PGA Professional National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., will head a 10-member United States Team against Great Britain & Ireland in the 24th PGA Cup, Sept. 18-20, at The Carrick at De Vere Deluxe Resort in Loch Lomond, Scotland.

Small, 43, the men's coach at the University of Illinois in Champaign, won the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship, Wednesday, by one stroke at Twin Warriors Golf Club in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.. He will make his third appearance on the U.S. Team in the premier international competition for PGA Professionals. Small competed on the 2005 and '07 U.S. Team.

The 24th PGA Cup will be contested at The Carrick, a 7,086-yard, par-71 layout that was designed by Doug Carrick in 2007.

The U.S. Team, guided by Captain Brian Whitcomb of Bend, Ore., the Honorary President of The PGA of America, also includes 2008 PGA Professional National Champion Scott Hebert of Traverse City, Mich., who makes his first PGA Cup appearance, and 1995 National Champion Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah. Hebert, PGA head professional at Grand Traverse Resort in Acme, Mich., clinched a berth with his victory a year ago, and Schneiter, PGA assistant professional Schneiter's Pebblebrook Links in Sandy, Utah, earned his second-career berth by finishing tied for second in the National Championship. Schneiter last competed on the U.S. Team in 1996.

They will be joined on the U.S. Team by: Ryan Benzel of Bothell, Wash., representing Battle Creek Golf Course in Tulalip, Wash.; Mark Sheftic of Ambler, Pa., representing Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa.; Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Ga., representing River Pointe Golf Club in Albany, Ga.; Kyle Flinton of Oklahoma City, Okla., representing Quail Creek Golf and Country Club in Oklahoma City; Eric Lippert of Marina, Calif., representing Del Monte Golf Course in Monterrey, Calif.; Lee Rinker of Jupiter, Fla., representing Emerald Dunes Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Craig Thomas of White Plains, N.Y., representing Metropolis Country Club in White Plains.

Benzel, PGA teaching professional at Battle Creek Golf Course, competed in 2007 along with Rinker, PGA director of golf at Emerald Dunes, who will make his second career PGA Cup trip that includes a berth on the 1992 U.S. Team.

"When I look at the 10 players we have on this team, one couldn't ask for more," said Whitcomb. "We have a good mix of youth, veterans with major championship experience and two great Champions [Hebert and Small]. We have six rookies, but I think back to the six rookies that competed on the 2008 Ryder Cup Team, and we all know how they performed. I think our young players will do very well. One of the 'rookies' is Craig Thomas, but that is misleading. He has always been around the lead, is a great player for many years and though he has yet to play in a PGA Cup, I believe that he will be a leader.

"I look forward to the team that Great Britain & Ireland will bring. [Captain] Gary Alliss, a true professional, is someone I very much respect and he will again be leading a very talented group of players. It's going to be a great event and I will do my best to uphold the tradition of serving as Captain."

The Great Britain & Ireland Team was determined June 19, following the Glenmuir PGA Championship at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland.

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; 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.

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 Will Barnes of Garstang Golf Club of Lancashire, England.

The PGA Cup, which originated in 1973, brings together the finest PGA Club Professionals in the U.S. and Great Britain & Ireland.

The United States owns a 15-5-3 advantage in the PGA Cup, and has never been defeated on home soil. The U.S. retained possession of the Llandudno International Trophy, awarded to the winning team, with a 13½ to 12½ victory in September 2007 at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga.

2009 United States PGA Cup Team

Captain Brian Whitcomb

Years W-L-H
Ryan Benzel 2007 1-0-2
Kyle Flinton Debut
Scott Hebert Debut
Eric Lippert Debut
Lee Rinker 1992, 2007 1-5-2
Steve Schneiter 1996 3-2-0
Mark Sheftic Debut
Sonny Skinner Debut
Mike Small 2005, '07 3-5-2
Craig Thomas Debut

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

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