Great Britain & Ireland Captain Gary Alliss believes the rugged Dundonald Links has armed him with a PGA Cup team equipped to recapture the Llandudno Trophy.
Great Britain & Ireland completed its 10-member 2009 team on June 19, preparing to host the United States in the 24th PGA Cup, the premier international event for PGA Professionals, Sept. 18-20, at The Carrick in Loch Lomond, Scotland.
Great Britain & Ireland's Team was determined following the Glenmuir PGA Championship, conducted June 16-19, at windswept Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland.
The United States PGA Cup Team won back the PGA Cup's Llandudno Trophy in 2007, after a final-day rally for a 13½ to 12½ victory at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga.
The 2009 United States Team will be determined July 1, following the completion of the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship, which opens June 28 at Santa Ana and Twin Warriors Golf Clubs in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.
Leading Great Britain & Ireland's bid this fall is veteran Paul Wesslingh, the PGA head professional at Kedelston Park in Derby, England. Wesselingh will be making his sixth consecutive PGA Cup appearance.
Joining Wesselingh will be newly-crowned Glenmuir PGA Champion James Lee of Caerphilly Golf Club in South Wales, who admitted it had always been a target to make a PGA Cup team.
"I've got so many friends who've played in the PGA Cup over the years and it's always been a goal so to finally make a team is fantastic," he said.
Wesselingh will be joined by Andrew Barnett of North Wales Golf Range in Denbighshire, Wales; and Jon Bevan of Wessex Golf Centre in Weymouth, Dorset, England - who also competed on the 2007 GB&I team.
Alliss, the head professional and manager of the PGA National Golf Academy at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England, also captained the 2007 GB&I Team. He has vowed to win back the historic silver Llandudno Trophy and admitted he was delighted with the make-up of the 2009 team.
"Dundonald Links was a tough, tough test and the strength of the course means we've got a really strong set of players that have qualified for the team," Alliss said.
"Watching these guys like Paul Wesselingh battle it out shows not only that they can play but also reveals character and that gives me great confidence that we can take on the Americans at The Carrick on Loch Lomond and reclaim the Llandudno Trophy."
Rounding out the GB& I team are 2008 Glenmuir Champion Paul Simpson of West Berkshire, England, who played in 1998, and first-time competitors Jeremy Robinson of Twyford Golf Range in Evesham, England; James Harris of Tonbridge Golf Centre in Kent, England; Barry Taylor of Houghwood Golf Club in St. Helens, England; Craig Matheson of Falkirk Tryst Golf Club in Falkirk, England; and Will Barnes of Garstang Golf Club of Lancashire, England.
Robinson is a former Walker Cup competitor who enjoyed five top-five finishes on the European Tour. Harris is winner of both the Carris and McEvoy trophies and posted a final-round 67 at Dundonald Links. Taylor has won four successive Lancashire Match Play titles.
Matheson, who started playing golf at 15 and has never had a lesson, will be Scotland's sole representative, while Barnes has been a regular winner across the Midland circuit before his move to the North Region.
The PGA Cup, which originated in 1973, is structured after the Ryder Cup. It is a biennial competition featuring 10-member teams from the United States and Great Britain & Ireland. The Great Britain & Ireland Team currently uses a two-year point system that utilizes their national championship.
Since the PGA Cup originated in 1973 as an outgrowth of the PGA Professional National Championship, the United States has never been defeated on home soil, and owns a 15-5-3 overall record.
2009 Great Britain & Ireland PGA Cup Team
Captain Gary Alliss
Years W-L-H
Will Barnes Debut
Andrew Barnett 2007 2-2-0
Jon Bevan 2007 3-0-1
James Harris Debut
James Lee Debut
Craig Matheson Debut
Jeremy Robinson Debut
Paul Simpson 1998 1-3-1
Barry Taylor Debut
Paul Wesselingh 1998, 2000, '03, '05, '07 10-8-5
About The PGA of America
Since 1916, The PGA of America's mission has been twofold: to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf.
By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry.
By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public's interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.
