America over Saturday and Sunday, September and 11.

Nigel Edwards, Captain of the GB and I team said, “I’m very pleased with the team that has been selected and I’m sure a number of players will be disappointed to miss out.

“These players represent the strongest group of amateur golfers that GB and I has to offer and I believe that we will do very well at Royal Aberdeen”.

TEAM

Steven Brown, 24, Wentworth

James Byrne, 22, Banchory

Paul Cutler, 22, Portstewart

Alan Dunbar, 21, Rathmore

Stiggy Hodgson, 21, Sunningdale

Tom Lewis, 20, Welwyn Garden City

Rhys Pugh, 17, Vale of Glamorgan

Jack Senior, 23, Heysham

Michael Stewart, 21, Troon Welbeck

Andy Sullivan, 24, Nuneaton

RESERVES

David Law, 20, Hazelhead

Ross Kellett, 23, Colville Park

CAPTAIN

Nigel Edwards, 43, Whitchurch (Cardiff)

PEN PICTURES OF THE GB AND I TEAM

Steven Brown, 24, Wentworth, England

Brown made a late burst to get in the team with victory in the EnglisAmateur Championship at Woburn. He also finished runner-up in the European Amateur Championship, losing the title in a three-hole playoff. He was third leading qualifier in this year’s Amateur Championship, and runner-up in the Scottish Stroke Play Championship.

James Byrne, 22, Banchory, Scotland

Byrne spent four years at Arizona State University. He was runner-up in last year’s Amateur Championship. He reached the semi-finals of this year’s Scottish Amateur Championship, and played well in the European Team Championships in Portugal, where he was undefeated. Local knowledge should help Byrne. He lives near Royal Aberdeen and knows the course well.

Paul Cutler, 22, Portstewart, Ireland

Cutler learnt the game on the links of Portstewart Golf Club, not far from Royal Portrush. Cutler first made a serious bid to be part of the team when he won last year’s Lytham Trophy. He won this year’s Irish Amateur Closed and West of Ireland Championships. He also played well in this year’s Irish Open on the European Tour, finishing 21st.

Alan Dunbar, 21, Rathmore, Ireland

Dunbar was a double winner last year when he won the Irish Amateur Open and the North of Ireland Amateur championships. His best finishes this season are second place in the Brabazon Trophy and runner-up in the West of Ireland Championship. He also had top 10 finishes in the Irish Amateur Open Championship (T9) and the East of Ireland Championship (T6).

Stiggy Hodgson, 21, Sunningdale, England

Hodgson is the only remaining GB&I player from the 2009 team at Merion. The diminutive Englishman was the star of the GB&I team then, winning two points out of four. He began this year by reaching the final of the Spanish Amateur. He finished fourth in the European Amateur Championship, reached the last 16 of the English Amateur and was fifth in the Brabazon Trophy.

Tom Lewis, 20, Welwyn Garden City, England

Lewis announced himself to the world of golf at Royal St George’s this July when he became the first amateur since Sir Michael Bonallack in 1968 to lead The Open Championship. Lewis compiled an opening 65 to share the lead with Thomas Bjorn, and went on to finish joint 30th to take the silver medal as leading amateur. He won the St Andrews Links Trophy in June. He finished 59th in the Dubai Desert Classic, his first European Tour event. He ended the 2010 season with two outstanding performances on the Australasian Tour, finishing 12th in the Australian Open and losing a playoff to Peter O’Malley in the New South Wales Open.

Rhys Pugh, 17, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

Pugh is the youngest member of the team and the first Welshman to appear in the Walker Cup since Rhys Davies and Nigel Edwards in 2007. Pugh won the Peter McEvoy Trophy and Fairhaven Trophy last year and captained the GB and I Boys team at the Jacques Leglise Trophy. He holds the record as youngest player to represent Wales, an honour he achieved as a 15-year-old in the 2009 Home Internationals. He won this year’s Irish Amateur Open Championship, reached the final of the Welsh Amateur, and will attend East Tennessee State University.

Jack Senior, 23, Heysham, England

Senior won this year’s Lytham Trophy in appalling weather conditions, so he should be able to handle the wind that often sweeps over Royal Aberdeen. He began the season by winning the New South Wales Amateur Championship in Australia. Last year he won the South of England Championship. His regular foursomes partner in the England setup is Andrew Sullivan, and GB&I captain Nigel Edwards might look to the two Englishman as a possible pairing.

Michael Stewart, 21, Troon Welbeck, Scotland

Stewart underlined his match play credentials by reaching the final of this year’s Amateur Championship. He started the season by winning the South African Amateur Championship. He was a finalist in last year’s Scottish Amateur and is a former Scottish Boys champion. Stewart attended East Tennessee State University for two years and won two tournaments on the US college circuit.

Andy Sullivan, 24, Nuneaton, England

Sullivan won this year’s Scottish Stroke Play Championship. He finished 6th in the St Andrews Links Trophy and second in the Brabazon Trophy. He was the top English points earner in the recent Home Internationals, winning five matches with just one loss to help England win. Last year he won the 2010 Midland Amateur Championship, the Lagonda Trophy and the Hampshire Salver.

+James Byrne is the seventh player from Aberdeen and farther North to be chosen for a Walker Cup match.

His predecessors were:

1955 and 1961 Major David Blair (Nairn).

1967 Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) 

1971-73-75 Hugh Stuart (Forres).

1997 Steven Young (Inverallochy).

2003 Graham Gordon (Newmachar).

2005 Richie Ramsay (Royal Aberdeen).