SGU NAME FOUR FOR NATIONS CUP

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SGU NAME FOUR FOR EUROPEAN NATIONS CUP

Scottish Golf Performance Manager Steve Paulding says the nation's home-based leading amateurs have a chance to 'put down a marker' when they compete in next month's European Nations Cup.

The annual event, formerly known as The Sherry Cup, takes place in Sotogrande, Spain from March 5 to 8 with SGU National Coach Ian Rae leading a four-man Scotland team.

Kilmarnock Barassie's Jack McDonald, the SGU 2013 Men's Order of Merit winner, and Graeme Robertson of Glenbervie retain their places from last year, with Scottish Boys champion Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) and Dollar's Scott Borrowman (pictured) joining them.

The quartet were part of the Scotland side who finished runners-up at last summer's European Team Championship and will now seek to go one better in Malaga.

Robertson and Neil are returning early from their stint with the SGU Squad in South Africa to play in the Nations Cup.

With the World Amateur Team Championship taking place in Japan in September, places in the Scotland side are up for grabs.

While US-based players like Grant Forrest, Ewan Scott and James Ross will hope to feature, Paulding says the home-based quartet heading for the Nations Cup can make an early impression.

He said: "We have two groups of players in contention for places in our European and Eisenhower teams – those based at home who have been able to access our training camps in the UAE and South Africa, and those based in college in the US.

"This is a chance for those home-based players to lay their first marker down in top European competition. We have a mixture of youth and experience, with all the players showing good progress over the winter, and I expect the team to perform well."

The Scots are aiming to emulate the success of countrymen Scott Henry, Callum Macaulay, Wallace Booth and Keir McNicoll who triumphed in the Nations Cup in 2008.

As well as Scotland's success in the team competition in 2008, Andrew McArthur and Richie Ramsay finished joint-second in the individual standings in 2005. Previous individual winners include Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Francesco Molinari and Shane Lowry to prove the event is a breeding ground for future professional stars.

Scotland team for The European Nations Cup (club/age in brackets)

• Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 27
• Bradley Neil (Blairgowrie) 18
• Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) 20
• Graeme Robertson (Glenbervie) 25