IN-FORM WALKER DEFENDS GERMAN TITLE
Richard Walker hopes to strengthen his chances of Walker
Cup selection if he can make a successful defence of the 54-hole
German International Open Amateur Championship near Cologne
next week.
The 31 year old Lancastrian will be accompanied at the Golfclub
Am Alten Fliess on 25-27 April by the Yorkshire pair of Graeme
Clark (Doncaster) and Michael Skelton (Middlesbrough), all
three being England Elite Squad members.
Walker goes to Germany in a rich vein of form having won
the Portuguese Amateur title last month and finished fourth
with four sub-par rounds in the Sherry Cup at Sotogrande while
helping England win the European Nations Cup.
“It will be nice to achieve what I did in Germany last
year,” he says. “If I can it will be the first
time I’ve ever done that and it would be even nicer
if we could finish 1-2-3."
“My major aim this year is the Walker Cup and a win
in Germany would boost my chances. The German event is also
good preparation for next month’s Lytham and Brabazon
Trophies.”
A year ago, Walker lifted the title with a five-under-par
total of 211, finishing six strokes ahead of Martin Wiegele
of Austria.
Clark and Skelton also know that victory for them would boost
their Walker Cup credentials. Like their colleague they are
members of the Walker Cup squad and know that a successful
season might secure them a Cup debut at Ganton in September.
Both Clark, 26, and 18-year-old Skelton helped Yorkshire
retain the English County Championship in Jersey last September,
while Skelton won the Daily Telegraph Junior Championship
in Sun City, South Africa, in November.
The German Championship will be played over 54 holes with
a cut after round two. There will also be a Nations Cup running
alongside the main event comprising three-man teams, this
being decided on the two best scores of each team over the
first two rounds.
The Golfclub Am Alten Fliess is a comparatively new course
situated 12km west of Cologne. It was designed by Kurt Rossknecht,
opened in 1995 and has a par of 72.
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