With the PGA Cup returning to The K Club for the third time, David Scott’s Great Britain & Ireland team is hoping to channel the 2005 victory over the USA
The PGA Cup returns to Ireland with GB&I chasing more than a trophy. For David Scott, it is a chance to bring together experience, first-time energy and a deep personal connection with the Association in one of team golf’s most testing arenas. The K Club setting, the matchplay format and the long wait since GB&I last lifted the Llandudno International Trophy in 2017 all give the week a sharper edge.
David Scott’s PGA Cup team will be made up of four past players – Gareth Davies, Toby Hunt, Ashley Mansell and Simon Thornton – and six debutants at The K Club. There the Palmer South Course will also see Ben Amor, Harry Casey, Matthew Ford, James Freeman, Gavin Hay and Graeme Robertson line up for the hosts across three days of fourballs, foursomes and the 10 Sunday singles – 26 points up for grabs, with 13.5 the golden ticket.
The Scot is also the General Manager at Dumbarnie Links, having enjoyed a 40-year relationship with the Association – a career that began as an assistant at Blairgowrie before becoming the first ever professional at Letham Grange.
He would move on to Balbirnie Park, then became Director of Golf at Kingsbarns Golf Links, Manager at the Duke’s Course and the Director of Operations at the Old Course Hotel.
It’s an extraordinary journey, particularly when you include a past captaincy of The PGA in Scotland, being awarded Master Professional status in 2018, a PGA Cup appearance for the European team at Turtle Point in South Carolina in 1990 and being the Captain of The PGA in 2025.
“When I was asked to be captain, for once, believe it or not, I was speechless,” said Scott.
“I couldn’t believe it. It’s a huge honour. I had a full year on the road, I visited about 20 national events and it actually took me to the Ryder Cup in Bethpage, also to Italy and Ireland for a couple of events. So I did quite a lot of air miles and road miles. It was worth every single minute,” he explained.
“As a player, a long, long time ago when I didn’t have the grey hair in 1990, I played in the PGA Cup over at Kiawah Island. So, that was a huge honour. I was a young whippersnapper of maybe 26 or so and I played with the mighty Brian Barnes in the fourballs."
“I felt a bit out of my depth, I have to be honest, and I struggled a wee bit there. I managed to get a half point in one of the games, which was great, and I took an awful lot of good memories from there. There were things that I could maybe could have done a little bit better personally but I listened to Richard Bradbeer, the captain, and how he engaged with the team and I learnt from him.
“Then for the next couple of PGA Cups, I was first reserve. I was furious, and I was so keen to get in the team again after the experience that I’d had over in Kiawah. I didn’t quite get over the line but I’ll take some of that experience forward and just ensure that they feel confident about their game. They all rightly deserve to be on the team and I couldn’t be prouder of being in the position. I believe I can help the team win back the PGA Cup.”
Scott has overseen a qualifying period where Mansell, Casey, Hunt, Amor and Hay booked their spots by their efforts at the PGA Professional Championship in 2025 and 2026.
The sixth automatic spot was awarded through the Callaway Chrome Tour PGA Open Series, which combines players’ performances across the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Going into the final event only Freeman and Ford could claim the top spot so Scott confirmed then that both would play, which left picks for Davies, Robertson and Thornton.
As it played out, Freeman would top the Order of Merit, having pieced together some consistently excellent results over the past two seasons.
“I’ve finished first, two seconds, a third and I’ve had six top 10s,” said Freeman. “I am quite consistent and I pride myself on being fit - I train a lot - and I just thought to myself, ‘the Order of Merit is my best chance to get in’. I figured that if I can pick my favourite courses as well and try and play a bit more of a schedule, I felt like my consistency might be rewarded and it has been. Also, this is my 10th year of being a PGA Professional which is great.”
Freeman and his nine new team-mates have already undertaken a gathering at The K Club to get to know the course and each other.
This will be the third time that The K Club has staged the PGA Cup, with the scores currently tied at 1-1.
The South is described as an inland links, as opposed to the adjacent Ryder Cup layout. We can expect generous fairways, slopy greens and some vociferous home support – Freeman alone will have 50 members from Rotherham GC making the trip across the Irish Sea.
The K Club trip also gave Scott some invaluable time with his team, not just to help with pairings and introductions but also to engender team spirit.
“David’s wanting to push us and get the best from us obviously, which any good captain would. But he’s very personable and is always on hand to talk to if you need anything. His phone’s always on and he’s metaphorically said his office door’s always open, so you can go and give him a knock or go and ring him or something,” said Freeman.
“He’s already galvanised us, I think, with the way he put that weekend together and got everyone together, and it ran really well.
“He’s got that Scottish tenacity that you need and he’s just instilled that belief in terms of, ‘if you mess up or you make a mistake, then just don’t give them any quarter. Show that suit of armour off and just get back in and start again. It’s matchplay so you can afford to have a couple of bad holes - you can still recover’.
“He just instilled that in us really, just to play for ourselves and to play for the team.
“Every player in that team room was engaged and bought in straightaway. It was just a different level of detail. I think he’s going to be a great leader.”
There is now a busy team WhatsApp group and there will be one more get-together before the team head to Ireland, looking to repeat the heroics of Jim Farmer’s team at the same venue in 2005.
For Scott, he’s got every confidence in his 10-strong outfit.
“It’s a wonderful format and matchplay beats strokeplay hands down. To have that head-to-head and the need to beat the opponent, it’s like a gladiator fight. You’re up against the opponent and you want to take him out, it’s as simple as that,” he said.
“I’ve not considered defeat. Any captain would say that but I genuinely haven’t thought about it.
“I’ve not even asked who’s in their team. I believe there are two past PGA Cup players so that means they’ve got eight rookies, which is great news from our standpoint.
“We’re up against the golf course and we’ll figure out our strategy of how to play each hole the very best we can.
“Bring it on in October. I can’t wait. I think the team we’ve got is really rock solid and, if we get them gelling, get them motivated and get them on form, I don’t see why we can’t win the Cup back.”
