PAUL CUTLER is desperate to bid farewell to the amateur ranks this weekend by helping Britain and Ireland halt the run of American successes in the Walker Cup.
The last three matches have been won by the States, albeit by slender margins after Britain and Ireland had previously taken the honours in three on the trot.
Captain Nigel Edwards is looking for Irish influence in the first session of foursomes this morning as he has opted for the all-Irish pairing of Cutler and Alan Dunbar – they face Nathan Smith and Blayne Barber in the third match out on course.
“They know each other well and each other’s games and it seems the ideal pairing,”said 43-year-old Welshman Edwards.
Dunbar is omitted from the afternoon singles but Cutler faces the newly-crowned US Amateur Champion Kelly Kraft.
Royal Aberdeen in North-East Scotland is a daunting venue at the best of times and with the likelihood of storms off the North-Sea the links are going to be particularly tough giving a definite advantage to the home players who are quite used to this type of weather.
Cutler, the 22-year-old Irish Amateur and West of Ireland champion is more used to those conditions than most having learned the game on the rugged Portstewart links on the exposed Northern Ireland coast next to Royal Portrush.
“I will feel quite at home if the wind blows,”said Cutler who plans to go to Tour School in a bid for fame and fortune in the paid ranks.
“Nothing could be better for me than to turn professional on the back of being part of a winning Walker Cup team. That is really my aim,” he added.
Cutler played well in this year’s Irish Open on the European Tour, finishing in 21st place and is ranked at number 24 on the World Amateur Ranking.
Dunbar, 21 from Rathmore has lacked consistency this year, not qualifying in the Amateur Championship, but then grabbing runners-up spot in the Brabazon Trophy which went a long way to him clinching a place in the line-up. He was also runner-up in the West of Ireland championship and had a top-ten finish in the Irish Amateur.
Walker Cup Pairings
Today
(Britain Ireland names first)
Foursomes: 9am – Tom Lewis and Michael Stewart v Peter Uihlein and Harris English; 9.10am – Jack Senior and Andy Sullivan v Russell Henley and Kelly Kraft; 9.20am – Paul Cutler and Alan Dunbar v Nathan Smith and Blayne Barber; 9.30am – Steven Brown and Stiggy Hodgson v Patrick Cantlay and Chris Williams.
Singles: 1.45pm – Lewis v Uihlein; 1.55pm – Senior v Jordan Spieth; 2.05pm – Sullivan v English; 2.15pm – Rhys Pugh v Patrick Rodgers; 2.25pm – Brown v Henley; 2.35pm – James Byrne v Smith; 2.45pm – Cutler v Kraft; 2.55pm – Stewart v Cantlay.
