Garth McGimpsey will bid for a sixth North of Ireland title at Royal Portrush next week despite becoming a weekend golfer.

Walker Cup skipper McGimpsey, 47, hasn't played any serious golf for over a year but his love of Royal Portrush has proved too strong.

"I just had to enter," he revealed. "Portrush is such a special place for me and even though I have not been playing much golf I couldn't say no."

Work commitments and his role as Great Britain and Ireland captain have prevented McGimpsey from hitting the fairways in a serious way this season.

But he's ready to give into temptation and rub shoulders with players over 20 years his junior. If they are lucky he may pass on a few tips

"I don't think I can win," he said. "I've become what I never thought I would become, a weekend golfer.

"Maybe I can get away with it for a while and make the matchplay rounds but after that it becomes too tough."

A supreme match player, McGimpsey was British Amateur champion at Royal Dornoch in 1985 and a member of the Walker Cup side that made history by winning for the first time on American soil at Peachtree in 1989.

"In matchplay you have to play your own game and not worry about the other guy," he said.

"Only if he hits it in the forest can you think, I'll play for a par. Usually in that situation, or when someone is in deep rough, you can take the safer option."

McGimpsey's record of four West of Irelands ('84, '88, '93, '96), three Easts ('88, 94, '98), five Norths ('78, '84, '91, '92, '93) and one Irish Close championship ('88) is right up there with the greats of Irish golf.

And the master of the links has been keeping an eye out for fresh talent as he prepares to captain the side that defends the Walker Cup at Ganton next summer.

Ulster stars Michael Hoey and Graeme McDowell backboned Great Britain and Ireland's 15-9 win at Sea Island almost 12 months ago.

But both have since turned professional, leaving McGimpsey to search for new talent.

"We have lost great players like Luke Donald, Graeme and Michael over the last year to the professional ranks but there is a lot of talent coming through.

"Timing is everything when it comes to moving to professional and perhaps Graeme and Michael felt that the time to go was when their profile was at its highest after the college wins by Graeme and Michael's Masters appearance.

"But the first few months will be difficult for them and it looks as though Michael has lost a little momentum at the moment. But I expect both of them to do well."

McGimpsey took over from pal Peter McEvoy as captain of Great Britain and Ireland team just before Christmas.

And he knows that he Americans will be out for revenge after losing for the second edition on the trot.

"The Americans will be harder to beat than ever now," he said. "I'm sure they'll be looking at their selection process and trying to find a way to beat us.

"But it's a nice change from the days when it was the other way around and we felt that their veteran players gave them the advantage.

"Now people are saying that the Americans need to pick more college players. It shows how short some people's memories are."

McGimpsey's first task will be to steer GB and I to victory in the St Andrew's Trophy match with the Continental Europe

"It's a tremendous honour to be asked to be captain. Peter will be a hard act to follow after two great wins but I think I can do a good job when the match comes around."

Only the second Irishman to be appointed as captain of a Walker Cup team - Sutton's Joe Carr was given the honour in 1965 and 1967 - McGimpsey is Ireland's most-capped amateur international.

Des
Des Smyth is still hopping mad that an Irishman may not captain the Ryder Cup team at the K Club in 2006.

"It really gets my goat that we hear that we HAVE to have Woosie in Wales and we HAVE to have Monty in Scotland. But when it comes to Ireland's turn you hear, "well maybe we don't necessarily have to pick an Irishman'."

Young guns
Young guns Graeme McDowell and Michael Hoey will begin their British Open campaign on Monday in Baltray.

The Ulster stars must play in regional qualifying in order to gain a place at one of the 16 courses in Britain and Ireland.

A total of 1856 players will tee it up for around 125 places in final qualifying from July 15-16 and a place in the Open at Muirfield.

Shark
A back injury has forced US Star Troy Matteson to withdraw from the Palmer Cup match with Great Britain and Ireland at Doonbeg in Clare next week.

Matteson, who won the NCAA individual championship last month, could be out of golf for as much as two months.

Greg Norman and Padraig Harrington will officially open the course with an exhibition match on Tuesday. The Palmer cup will be played on Thursday and Friday.

Walton
Philip Walton's luck seems to be getting worse.

The former Ryder Cup man decided to opt out of qualifying for the Open at Muirfield to play in the lucrative Challenge Tour event in Hamburg.

But now the Gunther Hamburg Classic has been cancelled because of sponsorship problems and Walton is too late to enter the Open qualifying.

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© Brian Keogh 2002

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