It’s a confusing old world at times. A couple of weeks ago we were all told by a frothing, fevered, finger-jabbing media that Scotland’s fitba’ blooterers simply HAD to beat Georgia or their European Championship ambitions would be over. And when that match was over it seemed it WAS all over as we got completely turned over. But, wait. Everybody roused themselves, rallied and regrouped and declared that it wasn’t over because we could still beat Germany … but if we didn’t then it would definitely be over this time. And so Scotland lost again and we all thought ‘well, that’s it all over now’ only for everybody to get into overdrive again and say ‘it’s still not over’. So when is it actually over? I’ve no idea, so it’s over to you.

Here in the world of golf, meanwhile, we are still revelling in something of a walkover. Well, not quite, but Great Britain and Ireland’s amateurs certainly gave their US counterparts a good going over in the Walker Cup at Royal Lytham. Almost 12 months ago, the Ryder Cup was kept on this side of the Atlantic for another couple of years. This weekend in Germany, Europe’s female golfers will be aiming for an historic third successive win over the USA in the Solheim Cup. And perhaps GB&I’s club professionals can pull off a surprise and wrest the PGA Cup out of American clutches in California later this week? It’s all to play for. On a golfing menu jam-packed with the usual fare of 72-hole strokeplay events that can become as bland as a cream cracker with no butter, the enticing matchplay feast at this time of year always whets the appetite.

It was the GB&I boys who indulged themselves over two terrific days at Lytham which demonstrated, once again, that the amateur game still matters in a golfing world where money is deemed more and more important. There was competitiveness and camaraderie, rivalry and respect; indeed all the attributes that makes this grand old game what it is.

Of course, it’s time to move on. From amateur dramatics to the professional stage, the majority of the team that surged to a record 16 ½ - 9 ½ victory are set to tread some new boards. Five members of the 10-man side, namely Paul Dunne, Jimmy Mullen, Ashley Chesters, Gary Hurley and Gavin Moynihan, are joining the paid ranks and are set for stage one of the European Tour’s qualifying school over the next couple of weeks. Ewen Ferguson, the talented Bearsden teenager, has also entered the q-school as an amateur to dip his toe in its treacherous waters while the equally impressive Jack McDonald from Barassie will continue his purposeful development in the amateur scene for the time being.

Only time will tell how these young men will get on in the professional game when they make the transition. It’s always impossible to predict. Have a look at the entry list for this month’s qualifying guddle and it’s littered with players from Walker Cups who have all struggled to gain a foothold in the paid ranks. James Byrne and Michael Stewart, the two Scots in the last GB&I winning side in 2011, are among those scrambling away while Lloyd Saltman, a star of the Walker Cup team that lost narrowly in Chicago a decade ago, is still muddling on in the foothills.

By the time GB&I defend the cup in 2017, it’s likely that all 10 members of the team will be new faces. There is little scope for much continuity these days. The only constant recently has been team captain, Nigel Edwards. Traditionally, the GB&I skipper has been afforded two cracks at the Walker Cup, both home and away. Edwards is the first since to have three stints. A true career amateur, the popular, passionate Welshman also played in four Walker Cups but he was one of the last of that old guard. There is no obvious line of succession because, quite simply, nobody stays in the amateur game that long now. There has been enthusiastic chatter – media driven, of course, - about bringing in a couple of professionals with Walker Cup roots, like a Padraig Harrington or a Colin Montgomerie. Away from the obvious novelty factor and the additional surge in the profile of the event, the reality of the consuming task, which also involves overseeing the biennial St Andrews Trophy match between GB&I and Europe, requires more than just mere figureheads for one week only. Can you imagine the bold Monty pitching up at a Brabazon Trophy at Seaton Carew to cast his eye over potential picks months in advance? Not really.

Having been thumped 17-9 on American soil in 2013 – and winning over there in the different golfing environment still remains a huge challenge for GB&I – Sunday’s success was a timely tonic. The class of 2015 earned the prize and the plaudits. Now there are pay cheques to chase for the majority of them. As far as the amateur scene is concerned, it’s a case of over and out.