Amid the teenagers and the 20-somethings of the GB&I Walker Cup training squad, the name of 50-year-old Euan McIntosh stands out like, well, a 50-year-old amid the teenagers and 20-somethings.
The 26-man squad unveiled by the R&A yesterday, from which a good chunk of the final 10-man side to face the USA in the biennial battle at Royal Liverpool later this season will be picked, features Glasgow-born McIntosh and five other Scottish hopefuls.
McIntosh’s inclusion, though, is particularly noteworthy. Last season, of course, the former professional won the Scottish Amateur Championship at Blairgowrie at the age of 49 and became the oldest winner of that particular title since the celebrated, decorated Charlie Green in 1983.
Having reached his half century, McIntosh, who topped the domestic order of merit in 2018, is the oldest player in the training squad by 24 years over the next eldest, Caolan Rafferty. The youngest player in the squad is England’s 16-year-old British Boys’ champion, Conor Gough.
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Whether McIntosh does enough over the current campaign to force his way into the final 10 remains to be seen.
It would be a monumental achievement given the youthful talent in the GB&I ranks but age has never been a barrier to success in this game and the Scot will, no doubt, give it his best shot.
The oldest player to represent GB&I in the Walker remains Michael Scott, who was 55 when he played in the match back in 1934.
In the modern era, the decorated Gary Wolstenholme made the last of his six appearances at the age of 44 in 2005.
McIntosh is joined in the squad by Barassie’s Euan Walker, who won the African Amateur Championship earlier this year, and US-based duo Sandy Scott and Ryan Lumsden, who have both made impressive strides on the American college scene.
Kieran Cantley and Jamie Stewart are also in a squad that East Renfrewshire stalwart Craig Watson, the GB&I team captain, will keep an eye on as 2019 progresses.
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