U.S. Team hopes for home-soil advantage this week

After having its long PGA Cup winning streak snapped in an upset at the K Club in Ireland two years ago, a veteran United States Team descends on Reynolds Plantation in Georgia this week in search of the comforts of home.

By Bob Denney, PGA of America

GREENSBORO, Ga. -- When the gates to The Oconee Course at Reynolds Plantation opened in 2002, course architect Rees Jones believed that he had met the task to ensure that it would be a fun resort layout for its worldwide guests. Jones also found the course would serve as a match play dream location.

Beginning Friday, PGA Golf Professionals from the United States and their counterparts from Great Britain & Ireland will judge whether Jones' scenic design east of Atlanta will be as memorable as they bid to reclaim a trophy from Great Britain & Ireland in the 23rd PGA Cup.

The premier international event for PGA Golf Professionals, which is a "cousin" of the Ryder Cup, is being hosted at a venue that PGA Master Professional/Director of Golf Mark Lammi said, "couldn't be a better spot for a great match. I'm excited to showcase this facility to all my colleagues in The PGA of America."

The PGA Cup, the first to be contested Georgia, concludes Sunday. The United States has not lost on home soil, and owns a 14-5-3 overall record.

"This is a course that is friendly to the resort guests and our members, but it also gives the talented players more risk-reward shots," said Lammi, a 1999 graduate of Penn State University's PGA Professional Golf Management Program. "You can go for the par 5s in two, but if you are off a bit, you can be penalized. You don't have to be on the defensive all the time and I think that will result in many exciting matches."

It makes it all the more imperative that the U.S. Team does not get off to a slow start. The United States has not lost a PGA Cup competition on home soil, since the event's origin in 1973. It saw a 21-year win streak snapped two years ago, when it fell 15-11, at The K Club in Ireland.

"We couldn't ask for better conditions this week," said Lammi. "It was a very hot season, with 12-13 days averaging more than 100 degrees. But, the Oconee Course never left us. It just took three to four days of cooler weather and it was back to strength."

If the U.S. fails to reclaim the Llandudno International Trophy, it won't be due to a lack of experience.

The 10-member American unit is led by four PGA Professional National Champions: reigning titlist Chip Sullivan of Troutville, Va.; 2006 National Champion Ron Philo Jr. of Amelia Island, Fla., 2005 Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., and two-time Champion (2000, 2003) Tim Thelen of College Station, Texas, who is making his fourth consecutive PGA Cup appearance.

"Making the PGA Cup Team and representing our 28,000 member professionals and our country is quite a burden," said Sullivan, 42, the PGA head professional at Ashley Plantation in Daleville, Va. "I hope that I can play well. It will be the biggest thrill of my life.

"I do feel good about our team. We have some very strong players. If they can play the way they are capable of playing, we can win."

Rounding out the U.S. Team are Ryan Benzel of Bothell, Wash., Lee Rinker of Jupiter, Fla., Alan Schulte of Fishers, Ind., Butch Sheehan of Rancho Mirage, Calif., Chris Starkjohann of Cardiff by the Sea, Calif., and Don Yrene of Scottsdale, Ariz. Rinker competed once in the PGA Cup, in a 1992 victory in England, while Philo and Small made their debuts on the 2006 U.S. Team.

"I was able to bring some of my members to play the Oconee Course last March, and thought it was the perfect setting for match play," said Sullivan. "I don't think that we could ask for a better place for the PGA Cup. I've been waiting for this week for a long time."

The U.S. Team was determined following play June 24, in the 40th PGA Professional National Championship at Crosswater Golf Club in Sunriver, Ore. For the first time, the U.S. Team was determined through a two-year point system that included a player's performance in the 2006 and 2007 National Championships.

Small, the head men's golf coach at the University of Illinois, is the point leader for 2007 PGA Golf Professional Player of the Year honors. He won the Illinois Open a day before he competed in the 89th PGA Championship in Tulsa, Okla., and came away from the major with Low PGA Club Professional honors. He added the Illinois PGA Championship to his list of victories earlier this month.

Thelen, 46, is director of instruction at Traditions Club at Texas A&M in Bryan, Texas, and owns a glossy 10-3-0 match record.

"The loss we experienced two years ago in Ireland was a great wake-up call," said Thelen. "We won't need a locker room speech to motivate us this year."

"The PGA Cup is a one-of-a-kind event for a PGA Professional, and we are fortunate to be playing this event at a tremendous site that will test players on both teams," said PGA of America Honorary President Roger Warren, who will captain the U.S. Team. "We face a talented GB&I Team, and we will focus all our efforts in bringing the Llandudno Trophy back to America."

The Americans will face a Great Britain & Ireland team captained by Gary Alliss of The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England. The GB&I Team was selected June 22, following the Glenmuir Club Professional Championship at Royal Porthcawl, England.

Veterans Paul Wesselingh of Derby, England, and reigning Glenmuir PGA Club Professional Champion John Dwyer of County Meath, Ireland, will guide the GB& I Team. Wesselingh, 45, is making his fifth Cup appearance and Dwyer, 34, has earned his third trip.

They are joined by eight rookies: Andrew Barnett, North Wales Golf Range, Clwyd, Wales; John Bevan, Wessex Golf Centre, Weymouth, England; Craig Goodfellow, Carlisle Driving Range, Cumbria, England; Duncan Muscroft, Montecchia Golf Club, Padova, Italy; Michael Nesbit, Westerhope Golf Club, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England; George Ryall, Players Club, Bristol, England; Danny Taylor, Swingers Golf Range, Lichfield, England; and James Whatley, Morley Hayes Golf Club, Ilkeston, England.

Oconee, which carries a double meaning by the Cherokee for "Water Eyes of the Hills" or "Place of the Springs," is aptly titled for a championship course that may extend to more than 7,100 yards. The famed lake comes into play on five holes, and additional water hazards affecting four other holes. The Oconee Course's distinguishing feature is its quartet of par-3 holes, ranging from 171 to 231 yards, which feature elevated tee shots and numerous water hazards.

The PGA of America is the world's largest working sports organization comprised of 28,000 men and women golf Professionals who are the recognized experts in growing, teaching and managing the game of golf while serving millions of people throughout its 41 PGA Sections nationwide. Since its founding in 1916, The PGA of America has enhanced its leadership position in a $62 billion-a-year industry by growing the game of golf through its premier spectator events, world-class education and training programs, significant philanthropic outreach initiatives, and award-winning golf promotions. Today's PGA Professional is the public's link to the game, serving an essential role in the operation of golf facilities throughout the country.