Edwards to lead Walker Cup team once again

Nigel Edwards has been re-appointed Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup captain for the 2013 match after leading this year’s team to victory over the United States.

The Welshman, of Whitchurch Golf Club in Cardiff, will also be GB&I captain for the 2012 St Andrews Trophy Match against the Continent of Europe, as well as the Walker Cup contest at the National Golf Links of America, Long Island.

Edwards played in four successive Walker Cups between 2001 and 2007, twice on a winning side, before completing a hat trick of victories by leading GB&I to a 14-12 victory at Royal Aberdeen last month.

GB&I went into the contest as underdogs against a US team that included six of the world’s top ten amateurs but brilliant performances from the likes of Welsh teenager Rhys Pugh and Open Championship silver medallist Tom Lewis saw the team win the Walker Cup for the first time since 2003.

Edwards, 43, has also played in three St Andrews Trophy matches, winning on every occasion. However, he was captain for the last match at Castelconturbia, Italy, in 2010 which saw GB&I suffer a 14-10 defeat and will get the chance to reclaim the trophy at Portmarnock, near Dublin, next August.

Edwards said: “Captaining the winning side in the 43rd Walker Cup was fantastic and to be given the chance to be part of this special event again is a great honour. I am looking forward to being involved with the selection and preparation for 2013. The experience shared by this year’s team will stay with all of those involved for the rest of their lives.

“I will use my own experience as a player and captain to ensure that the next team is prepared to play to the best of their ability and make the most of their own Walker Cup experience.

“I am also excited about the challenge of getting the St Andrews Trophy back into GB&I hands in front of what I’m sure will be an enthusiastic Irish support.”

Edwards is the third Welshman to captain the Walker Cup team after Tony Duncan, as a playing captain in 1953, and Clive Brown in 1995 and 1997, when his side beat a US team including Tiger Woods at Royal Porthcawl.

Edwards, recently appointed director of coaching at the English Golf Union (EGU), is also a former cirector of player development and coaching at the Golf Union of Wales.

The R&A’s Chief Executive Peter Dawson said: “Nigel proved himself to be as good a captain as he was a player and has already secured his place in Walker Cup history. His experience, not only of team golf but of the wider amateur game, will be a tremendous asset as he prepares teams for both next year’s St Andrews Trophy match at Portmarnock and the 2013 Walker Cup.”