Walker Cup 2015: A bluffer’s guide

What’s it all about?

The Walker Cup is a biennial tournament featuring 10 players from Britain and Ireland competing against a team of 10 from the USA. The trophy is named after George Herbert Walker, grandfather of former US president George W Bush - who was president of the United States Golf Association (USGA) when the match was initiated in the 1920s. It is a two-day tournament, with four foursomes and eight singles on the first day and four foursomes and 10 singles on the second and final day. Victory in a match scores one point and halved matches (level after 18 holes) get a half point for each side. The USA require 13 points to retain the trophy, B&I need 13 points to regain it.

Are these guys any good?

Yes, very good. Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Pádraig Harrington – among other giants of the game – all played in the Walker Cup before moving on to the professional ranks. "When I was selected for the Walker Cup, it took my mindset from being just another golfer to being one of the best. It was a big part of my career," said Nicklaus. It is increasingly a young man's event, with Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler and Dustin Johnson using it as their last hurrah to the amateur ranks – in 2007 – before turning pro. The Americans have two mid-ams on their team (38 and 52) but the oldest player on the home team is Ashley Chesters, at 26.

Have Britain and Ireland any chance?

Over the years, the USA has dominated the Walker Cup and currently has a substantial lead over Britain and Ireland: the Americans have won 35, lost eight with one match halved. However, the gap has narrowed in the past two decades and B&I actually won three successive matches from 1999 to 2003 inclusive. The last win by B&I was in 2011 at Royal Aberdeen. The bookies have installed the home side as 10/11 favourites, mainly because of their familiarity with the tough Lytham links, with the USA at 11/10 and a draw at 12/1. So, yes, Britain and Ireland have a chance . . . a great chance.

How much do the players earn?

Zilch! Nada! Zero! The players may not earn a single red cent for their endeavours over the two days but the match is seen as a route into the professional game for many young guns and certainly has the propensity to open doors into tour events for players on sponsors' invites. Gavin Moynihan, for one, has already secured an invite into next week's Italian Open on the European Tour and a number of other players are expected to turn pro – looking for invites or targeting Q-School – in a bid to get tour cards for 2016.

How come Ireland has five players on the 10-man team?

They are there purely on merit. This is a record number of players from Ireland: the previous best was four. The team is selected by representatives from the four home golfing unions but the Irish quintet have, throughout the season, contended week-in and week-out at all the of the top amateur championships.