U.S., GB&I teams pumped up for pressure-packed PGA Cup

Both teams feature a blend of youth and experience, not to mention esteemed captains leading the way. But they all know that the 24th PGA Cup is unlike any event they play, which means it will take some expert play -- and a little luck -- to capture the coveted Llandudno International Golf Trophy.

By Bob Denney, Special to PGA.com

You might argue that preparing for the 24th PGA Cup has always been in Gary Alliss' blood. After all, had not his grandfather, Percy Alliss, and his father, Peter -- each Ryder Cup veterans -- maintained the family's heirloom, there may not have been a worthy piece of hardware available to award either team in the showcase international event for PGA Professionals.

Fortunately for club professionals on both sides of the Atlantic, the 18-pound, 26-inch high Llandudno International Golf Trophy with the Welsh surname survived a German bomb that detonated in the Alliss neighborhood during World War II. Today, the Llandudno Trophy adds luster to a competition that just keeps getting better with age.

The 24th PGA Cup, "the Ryder Cup for the club professional," will be conducted Sept. 18-20, for the fourth time in the cradle of golf -- Scotland -- and for the first time at The Carrick at De Vere Deluxe Golf Resort at Cameron House on Loch Lomond. The U.S. will have six "rookies" and Great Britain & Ireland will have five on their respective player rosters. Host Great Britain & Ireland returns Gary Alliss as Captain after he guided a near-historic upset on U.S. soil in 2007, before a Sunday singles rally by the Americans led to a 13 1/2 to 12 1/2 victory at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga.

"I'm blessed to have been granted the honor of once again serving as Captain, and I know that our guys will be ready to play," says Alliss, who doubled the past few seasons as a national coach of Slovakia along with his full-time post as head professional and manager of the PGA National Golf Academy at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England.

"There are many similarities between both teams, a blend of both experience and youth. We may have an advantage of having been together so often throughout the year. Britain is a small island and you get to see each other much more often in competition."

The United States owns a 15-5-3 advantage in the PGA Cup, and is 4-1-1 since 1986 on overseas visits. However, U.S. Captain and PGA Honorary President Brian Whitcomb of Bend, Ore., is not about to feel comfortable about past achievements.

"I'm looking forward to this PGA Cup, knowing the Great Britain & Ireland Team will be very strong," says Whitcomb. "This will be the fourth PGA Cup that I am able to be a part of, and I have seen the level of play go up and up on both sides.

"Our team members played great on two very challenging courses in New Mexico at the National Championship, and several of them have had the experience this season of going on and competing against the best in the world and playing before large crowds at the PGA Championship."

While Alliss can draw motivation from his family's historical ties to the Cup, Whitcomb spent time with someone who proved he could motivate at a critical time -- 2008 Ryder Cup Captain Paul Azinger.

"I've been blessed to have been around Paul Azinger and watch him work as Captain for the 2008 Ryder Cup Team," notes Whitcomb. "He did so many of the little things that helped make a winning team. I've asked Paul for advice and will use as many of the components as possible to determine what may be the best combinations for us in match play."

Reigning PGA Professional National Champion Mike Small of Champaign, Ill., making his third straight PGA Cup appearance, leads a foursome of veterans, including 2007 PGA Cup hero Ryan Benzel of Bothell, Wash., who scored a critical half-point to lift the U.S. to victory; Steve Schneiter of Sandy, Utah, the 1995 PGA Professional National Champion who competed in 1996; and Lee Rinker, 49, of Jupiter, Fla., who was a team member in 1992 and 2007.

The 2009 Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, Small may be extra motivated for performing well after a disappointing PGA Championship where he missed the 36-hole cut.

"I love the match-play format," says Small. "Now I get to experience what my players face throughout the season. It's a great opportunity to learn more about the team dynamics in golf and how to face the pressures. I'm going to take a valuable lesson out of this trip."

Rounding out the U.S. Team, which was determined July 1 following play in the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship at Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., are six talented rookies: Kyle Flinton of Oklahoma City, Okla.; 2008 PGA Professional National Champion Scott Hebert of Traverse City, Mich.; Eric Lippert of Marina, Calif; Mark Sheftic of Ambler, Pa.; Sonny Skinner of Sylvester, Ga.; and Craig Thomas of White Plains, N.Y.

Benzel, 30, said he made earning a return trip to the PGA Cup his No. 1 goal over the past two seasons. Two years ago, Benzel birdied the 18th hole of his singles match against Great Britain & Ireland Cup veteran Paul Wesselingh to gain the critical half point.

"Making the '09 PGA Cup Team is probably the most satisfying thing I've done yet in golf," says Benzel, a PGA teaching professional at Battle Creek Golf Course in Tulalip, Wash. "I hope that there are some more big moments like that (final hole in 2007). I'm sure that Paul (Wesselingh) and I will see each other again in some match.

"I hope that my teammates are home practicing to replicate the bump-and-run shots you may face. I've practiced with my dad at Bandon Dunes in Oregon, which may be the most similar course conditions to the U.K. that I can find near me."

The host site, the par-71 Carrick, plays to 7,082 yards, and has been acclaimed since its 2007 debut as one of Scotland's top 100 courses.

Paul Wesselingh, a head professional at Kedelston Park in Derby, England, is making his sixth PGA Cup appearance. Joining him will be Cup rookie and newly crowned Glenmuir PGA Champion James Lee of Caerphilly Golf Club in South Wales and reigning Wales Open Champion Will Barnes of Lancashire, England. Fellow team members Andrew Barnett of Denbigshire, Wales, and Jon Bevan of Dorset, England, competed with Wesselingh on the 2007 GB&I team. Paul Simpson of West Berkshire, England competed in 1998.

Rounding out the GB&I team, determined June 19 following the Glenmuir PGA Championship at Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, Scotland, are first-time Cup competitors James Harris of Kent, England; Craig Matheson, at 26, the youngest on the team, a native Scot, who lives in Falkirk, England; Jeremy Robinson of Evesham, England; and Barry Taylor of St. Helens, England.

Wesselingh, 47, says that he doesn't have to do anything special to get enthusiastic about the PGA Cup.

"I always get up for the PGA Cup," says Wesselingh, who holds a second-degree black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do and is an avid student of biomechanics. "We normally do not play match play, but I'm a big fan of it. The PGA Cup is such a good event. I'm delighted that Gary will return as Captain. He deserved that second chance after guiding us so well in a near-victory in Georgia two years ago. We'll be working hard for him."

This story appears courtesy of PGA Magazine, the official publication of The PGA of America.