GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND TEAM ANNOUNCED 

FOR THE 2018 ST ANDREWS TROPHY

R and A NEWS RELEASE

The R and A today announced the Great Britain and Ireland team to face the Continent of Europe in the St Andrews Trophy match which will be played at Linna Golf, Finland on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 July.

A nine-player team comprising six Englishmen and three players from Ireland has been named for the 2018 match.

Scotland’s Craig Watson will continue as Captain 

of GB and I following the 12½-12½ tie in the last match 

played at Prince’s in Kent in 2016.

“We have selected a talented and exciting team for this 

match, knowing that the Continent of Europe players will be 

extremely strong.” said Watson.

Ireland’s Robin Dawson cemented his place in the team by 

winning the Irish Amateur Open Championship and finishing 

runner-up in The Amateur Championship and also in the 

European Amateur Championship.

He is joined by fellow Irishmen John Murphy and Conor 

Purcell. Last month Murphy won the St Andrews Links 

Trophy and was a quarter-finalist in The Amateur 

Championship.  Purcell, son of PGA Professional Joey, was 

a semi-finalist.

England’s Matthew Jordan, who played for GB and I in the 

2017 Walker Cup match at Los Angeles Country Club and 

who captured the Lytham Trophy with a nine-shot victory in 

May, is the highest ranked member of the team at number 

five in the World Amateur Golf Ranking™.

He is joined in the team by compatriots Todd Clements, 

David Hague, Gian-Marco Petrozzi, Nick Poppleton and 

Mitch Waite who combined to finish runners-up to Finland in 

last week’s European Amateur Team Championship in 

Germany. Clements, Hague and Petrozzi also featured for England in their victorious 2018 European Nations Cup team, with Clements winning the stroke play event.

Poppleton won the Brabazon Trophy while Petrozzi was the leading player in last week’s European Amateur Team Championship stroke play qualifying rounds.

Waite forced his way into contention after top five finishes in 

the Hampshire Salver, Lytham Trophy and the European 

Amateur Championship and was also a semi-finalist in last 

month’s Amateur Championship.

The Great Britain and Ireland team for the 2018 St Andrews Trophy is:

Todd Clements, 21, Braintree, England	Gian-Marco Petrozzi, 21, Trentham, England
Robin Dawson, 22, Tramore, Ireland	Nick Poppleton, 24, Wath, England
David Hague, 21, Malton and Norton, England	Conor Purcell, 21, Portmarnock, Ireland
Matthew Jordan, 22, Royal Liverpool, England	Mitch Waite, 23, Filton, England
John Murphy, 20, Kinsale, Ireland

Captain:

Craig Watson, 51, East Renfrewshire, Scotland

Reserves:

1. Andrew Wilson, 24, Darlington, England
2. Euan Walker, 22, Kilmarnock (Barassie), Scotland