The Walker Cup is no longer something we're looking at from the outside.
For Episode 4 of the PaddyTalks Golf Walker Cup Series, I sit down with Michael Hoey, a former Walker Cup player, five time European Tour winner and current DP World Tour referee, to hear what it is actually like to represent Great Britain and Ireland in one of amateur golf's greatest team events.
Michael's earliest Walker Cup memories came from watching players such as Phil Mickelson at Portmarnock in 1991. A decade later, he found himself walking onto the first tee at Ocean Forest as part of a GB&I team packed with future stars.
We go back to the moment the Walker Cup became something Michael genuinely wanted to play in, the selection process, receiving the call and arriving in America.
And then we get into the matches.
Michael was paired with Graham McDowell for both foursomes sessions, winning both matches, before adding another point in the singles to finish the week with three points for GB&I.
Perhaps the most interesting perspective comes from Michael looking back on the tournament now.
At the time, he was a young amateur trying to establish himself.
Now, with a successful professional career behind him and years spent refereeing at the highest level, he can look back and understand just how valuable that experience was.
And ultimately, his advice to the current GB&I team is simple:
Do it as a team.
That's what Michael remembers most.
The team synergy.
The partnerships.
The pride of representing GB&I.
And the feeling of contributing to something bigger than yourself.
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