Whitby-Smith speaks of his pride ahead of PGA Cup debut

15/09/2022

Daniel Whitby-Smith has spoken of his pride at representing Great Britain & Ireland ahead of his PGA Cup debut against the United States at Foxhills Club & Resort this week.

At 28 years old, Whitby-Smith, who is based at Drayton Park in Staffordshire, is the youngest GB&I PGA Cup team member for the upcoming match against the USA from 16-18^th September.

“I’m really pleased,” said Whitby-Smith. “It’s one of those things that all PGA Professionals want to achieve, and, to do it so young, I’m absolutely delighted. I’m quite proud to be honest.

“Once you turn pro, golf is predominantly an individual sport, so I’m looking forward to it. When you turn pro, you think that’s your team-playing days over.

“You do it quite a lot as a youngster, when you’re playing county golf and that kind of thing, but it’s nice – I know quite a few of the lads, they’re good lads and there is that bit of team spirit already."

As well as preparing to make his PGA Cup debut, the 28-year-old is also a full-time Club Professional, so when he is not working hard on his game, he is running his retail and coaching business at Drayton Park.

“It’s one of those things,” he says. “I suppose because I’m one of the younger lads, and I’ve got no kids, I’m dedicating seven days a week to golf. Some of the lads, when they’re not playing, they’re spending time with family, kids, whereas I might have a tournament one or two days a week and then I’m back at the golf club for the other five.

“I’m dedicating quite a lot of time to it and trying to get the balance right while I can. Although I am playing, I’m doing a lot of work as well. I’ve got my own shop, I coach a bit and I do custom fit too. So, I’m just trying to spin all the plates I suppose, and stay on top of everything, which is quite difficult at times, but at the minute it’s going ok.”

Despite having seven rookies in the team, Whitby-Smith feels GB&I might have the edge given home advantage at Foxhills, especially knowing he’ll be backed by a large number of family and friends at the Surrey venue.

Whitby-Smith added: “Although it would have been nice going over to America, the beauty of it being at home is that there are loads of people planning on travelling from my club and family.

“I think that home support is going to be quite a big thing against the Americans because I think the other lads are the same. We’ll have quite a lot of support down there with us. Hopefully, that’ll work in our favour.”