Craig Watson, the East Renfrewshire stalwart and one of Scottish amateur golf’s most sturdy competitors, has been appointed captain of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team for the match with the USA in Los Angeles in 2017.

The 49-year-old, who beat Trevor Immelman in the final of the Amateur Championship at St George’s in 1997 and represented GB&I in the Walker Cup match that same year, takes over the reins from Welshman Nigel Edwards, who had been at the helm since 2011 and enjoyed two Walker Cup wins in that time.

A highly-respected and successful captain of the Scotland national team between 2001 and 2003, Watson will now return to the cut-and-thrust of the team arena and his experience and knowledge of the amateur game will be a highly valuable asset.

“Playing in the Walker Cup team is one of my proudest moments in golf,” said Watson, who will also captain a GB&I team in the St Andrews Trophy against Europe this year. “I still remember the nerve-wracking moment when I teed it up on the first tee in the afternoon singles on the first day but I settled down and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. 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.”

Andy Ingram, the chairman of the Royal & Ancient’s selection committee, added, “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.”

The appoinment of Watson means both the men's and women's GB&I amateur teams are now captained by Scots with Aberdeen's Elaine Farquharson-Black taking charge of the Curtis Cup side.