Nairn’s Sandy Scott and Aboyne’s Shannon McWilliam have been included in the Great Britain and Ireland squads for next year’s Walker Cup and Curtis Cup matches.
The R&A has selected two squad for the matches against the United States as well as the Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe.
The 48th Walker Cup will be played at Seminole, Florida on 8-9 May 2021 and the Vagliano Trophy will be played along with the Junior Vagliano Trophy at Golf Club de Lausanne, Switzerland on 25-26 June 2021.
The rearranged 41st Curtis Cup will be played at Conwy, Wales from 26-28 August 2021 after the match was postponed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The teams for the matches will be finalised next year.
The United States are attempting to win the Walker Cup for the third match in a row following their success at Hoylake last year.
Scott is the only Scottish golfer in the squad with GB&I looking to win the event for the first time on American soil since 2001. The Nairn golfer was part of the team beaten bythe Americans at Royal Liverpool last year.
Stuart Wilson, GB&I captain, said, “We have selected a talented group of players to work with in preparation for the match against the United States of America next year. We will be closely monitoring their form and results in a number of important events over the coming months while other players still have time to play their way into contention before we finalise the team which will travel to Florida. We will go to Seminole with belief in ourselves and will give it our best shot to win back the trophy.”
GB&I is looking for its first win in the Vagliano Trophy since 2005 against the Continent of Europe. The biennial encounter will be played in Switzerland for the first time in the match’s history when the two sides meet in Lausanne next summer.
In the Curtis Cup, the GB&I team will be aiming to extend an unbeaten home run to three matches at Conwy having won the match at Nairn in 2012 and Dun Laoghaire in 2016.
McWilliam is one of four Scots in the squad with Hannah Darling, Chloe Goadby and Hazel MacGarvie also selected.
Elaine Ratcliffe, GB&I captain, said: “We have been able to bring in a number of new players into the squad alongside those who were selected last year and are now looking forward to working with the group as we prepare for the Vagliano Trophy and Curtis Cup. We have a good blend of youth and experience in the squad but there is still time for other players to make their case for inclusion in the final teams selected. I know the girls will relish the opportunity to compete and try to win the two matches.”
GB&I Walker Cup squad:
Jake Bolton (22, Ogbourne Downs, England),
John Murphy (22, Kinsale, Ireland)
Barclay Brown (19, Hallamshire, England)
Tom McKibbin (17, Holywood, Ireland)
Callum Farr (22, Northamptonshire County, England)
Joseph Pagdin (19, Lake Nona, England)
Alex Fitzpatrick (21, Hallamshire, England)
Mark Power (20, Kilkenny, Ireland)
Angus Flanagan (21, St George’s Hill, England)
Caolan Rafferty (27, Dundalk, Ireland)
Benjamin Jones (21, Northamptonshire County, England)
Benjamin Schmidt (18, Rotherham, England)
Matty Lamb (22, Hexham, England)
Sandy Scott (22, Nairn, Scotland)
Joe Long (23, Lansdown, England)
GB&I Vagliano Trophy and Curtis Cup squad:
Hannah Darling (17, Broomieknowe, Scotland)
Shannon McWilliam (21, Aboyne, Scotland)
Annabell Fuller (18, Roehampton, England)
Olivia Mehaffey (23, Royal County Down Ladies, Ireland)
Chloe Goadby (23, St Regulus, Scotland)
Emily Price (21, Ludlow, England)
Paula Grant (27, Lisburn, Ireland)
Euphemie Rhodes (18, Burnham and Berrow, England)
Charlotte Heath (19, Huddersfield, England)
Emily Toy (23, Carlyon Bay, England)
Lily May Humphreys (18, Stoke by Nayland, England)
Lauren Walsh (20, Castlewarden, Ireland)
Hazel MacGarvie (21, Royal Troon, Scotland)
Isobel Wardle (20, Prestbury, England)
Julie McCarthy (21, Forrest Little, Ireland)
Annabel Wilson (19, Lurgan, Ireland)
Caley McGinty (20, Knowle, England)
