For upsetting cup odds

and Fife’s Connor Syme also used the Walker Cup as a stepping stone to the pro game, in 2017.

While the odds will again hugely favour the United States when the 50th match is played at the Cypress Point Club on California’s Monterey Peninsula in September 2025, there seems no reason for GB&I to fear the outcome.

The old adage that golf is a great leveller never rang truer than at St Andrews on the 100th anniversary of the first home match.

With eight of the American side featuring in the top 10 of the world amateur golf rankings while the hosts did not have a single player among the elite, it appeared on paper at least to be a hopeless task.

But the underdogs came close to pulling off the biggest upset of all-time when they led by three points heading into the singles.

The United States’ far greater strength-in-depth told in the end when they dominated the final session to the extent that GB&I won only two of the 10 singles matches.

Scotland’s Dean Robertson will oversee GB&I fortunes in the role of captain and he is already closely assessing the likely candidates for selection.

The 53-year-old former Italian Open champion also has history against the United States, having coached the European Arnold Cup-winning team of 2009 on American soil.

So, too, does Catriona Matthew, the two-time winning Solheim Cup captain who has been charged with the responsibility of leading GB&I’s Curtis Cup team at Sunningdale later this year.

Like their male counterparts, the ladies trail their rivals by a huge margin of just eight wins and three halved matches compared to 31 victories by the United States.

But with the remarkable Matthew at the helm, the 43rd match is by no means a foregone conclusion.

Scotland’s Connor Graham and Calum Scott during last year’s Walker Cup.