The team golf season begins in St. Andrews



by ANDREA GUSSONI

The team golf season begins in St. Andrews
The team golf season begins in St. Andrews © Getty Images Sport - Warren Little / Staff

With the FedEx Cup concluded, the team golf season kicks off this week with the historic Walker Cup to be played on the Old Course at St. Andrews. The Waker Cup is golf's oldest team competition, and until the 1950s it was considered more important than the Ryder Cup.

The tournament is held on the same format as the Ryder, pitting the best amateur players in the United States against the best in the UK and Ireland. The level of competition is very high, and this year the event is made even more special by the fact that it will be played on the Old Course at St.

Andrews.

St. Andrews, schedule

The Old Course is the oldest course in the world and still today it is one of the best, if not the best. The strategic qualities of the holes are incomparable, and all the golf course architecture that developed later is inspired by this course.
The first Open Championship played on the Old Course dates back to 1873, and these links still manage to create a show by testing the best players in the world as they did at last year's Open.

The match play formula further enhances the course strategy dictated by the absurd natural undulations of the greens and pot bunkers, making this year's Walker Cup an event not to be missed for golf enthusiasts. The Old Course starts and finishes in the heart of the town of St Andrews, and for reasons of space and visibility we will never see a Ryder Cup played on this course.

The Walker Cup, on the other hand, having a much smaller audience, can be played on the best courses in the world without having space problems. The roster of courts that have hosted this tournament and will host it in the future is outstanding, probably better than even any pro major.

Just think of the last edition played at the Seminole Golf Club and the next one that will be played at Cypress Point. This is why this year's Walker Cup will be so special, and together with the Solheim Cup which will be played in Spain from 22 to 24 September at Finca Cortesín, it will be an excellent starter for the Ryder Cup at the Marco Simone.