Walker Cup squad make three-day trip
to Merion, venue for September 2009

FROM THE R&A WEBSITE
With less than a year to go before the next Walker Cup match, the preparations of the Great Britain & Ireland team are already well underway, and the preliminary GB&I squad recently made a trip to the 2009 venue to get a feel for what awaits them.
Nine of Britain and Ireland's best amateur golfers made the trip to Merion, in the town of Ardmore, Pennsylvania: Tom Sherreard, Dale Whitnell, Shane Lowry, Paul Cutler, Steven Uzzell, Matthew Haines, Tommy Fleetwood, Sam Hutsby and Luke Goddard.
All played a total of 72 holes during the three-day trip on from September 9 to 11, which was intentionally timed to be almost a year to the day before the next biennial clash with the Americans.
"Coming exactly a year beforehand was always the plan," said Rhodri Price, the GB&I team manager. "It really helps all the players familiarise themselves both with the course itself and the climate that they are likely to face during next year's match."
The Walker Cup takes place at Merion on 12th and 13th September 2009, and with the last three matches all being decided by just a single point the event will, once again, be the most eagerly-awaited date in amateur golf's calendar..