Hutcheon gets Ryder Cup stars to rally the troops ahead of PGA Cup showdown

14/09/2022

Greig Hutcheon is hoping some inspirational words from a few Ryder Cup stars can help rouse GB&I’s spirits ahead of The PGA Cup encounter with the USA at the Foxhills Club & Resort next weekend.

The 49-year-old used his appearance in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth to make contact with the likes of Ian Poulter and Jamie Donaldson and get them to deliver a rallying cry for the transatlantic tussle of PGA professionals in Surrey.

“I thought it would be nice to get some inspirational video messages from some of the Ryder Cup boys and send them to the GB&I team on our WhatsApp group chat,” said the Scot, who will be making his second appearance in The PGA Cup. “We are all really looking forward to it and hopefully the messages help to fire us up.”

Hutcheon, who booked his place on DJ Russell’s team by winning The PGA play-offs, has fond memories of Foxhills having holed the putt that sealed GB&I’s commanding 16-10 victory the last time the biennial match was held there in 2017.

It was a special moment for the hardy Aberdonian given that he’d been nursing a niggling injury in the build-up to the encounter.

“I was very proud of my efforts in 2017,” reflected the former Scottish PGA champion. “Foxhills has good memories for me. I had a nasty injury for four or five months in the build up and when I arrived at the match I sat down with the captain, Albert MacKenzie, and said, ‘look, I’m not great captain’.

“But he was great with me. He rested me a couple of times in the afternoon matches and I managed to come out in the singles and hole the putt that clinched the match. It was a great honour and one which I will always treasure. It meant a lot because you’re trying your guts out for your team and your country.”

The win meant a lot to his caddie too. “I had Shifter (Paul McConnolly), a hard little Glasgow caddie, on my bag,” reflected Hutcheon. “I holed the putt and I gave him a hug and there was a tear in his eye. He denies it but there was. I managed to pull some emotion out of that hard wee man. That shows what it meant to everybody.”

Hutcheon may be approaching his half century but his unwavering competitive spirit remains a hallmark of his great longevity.

“I’m nearly 50 but it’s nice to still be experiencing events like this and it keeps the juices flowing,” said the Tartan Tour stalwart, who made his PGA Cup debut in the thrilling share of the spoils at Slaley Hall back in 2013.

“We had a super team in 2017 and we’ve got another super one this time. Hopefully, we can reproduce the form of 2017 at Foxhills again. I’ve played a lot of big tour events this year thanks to my PGA Play-offs win and The PGA Cup is going to be another great highlight of my season.

“The team aspect is something I really enjoy. You’ve got the uniforms, the camaraderie, everything. You’re not playing for yourself, you’re part of a wider cause and because of that, there’s a lot more emotion involved too. We’re all eager to get going.”

First played in 1973, The PGA Cup is a biennial contest between The PGA of Great Britain & Ireland and America. Widely regarded as the pinnacle of a PGA professional’s career, the winner of the Ryder Cup style format at Foxhills will win the Llandudno International Trophy. The USA are this year’s defending champions after defeating GB&I 14-12 at Barton Creek Resort in Texas in 2019.