McEvoy hails new dream team

Peter McEvoy, the former Great Britain and Ireland captain, believes this year’s Walker Cup side is one of the strongest ever assembled.

The former Amateur champion, who led the British and Irish team to successive cup victories in 1999 and 2001 and is now the chairman of the Royal and Ancient’s selection committee, reckons the 10-man side for this weekend’s clash with the USA at Chicago Golf Club is on a par with the ’dream team’ of 2001 that won for the first time ever on American soil.

The side of four years ago at Sea Island in Georgia featured Luke Donald, Nick Dougherty, Graeme McDowell, Steven O’Hara and Marc Warren and McEvoy insists the current crop of players are as good, if not better, than their history-making predecessors.

“This is a very good team,” said McEvoy.

“It’s better than the team we had at Ganton two years ago and it’s right up there with the team at Sea Island in 2001.

“That was probably Great Britain and Ireland’s best ever team but this one rates alongside it.

“Players like Donald, Dougherty, McDowell and O’Hara have all had great successes since then and I’m sure the players in this team will be equally as successful. You can tell that just by looking at them.

“The quality of the players that we left out of the team this year shows how good this bunch are. I don’t think we’ve left as many quality players out of a side before.”

One of the squad members McEvoy picked out for praise was Essex youngster Oliver Fisher.

At 16, the Chigwell teenager – a semi-finalist in this season’s amateur championship – will become the youngest player to compete in the Walker Cup, a record previously held by Justin Rose (1997), Peter Baker (1985) and Ronan Rafferty (1981), all of whom were 17.

McEvoy added: “Oliver is a quality golfer. He’s a big lad and when you watch him play you forget he’s only 16.

“He’s settled in well this week. He’s calm and confident and he is a very good player.”

The Great Britain and Ireland squad had their preparation for the event disrupted today when practice was abandoned due to heavy rain and the threat of thunderstorms in the Chicago area.

But the weather failed to dampen the spirits of European champion Matthew Richardson who admitted he was revelling in the Walker Cup atmosphere.

The 20-year-old, a former Brabazon Trophy winner, said: “It’s a great experience but I’ll tell you how great it’s been come Sunday night. The team spirit here is wonderful.

“We’ve got a gang of English, Welsh, Irish and Scots in the same room but we’re getting on great. It’s a super bunch.”

Scotsman Lloyd Saltman, the Open championship Silver Medallist, also hailed the Great Britain and Ireland spirit and set his sights on helping Garth McGimpsey’s side to an unprecedented fourth successive win.

“It’s an amazing experience,” said Saltman.

“I can’t wait for the weekend to come so I can do my bit for the team. We have a great team here and a good spirit and we’re going for four in a row.

“The US will not want to lose on home soil and they’ll be up for it but we’ve got strength right through the side and I believe we have a winning team.”