Ruth relishing team format ahead of PGA Cup debut

15/09/2022

Playing in the PGA Cup is the pinnacle for every PGA Professional, that’s according to James Ruth who is set to make his debut in the competition this week for Great Britain & Ireland.

Ruth is one of seven rookies in David (DJ) Russell’s 10-man team who will be looking to win back the Llandudno International Trophy when they face the United States at Foxhills Club & Resort, Surrey from 16-18th September.

“I’m really excited to be part of the Great Britain & Ireland team,” said Ruth, who was selected as one of Captain David Russell’s picks. “It was a goal of mine at the start of the year. I love playing in a team format so I can’t wait to get going.

“As an amateur I played a lot of team golf for Devon and I had some success for England which was nice, so I’m really looking forward to playing in the PGA Cup.

“Any time you can represent your country is about as good as you can do as a PGA Professional. Getting onto some of the bigger tours is a bigger goal but certainly for a PGA Professional, this is as big as it gets. When you go through your PGA training the hope is to play in the PGA Cup and that’s something I can tick off the list.”

Ruth is a coach at China Fleet Golf & Country Club in Cornwall. The 37-year-old has been drawing on the experiences of fellow pros in the South West region ahead of his PGA Cup debut.

He continued: “A friend of mine, Paul Hendriksen, played in 2015 and Michael Watson is from our region too. Those guys have come back and said what an amazing event it is, with deep history, so I know it’s a big event and I’m happy to be involved.”

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 week’s end at Foxhills will win the famous Llandudno International Trophy. The USA are this year’s defending champions after defeating GB&I 14-12 at Barton Creek Resort, Texas in 2019.

Asked what he thought of the team and Great Britain & Ireland’s chances this week at Foxhills, Ruth added: “I’ve played with quite a few of the team. They’re a great bunch of guys and they’re all good players so it should be a really good week and very fun.

“We have only three players who have played in the PGA Cup before, but most of the guys are edging towards 30 or are in their 30s so we’ve got a lot of experienced players, so I don’t think seven rookies will faze us too much.”