LAHINCH, Ireland — If Dean Robertson’s Great Britain & Ireland team falls short in the 51st Walker Cup, it certainly won't be for a lack of preparation.
Following a painful defeat at Cypress Point, the 56-year-old Scottish captain immediately diagnosed his squad's fatal flaw: Sunday singles. At Cypress Point, Team USA dominated the final session, taking 8.5 of 10 available points and amassing 14 total singles points across the weekend. In fact, since the Sunday singles session expanded to 10 matches in 2009, the Americans have won eight of nine overall contests, averaging a dominant 11.33 points across the 18 total singles matches per event.
Determined to stop the bleeding, Robertson turned to the playbook that has fueled European success in the Ryder Cup. Robertson borrowed strategies popularized by former captain Paul McGinley and current captain Luke Donald. Key takeaways include building momentum early, meaning a fast start on Saturday morning foursomes and breaking the matches into more digestible chunks..
"We've had a few training sessions over the course of the year, and that's something that I've integrated into that in terms of small matches, whether it be three-hole matches or six-hole matches, but really an emphasis on the head-to-head match play," Robertson said.
To sharpen that competitive edge, Robertson leveraged his connections in professional golf, bringing seasoned European Tour players — including Richie Ramsay, Grant Forrest, David Law, Jack McDonald, and Cameron Adam — to battle his amateur squad at Dumbarnie Links.
The unconventional strategy paid immediate psychological dividends. England’s Eliot Baker, 23, who went 0-2 in singles at Cypress Point, earned a thrilling 1-up victory over Ramsay during their head-to-head match.
"It gives us a lot of confidence going into this week, knowing that we can beat them with all their experience on a links course," Baker said. "They were fully into it, they didn’t want to lose, and we didn’t want to lose, so it was good to get a strong match ahead of this."
Ramsay echoed the immense value of the exercise for the amateur side:
"It sounds funny, but I've always felt since I was young that if you play with better players, you raise your game a bit more," Ramsay noted. "They understand that singles is, you could say, a weakness and something they need to get better at, and it seems like they're targeting that."
Beyond tactical preparation, Mother Nature may provide the ultimate assist. Heavy Atlantic winds and difficult weather conditions are forecast to hit Lahinch starting Saturday, giving the home side's deep links familiarity a distinct edge against an American roster that looks stronger on paper.
"We've got to master the challenges that are in front of us with the golf course," Robertson said. "We've got confidence in our preparation, and we have got a game plan, and we'll stick to our game plan."