When it comes to golf’s various transatlantic tussles, Team USA has tossed something of a star-spangled spanner into the works of Europe and GB&I of late. Only the Solheim Cup is proudly perched on this side of the pond, with the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup all plonked on some American mantelpiece. The PGA Cup is also in US clutches but GB&I’s club professionals will get the chance to wrest it back this weekend when they take on their American counterparts at Foxhills in Surrey.
Since the biennial bout was inaugurated in 1973, the USA has 18 wins to GB&I’s seven, with four matches tied, but this weekend’s hosts can call on both home advantage and a good omen. The last time the PGA Cup was held at Foxhills in 2017, GB&I romped to a 16-10 win. Aberdeen veteran Greig Hutcheon was the man who pushed GB&I over the winning line on that occasion and the 49-year-old is eager to play his part again over the next three days.
“I was very proud of my efforts in 2017,” said Hutcheon, who is joined in DJ Russell’s side by his fellow Scot, Paul McKechnie. “Foxhills has good memories for me even though I had a nasty injury for four or five months in the build-up. When I arrived at the match I sat down with the captain, Albert MacKenzie, and said, ‘look, I’m not great captain’.
“But he was great with me. He rested me a couple of times in the afternoon matches and I managed to come out in the singles and hole the putt that clinched the match. It was a great honour and one I will always treasure. It meant a lot because you’re trying your guts out for your team and your country.”
Hutcheon used his appearance in last week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth to gather up one or two rallying cries from some Ryder Cup campaigners to rouse the GB&I troops.
“I thought it would be nice to get some inspirational video messages so I grabbed the likes of Ian Poulter and Jamie Donaldson for our WhatsApp group chat,” added Hutcheon. “Hopefully, those messages help to fire us up.”
Hutcheon and his GB&I team-mates will be embroiled in a series of foursomes and fourballs ties over the first two days with 10 singles closing affairs on Sunday.
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