Milligan urges Scots to enjoy their shot at ‘pinnacle of amateur golf’

AS A joiner, Jim Milligan spends much of his time working up on roofs. He was also on a high 22 years ago after clinching a historic first-ever Walker Cup win for Great Britain & Ireland on American soil.

Milligan’s performance at Peachtree, where the Kilmarnock (Barassie) man was the only Scot in the visiting side, was the catalyst for the biennial event losing its tag as the “Walk-over Cup” and becoming a much more even contest, having been won by GB&I players another four times since then.

The Americans still hold a commanding 34-7 overall lead and head into the latest clash at Royal Aberdeen this weekend as favourites again due to the fact they’ve not only got some of the world’s top-ranked players in their side but, on this occasion, a couple of Nationwide Tour winners as well.

Yet, if the GB&I captain, Nigel Edwards, can get his players to show the same dogged determination as Milligan did back in 1989 in the sweltering Augusta heat, then a repeat of the win the last match in Scotland produced, at Nairn 12 years ago, could be on the cards.

Playing in the anchor match in the final-day singles, the Ayrshireman was up against the vastly experienced Jay Sigel.

With Englishman Geoff Marks at the helm, GB&I were leading 12-11 and needed Milligan to secure a halve to wrap up the win.

He was three down with with seven to play, but won the 12th and 14th. What happened at the 17th was one of the most dramatic events in Walker Cup history. Milligan fluffed his first chip but then holed the next one to effectively seal that all-important half point. The triumph was only the third by GB&I in the event, the other two both having come at St Andrews – in 1938 and 1971. It also completed a clean sweep of the three leading team trophies at that time, as both the Curtis Cup and Ryder Cup were also being held on this side of the Atlantic.

“Whenever the Walker Cup comes around, it always brings back good memories for me,” Milligan told The Scotsman. “I sometimes look back at pictures, especially if Ewan [his son] digs them out. I was thinking about going up to Aberdeen but, at 11, he’s maybe a bit young. I will definitely be watching it on TV, though.”

Milligan remembers the events at Peachtree as though they happened last week. “It is so difficult when you are out there on your own,” recalled the 48-year-old. “You know the situation – you know exactly what is happening. No-one can retrieve the situation if it goes wrong.

“At the 17th, my first chip didn’t reach the green, but neither did his. It was so difficult – the rough was so tough. Then I chipped the next one in and that was a great feeling.”

The 2011 team also includes an Ayrshireman in Troon Welbeck’s Michael Stewart and Milligan, who succeeded Colin Montgomerie as Scottish Amateur champion in 1988, beating Andrew Coltart in the final, is urging him and fellow Scot James Byrne to savour the experience this week.

“I would like to think players still look as the Walker Cup being the pinnacle of amateur golf,” he said. “What I remember most is that it goes past so quick. They are there for a week and it goes in the blink of an eye. My message to these boys is make sure you make the most of it. They won’t realise that at the time. In 1989, it felt as though we there forever but, at the end of the day, it is a short period of time.

“I’m pleased to see Michael Stewart in the team and James Byrne, too, but the boy David Law should have been in as well. Looking at his record, there’s no doubt in my opinion that he should have been picked. Sadly, it is down to politics – that has always been the case.

“The game itself, though, has changed completely. The amateurs are more professional now and also much fitter. Looking back, I could not play at the level I did if I was still trying to work at the same time.

“As for who’s going to win this weekend, it is hard for me to tell when I don’t know the players. I think the Americans will be stronger but, at the same time, I’d like to think we’ll have a chance on home soil.”

After spending the past 20 years concentrating on family matters, Milligan is getting a taste for playing again, although he reckons he has a long way to go to get his game to a level where he can be competitive once more with the likes of fellow Ayrshireman Allan Thomson, the 1989 Scottish champion who is still going strong.

“My business is still the main focus these days and my family as well, but I’m starting to play a bit more,” he said.

“I want to sharpen up my game again. I need to get in a bit of practice and also get a couple of lessons. My mind is willing but my body isn’t.”