Walker Cup: GB&I "Here To Win," USA "Building Relationships"

Both teams and captains represented themselves beautifully in the pre-Walker Cup press conferences, but upon further probing there was definitely one huge difference.

USA Captain Jim Holtgrieve repeatedly referenced the importance of "building relationships" for his team, and as Ryan Herrington explains, GB&I Captain Nigel Edwards has a different take (granted after pausing and thinking about it for about 10 seconds).

"I'm here to win," said Nigel Edwards who hopes to keep his record as captain unblemished after leading GB&I to an upset win over the Americans at Royal Aberdeen in 2011 and will be aided by the reigning U.S. Amateur (Matt Fitzpatrick) and British Amateur (Garrick Porteous) champions. 
 
The same is true for Jim Holtgrieve, although the U.S. captain doesn't make it his first priority. While leaving Scotland two years ago disappointed his 10-man squad ended the U.S. three-match win streak, Holtgrieve came away with a renewed sense that the biennial competition was about more than the end result.

So it was that Holtgrieve inspired the USGA's new mandate that at least two mid-amateurs be part of future Walker Cup teams, convinced their presence would lead to a richer experience for the entire team on the personal level in terms of developing attachments and life-long bonds.