Nigel Edwards reappointed as GB&I skipper

Nigel Edwards during his playing days for Great Britain and Ireland. 

Nigel Edwards has been reappointed as the Captain of the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team that will face the United States of America at Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in the 2015 match, writes the R&A. He is the first person in the modern era to be invited to captain the GB&I team three times.

Edwards (45) will also captain the GB&I team as they take on the Continent of Europe in the St Andrews Trophy match at Barseback in Sweden on 29 and 30 August this year.

Originally from Caerphilly, Wales, Edwards will serve as Walker Cup Captain for the third time in succession as the GB&I team tries to win back the trophy in England next year. 

He will also serve as Captain of the St Andrews Trophy team for the third time in the biennial match as GB&I look to reclaim the trophy after the Continent of Europe’s narrow 12½ – 11½ victory at Portmarnock in 2012.

A long-time member of Whitchurch Golf Club in Cardiff, Edwards played in four successive Walker Cup matches between 2001 and 2007. He was instrumental in GB&I’s 2003 victory at Ganton Golf Club, holing the winning putt, finishing undefeated and as the match’s leading points-scorer.

After twice playing on the winning side, Edwards completed a hat trick of wins by captaining GB&I to victory in the 2011 match at Royal Aberdeen. Defeated by the US side in the 2013 match at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York, the GB&I team will look to reclaim the Walker Cup on home soil in 2015.

“I’m very proud to have the opportunity to captain the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team for a third time in 2015,” said Edwards. “It will also be a privilege to lead the St Andrews Trophy team for a third time this year. Both events have long histories and we will be aiming to win back the trophies. I am looking forward to continuing my involvement and using my past experience as both a player and Captain to make sure the players are prepared to play to the best of their ability.”

In addition to his Walker Cup successes, Edwards has been part of three victorious GB&I teams in the St Andrews Trophy, featuring in the winning 2002, 2004 and 2006 teams at Lausanne in Switzerland, Nairn in Scotland and Marianske Lazne in the Czech Republic respectively. He captained the teams which lost to the Continent of Europe at Castelconturbia in Italy in 2010 and Portmarnock in 2012.

Edwards was also part of two winning European teams in the Bonallack Trophy match against the Asia-Pacific.

“Nigel has demonstrated great passion and pride for the Walker Cup and the St Andrews Trophy and we are very pleased that he has accepted the invitation to lead the GB&I teams both this year and next,” said Jonathan Plaxton, Chairman of The R&A Selection Committee.

“He has proven to be very popular with the players and his experience in the amateur game will continue to be a tremendous asset as he prepares teams for the St Andrews Trophy and the Walker Cup.”

Edwards is currently Performance Director for England Golf, and previously served as Director of Player Development and Coaching at The Golf Union of Wales.