Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland (May 11, 2007) -- When Great Britain & Ireland bid to recapture the Walker Cup from the United States at Royal County Down from September 8-9, crowds will be limited to 10,000 each day and indications are that demand may well exceed supply.
"If we could accommodate more people safely we would do so, but moving crowds around on this course is particularly difficult," said R&A Director of Championships, David Hill. "We think that giving every club in Ireland an allocation of tickets is the fairest thing to do. There will be allocations for the United Kingdom and America as well."
Interest in the event will be increased by the likely inclusion in the GB&I team of Rory McIlroy of Ireland, currently in sixth place on The R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking. "To have somebody of his extraordinary talent definitely ramps up the interest," commented team captain Colin Dalgleish.
GB&I suffered a one point defeat in the last Walker Cup match in Chicago two years ago after three successive victories. At Nairn in 1999 the home side recorded a resounding 15-9 victory, a score that was repeated at Ocean Forest, Georgia, in 2001. Only one point separated the teams when GB&I won again at Ganton in 2003, but that result was reversed in Chicago in 2005.
** Story courtesy Royal and Ancient Golf Association **
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The Walker Cup: Crowds of 10k Likely Each Day
When Great Britain & Ireland bid to recapture the Walker Cup from the United States at Royal County Down from September 8-9, crowds will be limited to 10,000 each day and indications are that demand may well exceed supply.