|
INTERNATIONAL
MATCH FOR THE ST ANDREWS TROPHY AND BOYS INTERNATIONAL MATCH FOR
THE JACQUES LEGLISE TROPHY
GREAT
BRITAIN & IRELAND V THE CONTINENT OF EUROPE FRIDAY 30TH
JUNE AND SATURDAY 1ST JULY
Almost
forty years after it staged the Walker Cup, the Ailsa Course at
Turnberry will again be the setting for top-class amateur team golf
next month when it plays host to both the St Andrews Trophy and
the Jacques Leglise Trophy.
Back
in 1963, British and Irish golf did not have much to cheer about
as the United States won a ninth consecutive Walker Cup � but the
current outlook is much brighter for both home sides in the run-up
to their meeting with the Continent of Europe.
Should
the CB&I men win the biennial St Andrews Trophy, they would
be holders of all three major amateur team trophies for the first
time since 1989, following their victories in the Eisenhower Trophy
in Chile in 1998 and in the Walker Cup at Nairn last September.� Furthermore should the CB&I boys beat their continental counterparts
in the Jacques Legise Trophy, it would be a third consecutive victory
in the annual fixture following a 14-10 success at Villa d�Este
in Italy in 1998 and 15-9 win at Burnham & Berrow last year.
For
the men, the desire to win is further heightened by the fact that
the continent of Europe are the holders of the St Andrews Trophy,
having won 14-10 in the last match played alongside the boys at
Villa d�Este two years ago.� The
match was Peter McEvoy�s first as Captain of any CB&I team and
although the former Amateur Champion got off to a disappointing
start, he has more than made up for it since and will be doubly
keen to get his hands on the one trophy which has eluded him thus
far.
The
2000 St Andrews Trophy team might well feature several tried and
trusted internationals including Englishmen Luke Donald and Paul
Casey, both of whom returned 100% records in last year�s Walker
Cup match, and who are currently ranked amongst the top collegiate
players in the United States.
Also
still available from the Nairn team are the evergreen Gary Wolstenholme,
his foursomes partner on that occasion Philip Rowe and Scotland�s
David Patrick.� This threesome,
along with Welshman Craig Williams and Irishman Gary Cullen, have
already tasted international success this year when they were part
of a European select which beat their Asia-Pacific counterparts
by 20 points to 12 in Madrid to win the Michael Bonallack Trophy.
The
matches, on Friday June 30th and Saturday June 1st,
will be played on a links redesigned by eminent golf architect Mackenzie
Ross after its destruction in World War II.� The task was hard but the success was recognised
with the subsequent awarding of three Open and three Amateur Championships
to the Ailsa Course.
Admission
for spectators is free of charge.
|
