Captain’s pick Lee gearing up for PGA Cup debut
25/09/2019
Craig Lee admits he is likely to be Great Britain & Ireland’s ‘joker in the pack’ as Cameron Clark’s 10-man team head to America looking to claim an historic third consecutive PGA Cup victory.
The Stirling-based PGA Professional amassed almost 200 appearances as a player on the European Tour with his best season coming in 2013.
He came 59th in the Race to Dubai and lost out to former European Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjorn in a play-off to finish runner-up in the European Masters.
Now working as a teaching professional, the 42-year-old is gearing up for his first PGA Cup experience at Barton Creek Resort, Austin, Texas from September 27-29.
Asked where representing Great Britain & Ireland in a PGA Cup ranks in his career, Lee commented: “It’s right up there. Any time you get to pull a jersey on and represent your country is very special.
“If you’re not going to get into the Ryder Cup this is the next biggest thing. It’s going to be a great week and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Lee finished third in the Titleist & FootJoy PGA Professional Championship in June but narrowly missed out on an automatic place in the team due to a lack of accumulated points from the same event the previous year.
However, Clark threw Lee a lifeline by selecting the Scotsman as his ‘captain’s pick’.
“Getting the ‘captain’s pick’ was quite a big honour for me,” Lee revealed. “I was delighted to get the pick. I really wanted to play my way into the team at the Titleist & FootJoy PGA Professional Championship but I just fell shy by one shot.
“It did come as a surprise. You never know what’s going through the captain’s mind. How does he want to play it? Who does he want in the team? Does he want young blood in the team or does he go for a bit of an older dog like myself who’s been given the chance to play in a PGA Cup.”
Asked what qualities he can bring to the team, Lee added: “I’m quite a laid back, easy-going lucky kind of person so hopefully that might help relax any of the other players who might have some tension. You never know what’s going to happen but it’s going to be good fun.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to produce some good golf in America, but I can also help with the camaraderie behind the scenes and in the locker room. I’ll try and keep people relaxed and if any of the other players need any guidance then we’re all PGA qualified so we can all throw some interesting techniques in there or provide some tips.
“Every one of the players is going to be well suited and we’ll all have a place. Mine will hopefully be bringing a bit of humour and a lot of good golf.”
