Edwards hopes to be a hero in Walker Cup

Ever since Tiger Woods was beaten by Gary Wolstenholme at Royal Porthcawl in 1995 Britain and Ireland’s amateurs have gone into the Walker Cup with high hopes and believing anything is possible.

That will be no different when the two-day match at Royal County Down in the North starts tomorrow.

The United States are the holders and they lead the series 32-7, but they know this is no more the “Walkover Cup” and they no longer face a side that feels inferior.

As well as losing with Woods in their line-up 12 years ago the Americans also crashed to defeat in 1999, 2001 and 2003 – and they won the trophy back only by a single point last time.

Welshman Nigel Edwards, having been the match-winning hero at Ganton in 2003, was the last man on the course again in Chicago and if he had managed to sink a 25-foot putt on the final green his team-mates would have showered him with champagne again.

Now Britain and Ireland, with home advantage, have been made favourites and Edwards said today: “Hopefully it will give us the edge.

“Obviously I’ve got a little bit of experience and as much as I can pass onto the boys I will.

“I’ve had great experiences and not so great experiences. At Ganton it all worked out wonderfully well for me – holing a chip, holing a putt of about 30 yards (on the 17th) and then probably the two best shots I’ve ever hit, given the circumstances, coming down the 18th.

“Then at Chicago it was very disappointing to be so close – I think the ball lipped out and the pictures published since then showed the anguish on the faces of our players.

“I guess that’s what golf’s about – punch into the air if you win, go down on your knees if you lose.

“I haven’t played a major championship. The Walker Cup for me is my major.”

At 39 Edwards is the oldest member of the home side by 16 years and it is a similar story with the Amercians, for whom 35-year-old Trip Kuehne is by 12 years the oldest.

Kuehne lost to Woods in the final of the US Amateur back in 1994 and made his debut alongside him the following year.

“I was a 23-year-old deer in the headlights,” he recalls. “I wasn’t prepared for what was going to transpire – to be quite honest, I wasn’t prepared for anything.

“The thing I’ve stressed is ’just be prepared’. Your golf game is going to be there and you’re going to play well, but just prepare yourself mentally. Even be prepared for an act of God.”

Nerves can inevitably play a big part, but on that Edwards stated: “There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be shaking. I think Tiger Woods said he did it.

“I like to feel a bit nervous because it heightens the attention and your awareness and increases your focus. And the better your focus the better you play.”

The biggest concern the Americans had was bad conditions, but it has been glorious since their arrival.

“We’d like golf to be the story and not the weather,” said their captain Buddy Marucci.

“When I played in ’95 at Porthcawl it was more about the weather and that was unfortunate.”

The biggest noise is bound to be for Irish pair Rory McIlroy and Jonny Caldwell, who face US champion Colt Knost and Dustin Johnson in the second match.

McIlroy is the 18-year-old of whom so much is expected – not just this weekend, but in the years to come – after he shone at the Open Championship in July.

It will be Scot Lloyd Saltman and Welshman Rhys Davies who start things off for Britain and Ireland, though.

Marucci has already been criticised for his stated intention to play everybody in at least three of the four sessions – the match consists of four foursomes and eight singles each day.

Some observers see that as not being ruthless enough in pursuit of victory, but he added today: “In a perfect world that’s what will happen, but the team and I will get together tomorrow night and we will make that determination together.

“It may not happen that way. I hope it will because I hate to see someone work for two years and not have that opportunity to play as many matches as possible.”

Home captain Colin Dalgleish will also play all 10 members of his side on the opening day, but commented: “I certainly don’t have a policy of playing everyone three times.

“In terms of who plays the next day it’s sort of dependent on what happens the first day.”