PGA Cup captain Cameron Clark feels he has one of the strongest Great Britain & Ireland teams under his command in recent years, after his ten-man line-up for September’s match in Texas against America was finalised earlier this week.
Great Britain and Ireland are bidding to make history by winning three consecutive matches in the competition, which is being held at Barton Creek Resort in Austin from September 27-29.
Having already acquired experienced trio Robert Coles (Maylands), Matthew Cort and David Dixon from last year’s PGA Play-Offs, Clark welcomed six new members to his team following the completion of the Titleist & FootJoy PGA Professional Championship.
Former European Tour player Alastair Forsyth blew away the field at Hunstanton Golf Club last week, winning the PGA’s premier tournament by 11 shots with a record score of 263. Forsyth will be joined on the plane to Texas by fellow Scot Paul O’Hara, who finished tied fourth alongside Jason Levermore Little Channels GC) and Alexander Wrigley (Hartlepool GC) who also qualified for the Clark’s team.
Canterbury’s Richard Wallis played an integral role when GB&I won for the first time in America four years ago, and he makes a welcome return to the team, with fellow Kent player Jordan Godwin (Barnehurst) claiming the final place at Hunstanton. With just one more spot available, Clark selected former European Tour player Craig Lee as his captain’s pick.
“We’ve added six incredible players from the Titleist & FootJoy PGA Professional Championship,” said Clark. “After last year’s championship, we always knew it was going to be a very strong team. The performance by Alistair Forsyth at Hunstanton was phenomenal and the last rounds by Richard Wallis, in particular, just shows the strength and depth that we’ve got.”
He added: “I don’t want to take anything away from the guys who played in 2015 and 2017, but this is one of the strongest teams we’ve ever produced. We couldn’t be in a better place heading to America.
“We’ve now got a team get-together towards the back end of July, which will be a team bonding exercise, so we’ll try and make a really sociable couple of days and take a look at a few pairings.”
Having played in multiple Majors and tasted success twice during a 15-year stint on the European Tour, Clark knows importance of having a player of Forsyth’s experience in America.
He continued: “Everyone knows his pedigree. Nobody is not going to want him in their team, he’s a great person as well, so he’s going to be a huge asset for us.”
Asked where playing in The PGA Cup ranks in his career, Forsyth commented: “Making the PGA Cup team was a goal of mine at the start of the season. I only qualified as a PGA pro last year so this was the first time I could play in this tournament. I can’t wait. I’ve been fitted with the team uniform so that’s really brought it home. There’s already a real buzz about it. I’m delighted.”
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