James Ashfield Excited To Fly Wales’ Flag At St. Andrews
A biennial highlight of amateur golf is the Walker Cup.
James Ashfield is excited about the opportunity to represent Wales. When the USA visits St. Andrews on Saturday and Sunday, Ashfield, 22, will be one of the 10 home players.
Ashfield said, “If you are from Great Britain and Ireland or America, this is what you want to play.” “This is as big as it gets, really. It’s been a long time coming for me; I can’t wait.”
There are 18 singles matches and 8 foursomes matches in the Walker Cup, a competition between the top amateurs from the US, Great Britain, and Ireland.
Since David Boote and Jack Davidson were chosen in 2017, Ashfield, born in Cheshire but raised in Wales, is the first Welsh participant.
He told BBC Sport Wales, “There have been a few years without a Welsh player, so it’s good to be flying the flag. I am proud.” “My dad grew up in Wales; his family lived in Wales their whole lives.” “I grew up in Wales. I lived in Rossett, near Wrexham. Wales is where I started playing golf. I started at Wrexham Golf Club; I went for a few lessons there as a kid. Then I went on to Clays Golf Club and worked with my coach, Gareth James, who I am still with now.” “It’s always been Wales.”
To commemorate 100 years since the Walker Cup’s inaugural match at “the home of golf,” it will be held at St. Andrews’ Old Course. There are four Irish, three English, and two Scottish players on the home team in addition to Ashfield.
The Walker Cup has included several of golf’s top stars, including Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy. Ashfield’s long-term objective is to enter the professional ranks, but his current attention is on beating the USA team, which he believes to be the favorite.
Ashfield said, “By far, it’s my biggest week [in golf], but this is what I have been building up to; this is what I want.” “Obviously, I want to be on tour at some point, and you have thousands of people watching you then. This is just the start of it.” “I am going to be nervous on that first tee, but it’s about turning those nerves into excitement.” “There are going to be quite a few people watching, but I am just looking forward to getting out there.”
As a first reserve for the St Andrews Trophy, in which GB&I play the rest of Europe, Ashfield claims he was motivated to earn a spot on skipper Stuart Wilson’s side.
He has earned a spot after placing second in this year’s European Amateur Championship, the Lytham Trophy, and the Sotogrande Cup. He won the Welsh Amateur in 2022.
Ashfield thinks a low score is feasible at St Andrews, where the competition starts on Saturday morning with four foursomes matches.
The day ends with four more foursomes, eight singles matches, and ten singles matches on day two.
Ashfield said, “It’s the home of golf—the history, everything around it—everyone here loves golf.” “I like the Old Course a lot. It’s quite forgiving off the tee at the moment. The rough is not up, so you can hit drivers everywhere.” Then, as long as you get the putter hot, you can get it going low.”
