Walker Cup – Page 5

34. English Internationals Jamie Bower and Adam Chapman Turn Pro

2nd December 2016

Whilst to my knowledge no official announcement has been made yet Jamie Bower‘s exclusion from the England Men’s Squad clearly signalled that he will be turning pro imminently. [Jamie officially signed with Georgia Golf on 7th December].

Yorkshireman Bower had a great 2016 winning the Gauteng North Open Amateur (RSA), Southern Cape Open Amateur (RSA) and most notably the English Open Amateur Stroke Play (Brabazon Trophy). Jamie also reached the last 16 of the 2016 Amateur Championship.

Jamie Bower with the Brabazon Trophy (Photo: Leaderboard Photography)

Compatriot Adam Chapman made his pro debut yesterday on the Algarve Pro Tour.

In addition to many high finishes Cumbrian Chapman won a number of amateur events in recent years. These included the South of England Open Amateur in 2014 and the North of England Open Amateur in both 2014 and 2015. He reached the last 32 of the 2016 Amateur Championship having beaten Ireland’s highly rated Jack Hume in Rd 1.

Adam Chapman with the North of England Open Amateur Trophy (Photo: Driving PR)

Prior to being removed last weekend Jamie Bower and Adam Chapman were ranked 36th and 113th in the SPWAR. As of this week they still remain in the WAGR; ranked 12th and 370th respectively.

Both players, and clearly Bower was currently very well placed, would certainly have had a chance of making the GB&I Walker Cup team if they had remained amateur.

The list of GB&I amateurs that have turned pro in 2016 continues to grow.

ME.

33. USA Selects 2017 Walker Cup Practice Squad

29th November 2016

Yesterday the USGA announced a 16-man squad to attend a 2017 Walker Cup practice session at the Los Angeles Country Club between 14th-18th December 2016.

Tom Hough, Chairman of the USGA’s International Team Selection Committee, said “This practice session will provide Captain Miller the opportunity to get to know prospective members of his 2017 team in an informal setting at the venue that will host the competition.”

The 16 players invited are (in alphabetical order / rankings as at today’s date): –

Dawson ARMSTRONG (21) – Brentwood, Tennessee
Lipscomb University (Senior)
SPWAR 25 / WAGR 29

Sean CROCKER (20) – Westlake Village, California
University of Southern California (Junior)
SPWAR 12 / WAGR 14

Brad DALKE (20) – Norman, Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma (Sophomore)
SPWAR 51 / WAGR 119 – US Amateur Runner Up 2016

Doug GHIM (20) – Arlington Heights, Illinois
University of Texas (Junior)
SPWAR 2 / WAGR 32

Stewart HAGESTAD (25) – Newport Beach, Califonia
US Mid-Amateur – 2016 Champion
SPWAR 272 / WAGR 1,139

Gavin HALL (22) – Pittsford, New York
University of Texas (Senior)
SPWAR 11 / WAGR 19

Nick HARDY (20) – Northbrook, Illinois
University of Illinois (Junior)
SPWAR 20 / WAGR 31

Scott HARVEY (38) – Greensboro, North Carolina
US Mid-Amateur – Champion 2015 / Runner-Up 2016
SPWAR 62 / WAGR 60

Rico HOEY (21) – Rancho Cucamonga, California
University of Southern California (Senior)
SPWAR 10 / WAGR 24

Maverick MCNEALY (21) – Portola Valley, California
Stanford University (Senior)
SPWAR 4 / WAGR 1

Dylan MEYER (21) – Evansville, Indiana
University of Illinois (Junior)
SPWAR 8 / WAGR 9

Collin MORIKAWA (19) – La Cãnada, California
University of California (Sophomore)
SPWAR 3 / WAGR 16

John ODA (20) – Honolulu, Hawaii
University of Nevada – Las Vegas (Junior)
SPWAR 28 / WAGR 22

Scottie SCHEFFLER (20) – Dallas, Texas
University of Texas (Junior)
SPWAR 17 / WAGR 17

Jimmy STANGER (21) – Tampa, Florida
University of Virginia (Senior)
SPWAR 24 / WAGR 35

Will ZALATORIS (20) – Plano, Texas
Wake Forest University (Junior)
SPWAR 7 / WAGR 18

As always the USA look like having a very strong team on show in Los Angeles.

Scott Harvey and Maverick McNealy were both members of the USA’s 2015 Walker Cup team that lost at Royal Lytham & St. Annes so will bring some experience to the table if selected.

Those who follow this website will know that Harvey and Stewart Hagestad were the finalists in the 2016 US Mid-Amateur Championship and as such are very likely to be in the final team. [See this News Article for more information on this – 24. Stewart Hagestad Wins The 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship]

Two other squad selections stood out for me.

Sean Crocker up until very recently, when he secured US citizenship, played under the Zimbabwean flag where he was born and brought up. However he has never represented Zimbabwe in international competition.

The same can’t be said for Rico Hoey. I believe he was born in the USA but has dual citizenship in the Philippines. He represented the Philippines in both the 2012 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, where he finished 28th behind Guan Tianlang (remember him ?), and the 2013 South East Asia Team Championship, where the Philippines won the team prize and he finished third individually. I know this is only the Walker Cup but nevertheless I personally don’t like to see nationalities being used as a badge of convenience.

Finally, a quick glance down the SPWAR and WAGR rankings highlights the following notable selection absentees: –

Patrick MARTIN – SPWAR 16 / WAGR 53

Sam BURNS – SPWAR 26 / WAGR 49

Corey PEREIRA – SPWAR 41 / WAGR 15

Noah GOODWIN – SPWAR 183 / WAGR 7

These players and a number of others will now have to use their non-selection as motivation for a strong 2017 playing year. They can of course take heart from the fact that both Lee McCoy and Jordan Niebrugge ended up making the 2015 USA team without having attended the previous winter’s practice session.

ME.

31. Alfie Plant Fully Committed To The 2017 Walker Cup

13th November 2016

Englishman Alfie Plant has undoubtedly been one of the stars of the 2016 Great British and Irish amateur golf season.

The highlight of Alfie’s year was his 7-shot win in the prestigious Lytham Trophy in May, where he dominated a strong field in often poor conditions.

Alfie Plant – Winner Of The 2016 Lytham Trophy (Photo: Darren Plant)

However, it was his impressive performance in the Eisenhower Trophy in September, where he finished tied 3rd on -12 and led England to a best ever silver medal position, that perhaps emphasised just how important he maybe to our 2017 Walker Cup hopes.

Particularly as this came on the the back of two other solid team performances this year. Alfie earned his first Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) cap in The St. Andrews Trophy match against Europe and captained England against France at Formby.

England beat France 14-10 in May with Alfie picking up two wins and one half to be joint leading contributor. The St. Andrews Trophy match in July was halved, with the trophy retained, with Alfie delivering one of four all-important single wins on the final afternoon as GB&I staged a stirring comeback.

Something of a late developer in the modern era the 24 year old from Kent seems to be getting better, benefiting from more maturity and competitive experience in an extended stay in the amateur game.

Alfie currently sit’s 40th in the Scratch Players World Amateur Ranking and 52nd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. That places him 6th and 9th respectively in the GB&I-only lists.

In a recent interview with Steve Carroll in the November 2016 edition of the National Club Golfer magazine Alfie was clear as to his number 1 goal for 2017.

“I want to play in the Walker Cup. Everyone is fighting to get in the team but I am a little bit older than the rest and, hopefully, my experience will mean I can perform again next season to get out to LA.”

“After the Walker Cup I will be turning professional. I will be 25 and I think that’s a good age. I know a lot of people turn a lot younger and I am bit of a veteran out there but I have done my apprenticeship and I am on the right track.”

“The Walker Cup is the pinnacle of amateur golf. The coverage you get from it is brilliant and people who have played in it in the past are performing on the main tour.”

“I’ve been looking up the course in Beverley Hills and am getting excited about it. But it is a long season and I have still got to perform”.

The 2016 St. Andrews Trophy – Friends In High Places (Photo: Darren Plant)

Alfie clearly knows that at this early stage nothing can be taken for granted but he also knows he is playing better than ever and now delivering consistently in the big events.

I fully expect him to be a member of the GB&I Walker Cup team in 2017. In what will be a very challenging away match his “veteran” status will be a most welcome addition to the team.

ME.

30. Sam Horsfield Will Be Turning Pro In 2017…But When ?

In his End of Fall Season press conference University of Florida Coach JC Deacon confirmed that Sam Horsfield will be leaving College and turning professional at the end of the 2016/17 season.

Click the link in my tweet below to see the ‘unofficial announcement’: –

Watch Coach @realjcdeacon confirm that @hr59sam will definitely be leaving @GatorsGolf and turning Pro at the end of this season. (7.40>) https://t.co/jK4ZnCV1mV

— Amateur Golf Bible (@GolfBible) October 27, 2016

What is not clear at this stage is the timing of the move. Has Captain Craig Watson persuaded him to stay on until after the 2017 Walker Cup ? No is probably the answer with Sam almost certainly planning to turn pro after the NCAA Championships are concluded in late May.

Ranked No. 2 in the SPWAR and No. 3 in the WAGR at the time of writing one thing’s for sure if he doesn’t play the GB&I Team will be weaker for his absence, particularly with the match being played in the United States this time around.

ME.

29. Scott Gregory Targeting The Walker Cup

18th October 2016

The Amateur Champion, Scott Gregory, gave an interview to Sky Sports News at the British Masters last week.

In his third professional start after The Open Championship and The Bridgestone Challenge he confirmed that he was not looking to rush into the pro ranks after next year’s Major exemptions.

His Amateur Championship win at Royal Porthcawl will of course afford him invites to the 2017 Masters in April and US Open in June.

Scott Gregory (Photo: Andrew Griffin)

Talking about his future plans the 21 year old from Corhampton GC in Hampshire said: “I don’t feel I’m ready yet. For me to turn pro, I want to do it when I’m ready to compete. Obviously playing events like the British Masters gives me an idea. I’m just learning and getting better each day.”

Scott shot rounds of 74 and 69 at The Grove to finish tied 74th on +1. He missed the cut at his first European Tour event by 1-shot.

It was pleasing to hear him go on and say: “One of the events I’d love to play in is the Walker Cup, so I’m hoping to wait it out and play a nice season next year. It’s going to be a big year. I understand that I have to work hard and keep getting better. My objective now is just to keep winning as much as I can while I’m still an amateur and make the move professionally when I feel like it’s the right time.”

Given the recent number of players who have turned pro this will no doubt be music to the ears of Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) team captain Craig Watson. Watson will have pencilled in Scott after his St. Andrews Trophy contribution for GB&I and more recent role for silver medal winning England at the Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico.

Of course one strong performance in a US Major could change these plans but at least Scott is talking positively about hanging on until September 2017 at the moment.

[The quotes used above were first reported in an R&A article published on Global Golf Post on 17/10/16]

ME.

28. Jack Hume Turns Pro

3rd October 2016

Jack HUME today confirmed what everyone already knew – the man from Naas in Ireland was turning professional.

Having signed with International Sports Management (ISM) he will make his professional debut at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

He is the last of the ‘famous five’ Irish players who made the 2015 Great Britain & Ireland (GB&I) Walker Cup team to do so, following in the footsteps of Paul DUNNE, Gary HURLEY, Gavin MOYNIHAN and Cormac SHARVIN.

Jack won 1.5 points out of a possible 4 at the 2015 Walker Cup; he won his opening morning foursomes with Gavin Moynihan 3&2 against Mike McCoy and Lee McCoy and halved his final day singles with Robby Shelton.

All 10 of the 2015 GB&I Walker Cup team have now turned pro. Gavin MOYNIHAN and Jack MCDONALD also signed for ISM, Gavin straight after the Lytham match and Jack in March 2016.

Jack, who will turn 23 this coming Saturday, has been one of the world’s leading amateurs for the last few years. He made a superb start to 2016 winning both the South African Stroke Play Championship and the European Nations Cup. Results that made him an obvious choice for the inaugural Golf Bible Player of the Quarter award (for Quarter 1 2016).

He also starred for Europe in the Bonallack Trophy in March winning all four of his matches, played well for Ireland in the European’s Men’s Amateur Team Championship and was a leading contributor for GB&I in the retained (halved) St. Andrews Trophy match.

In his amateur swan song last week he helped Ireland to a best ever tied 3rd finish at the World Amateur Team Championship, finishing in a share of 11th in the Individual standings in Mexico.

Jack first came to prominence in 2010 still when he won all four boys provincial championships in Ireland, a feat never achieved before or since.

Jack will be looking for some invites on to the European Challenge Tour in the next few weeks before teeing it up at one of the European Tour’s Second Qualifying Stage events in Spain in early November.

He said: “It’s been a great year but I want to move to the next level and I can’t wait to turn professional. I’m really looking forward to the weeks and months ahead and testing myself.

“Joining ISM is a big part of it. They’ve helped a lot of players from the very start of their careers and that’s obviously a path I’m hoping to follow.”

ISM’s Chief Executive Officer Chubby Chandler said: “We’ve monitored Jack for a long, long time and he’s a player with a huge amount of potential.

“He’s got all of the ingredients and we’re excited about doing what we can to help him be the best he can be and really flourish.”

Good luck to Jack this week and in his future professional career.

ME.

24. Stewart Hagestad Wins The 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship

15th September 2016

Stewart HAGESTAD (25) today beat Scott HARVEY (38) on the 37th hole of a thrilling 2016 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship.

4 down with 5 holes to play the Californian amazingly birdied the 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th holes of the Tom Doak-designed Old Course at Stonewall GC in Pennsylvania. He then preceded to hole a 20 footer on the 9th, the first extra hole, to grab the title from a shell shocked Harvey.

Scott Harvey, who comes from North Carolina, had been the favourite going into the final, ranked 67th in the WAGR against Stewart Hagestad’s (perhaps understated) 1,873rd place. Harvey had achieved joint medalist honours with a 138 (-2) total in the 36-hole stroke play qualifying before nicely progressing, seeded number 3, through the five previous match play stages. He is of course also a former champion, having won the U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2014, as well as being a member of the 2015 U.S.A. Walker Cup Team.

The match followed the expected pattern until the final few holes when the golfing gods decided to smile down on Hagestad, a graduate of the University of Southern California who now resides in New York working in the commercial real estate sector. There will surely have been few better putting performances at the end of any USGA Championship in it’s long history.

This year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur final was slightly unusual in that it used all 36-holes at the Stonewall facility. It is believed this is the first time this has ever happened in any major amateur championship final. The first 18 holes were played on the North Course before the afternoon session was contested on the Old Course. Prior to today the North had only been used for the stroke play qualifying with all of the match play games being played on the Old.

Stewart Hagestad Celebrates His U.S. Mid-Amateur Victory (Photo: USGA)

The win means Stewart will receive an invitation to the 2017 U.S. Masters, will be exempt into the 2017 U.S. Amateur Championship (at Riviera CC) and will be exempt into sectional qualifying for the 2017 U.S. Open. But that’s not all….

Stewart Hagestad is almost certain to now be selected for the 2017 U.S.A. Walker Cup team, barring a complete loss of form next year.

In early 2013 the USGA announced that it planned to select at least two mid-amateurs for their Walker Cup team going forward. It delivered on this promise in both 2013 and 2015. At the time the USGA’s Tom O’Toole said: “Mid-amateurs, who are seasoned players, are likely to bring a unique perspective to a team and demonstrate, as well as appreciate, the characteristics of leadership and generosity of spirit that are central to the Walker Cup. It is the positive influence mid-amateurs will have on the Walker Cup experience and our strong commitment to amateur golf that causes us to reach this determination.”

Following the 2015 defeat at Royal Lytham the calls for this slightly controversial policy to be reviewed by the USGA have inevitably grown in volume. Whilst no decisions have been announced in this regard it is hard to believe they will exclude mid-amateurs entirely at the Los Angeles CC, which is why I am so confident Hegastad will now be included.

With next year’s U.S. Mid-Amateur not scheduled to take place until after the Walker Cup match, on 7-12 October at Capital City Club in Atlanta, this year’s Championship was always going to be something of a mid-amateur selection decider.

Few would also bet against Scott Harvey, a consistent performer for many years now, joining Stewart Hagestad if the USGA decide to carry on with their two mid-amateurs policy.

Scott Harvey In U.S. Amateur Action (Photo:USGA)

Scott Harvey is clearly one of if not the best U.S. mid-amateur, he brings Walker Cup experience and also has a recent win on the Los Angeles CC course which will be used for next year’s match. Earlier in 2016 he beat Hagestad in the final of the mid-amateur George C. Thomas Invitational which must surely put another tick in his box.

With the USGA expected to announce a 16-man Walker Cup squad in November 2016 for a pre-Christmas practice weekend at the Los Angeles CC the participation, or not, of Hagestad and / or Harvey should become much clearer sooner rather than later.

Well played Stewart and Scott – what a Final !

ME.

8. Marco Penge & The 2016 PGA EuroPro Tour Q-School

8th April 2016

The 2016 PGA Euro ProTour Final Qualifying School came to a conclusion today at Frilford Heath G.C. in Oxfordshire.

For followers of amateur golf the entry of England’s Marco PENGE into the Q-School progress was of particular interest.

Marco Penge is one of GB&I’s leading amateurs ranking, at the time of writing, around 90th in the World (SPWAR 97 / WAGR 86). This despite only being 17 – he is 18 on 15th May. He has started the 2016 season well, recording a T6 finish in the South American Amateur, a T4 at the Portuguese Amateur, a T14 in the European Nations and of course winning the Sunningdale Foursomes with girlfriend Sophie Lamb last month.

Marco qualified for the EuroPro Tour’s Final Stage Q-School comfortably on 30th and 31st March, finishing 4th at Burhill G.C., with rounds of 66 and 76 (-2). In the Final at Frilford rounds of 71, 73 and 72 saw him finish Even and Tied 22nd. This Top 30 finish saw him earn the highest card possible, a Category 3.

The good news is I believe Marco isn’t planning to turn Pro on the back of his solid start to the year and today’s securing of EuroPro Tour playing rights. I think he wants to play another amateur season, hopefully winning more men’s events and gaining selection for both the St. Andrews Trophy (20-21 July) and Junior Ryder Cup (26-27 September) teams.

The bad news is (at least from my perspective), assuming he maintains his form, he almost certainly will be moving into the Pro ranks towards the end of this year.

Looking at his situation from the perspective of this website it is clear that as things stand he doesn’t see the 2017 Walker Cup as part of his medium term plans. Of course no-one is guaranteed selection but I am sure he would be one of the players Captain Watson would currently like to have at his disposal in 2017. It is hard to criticise Marco for his ambitions. He continues to keep moving forward and the next match in Los Angeles, still over 500 days away, has always looked like being a year too far away for him.

Following his decision to turn Pro last week (click to read article) Jack McDONALD shot rounds of 71, 76 and 71 to finish on +2 and Tied 46th. He secured a Category 6 card.

With the EuroPro offering 14 events between May and September and operating with fields of 168 both Jack and Marco (but only if he chooses to turn Pro) should be able to play most of the events they want to this season.

It will be interesting to see what Marco decides to do as the season progresses. Why enter the EuroPro Tour Q-School if you don’t plan to turn Pro ? For the time being I guess it can have done him no harm to use the Q-School for experience and to gauge where he currently stands in the pecking order. At 17 I am sure he must be pleased with what he found out.

18th August 2016 Update: Marco PENGE played in The Matchroom Sport Championship at East Sussex National as an amateur this week. He shot rounds of 77 and 76; his +9 score saw him finish a disappointing tied 133rd on his PGA EuroPro Tour debut.

ME.

3. Craig Watson Appointed GB&I Captain For 2017

3rd February 2016

Scotland’s Craig Watson (49) was today appointed captain of the Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I) team for the 46^th Walker Cup.

GB&I will be looking to retain the Cup against the United States of America at the Los Angeles Country Club in California on the 9th and 10th September 2017. GB&I last won an away Walker Cup match in 2001.

Watson will also captain GB&I in the 2016 St. Andrews Trophy, the biennial team match against the Continent of Europe, which takes place in alternate years to the Walker Cup. This year’s match will take place at Prince’s Golf Club in Kent, England on 20th and 21st July with GB&I looking to retain the Trophy they won 14 – 10 in 2014.

Throughout the 1990s Craig Watson was one of Scotland and Britain’s best amateur golfers. Real success on the course came late to him and in the end he chose to stay amateur working in the family electrical business, Exciting Lighting, in Falkirk and practicing hard to remain competitive. He remains a very good scratch golfer and won the Craigmillar Park Open in Scotland as recently as April 2014.

Craig Watson – 2014 Craigmillar Park Open (Photo: Craigmillar Park GC)

Watson has big shoes to fill following the successful three term captaincy of Welshman Nigel Edwards. Edwards won his two home matches including last September’s stunning 16½ – 9½ win at Royal Lytham & St Annes GC. It is no surprise that Edwards has now been invited to join The R&A’s Men’s Selection Committee. His experience and knowledge of the amateur game should be invaluable to his successor.

R&A Website Quotes

Commenting on his appointment Watson said: “It is a privilege for me to take over the captaincy of the team and I have a hard act to follow as Nigel did a fantastic job. I am looking forward to getting started and to making sure we put out the strongest team we can next year in Los Angeles. ”

Andy Ingram, the Chairman of The R&A’s Men’s Selection Committee, said, “Craig is a well-known and highly respected figure in the amateur game and will bring a great deal of experience and knowledge to the role of Captain. As a former Walker Cup and St. Andrews Trophy player himself, he knows just what it means to represent GB&I and I’m sure he will relish the opportunity to work with the players in both teams.”

Playing Career

Watson, whose club is East Renfrewshire, is a career amateur who first represented Scotland in 1991. Impressively he played for Scotland in the Home Internationals in all but one year from 1991 to 2003 and captained the side from 2001 to 2003. He was also Scotland’s non-playing Captain in 2004. During this period Scotland won the Home internationals just once, at Carnoustie in 2000.

His best golfing year was 1997. Aged 31 he won the Amateur Championship and played in the Walker Cup.

He was talked in to entering the 1997 Amateur at Royal St. George’s by fellow Scottish international Barclay Howard. Howard finished tied 5^th in the stroke play qualifier on 148 while Watson was on the mark, tied 64^th with 156 after rounds of 79 and 77. Watson beat Jamie Donaldson (5&4), David Patrick (1 hole), Graham Fox (2&1), James Clive (19^th) and Colin Edwards (1 hole) to reach the final. A 3&2 victory over future Masters champion Trevor Immelman, 17 at the time, made it a Championship to remember.

His victory gained him entry to the 1997 Open at Royal Troon and the Masters Tournament in 1998, respectively won by Justin Leonard and Mark O’Meara. Rounds of 73 and 76 saw him miss The Open cut in an 11-man tie for 86^th – a tie that included major champions Lee Janzen, Craig Stadler and Gary Player. Barclay Howard was the only amateur to make the cut in ’97 and therefore won the Silver Medal. Another missed cut followed at The Masters, rounds of 79 and 78 saw him finish tied 74^th in a group that included Seve Ballesteros. Amateurs Matt Kucher (E T21) and Joel Kribel (+13 T44) both completed that year’s tournament.

The 1997 Walker Cup match was played at Quaker Ridge GC in New York. GB&I, captained by Clive Brown and with a team including a young Justin Rose, lost 18 – 6. In the circumstances Craig Watson’s 1½ points from a possible 3 was very creditable. Left out of the first foursomes series he beat Steve Scott by 1 hole to secure GB&I’s first point of the match. On Day 2 he was paired with fellow Scot Steven Young in the morning foursomes – they lost 3&2 to John Harris and Brad Elder. In the afternoon Watson halved his singles match with Jason Gore.

Watson represented GB&I in the 1998 St Andrews Trophy. The team lost by 14-10 to the Continent of Europe at Villa D’Este in Italy. Watson played in the three games and lost them all, albeit one was a singles to Peter Hanson (7&6) and another was a foursomes where he and Graham Rankin were beaten by Hanson and Henrik Stenson (4&3).

Watson enjoyed better fortune in the European Men’s Team Championship, representing Scotland in 1997, 1999 and 2001. Scotland were runners up to Spain in 1997 but won the competition under his captaincy in 2001. He also captained Scotland in 2003 in a non-playing capacity.

Other notable performances include two wins at the St Andrews Links Trophy (1992 and 1998), eight Scottish Golf Order of Merit titles and a runner-up in the Scottish Amateur Championship at Downfield in 2001, where he lost 4&3 to Barry Hume.

ME.

2. Cormac Sharvin Turns Pro

28th January 2016

The omission of Northern Ireland’s Cormac Sharvin from yesterday’s World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR) update hinted that something was afoot for the man from Ardglass GC.

A few enquiries later and it was confirmed that Cormac had turned Pro on Tuesday. You will recall that he was one of the stars of the winning 2015 Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team delivering a 3 out of 3 100% win record.

With Paul Dunne, Gary Hurley and Gavin Moynihan all turning Pro shorty after the 2015 Walker Cup had finished that now leaves just Jack Hume from the ‘Famous Five’ (Irish players) still in the amateur ranks. In addition to Jack the only other team members to remain amateur are the three Scottish lads, Ewen Ferguson, Grant Forrest and Cormac’s foursomes partner Jack McDonald.

The timing and lack of fanfare, i.e. no announcement whatsoever, for the reigning Brabazon Trophy champion was something of a surprise to me.

Cormac had suggested after the Walker Cup that he would finish his final year at the University of Stirling. I also thought he may wait until he had some tour playing rights before making the jump. He confirmed to me yesterday evening that the rankings had caught him out and that he had been planning to make a formal announcement next Monday (1st February). Presumably this will still take place when no doubt more of the story and his plans will be revealed.

Clearly something has happened to change his mind ? A financially attractive offer, the progress contemporary Paul Dunne is making or perhaps he was simply fed up of college life – who knows. Cormac was a late starter to golf only taking up the game at 14. He is also older than he looks, turning 23 last October. Whatever the reason I am sure he must feel ready and now just wants to get on with it.

He will make his Pro debut at the Oates Victorian Open next week. This PGA Tour of Australasia event starts on 4th February at Barwon Head’s Beach Links and is unusual in that men and women play together. Well known Australian left-hander Robert Green is the defending men’s champion. Cormac’s entry stands out a little – Tournament Information.

Good luck to Cormac ! His infectious enthusiasm, competitiveness and strong play, all evident at Royal Lytham last September, will hopefully ensure he makes a smooth transition to the paid ranks in 2016.

ME.

1. John “Spider” Miller Re-appointed As US Team Captain For 2017

17 November 2015

John “Spider” Miller was today confirmed as the 2017 USA Captain by the USGA.

Mr. Miller captained the United States team at Royal Lytham & St. Annes in 2015. Understandably given the heavy defeat inflicted upon the team his captaincy came in for some criticism in the post match analysis.

However, with the USGA adopting a ‘two-time’ policy since the mid-1990s the decision to give him another go was never really in doubt. Indeed the omens are good for the United States – three of Miller’s four recent predecessors have all earned their revenge two years later after starting their tenure with away defeats.

In announcing the USGA’s decision Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman, said: “The members of the 2015 USA Walker Cup team were enthusiastic about their experience at Royal Lytham, and all cited Spider as the reason for their overwhelmingly positive comments. The USGA believes that Spider’s leadership, innate understanding of the values of the competition, and his good-natured spirit are critical to the same experience he can provide for the team in 2017.”

Mr. Miller, who is 64, comes from Bloomington, Indiana. He is married to Kathy and they have five children. He owns Best Beers Inc, a beverage distribution company, which he established in his home town in 1979.

He won the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship in 1996 and 1998. As a result of these wins, he competed in the Masters Tournament in 1997 and 1999. Mr. Miller also represented the United States in the 1999 Walker Cup match played at Nairn in Scotland. Miller teamed up with Hunter Haas to win a pair of foursomes matches before he lost to Paul Casey, 3 and 2, in the final day singles.