Eisenhower Trophy: Meet the three Scots hoping to do 'something special' in Singapore

It was 17 years ago that Wallace Booth, Gavin Dear and Callum Macaulay joined forces to pull off a sensational triumph in the event in Australia, where they won by nine shots from a United States side that featured Rickie Fowler and Billy Horschel.

That could well prove to be a one-off feat as some decent-looking Scottish teams haven’t managed to get in the medal mix in the seven stagings since then, with the scheduled 2020 edition in Hong Kong having been postponed due to the Covid pandemic.

However, hopes of a strong showing on this occasion are understandably high as Shiels Donegan joins forces with Connor Graham and Cameron Adam, the trio having all been members of the Great Britain & Ireland team in last month’s Walker Cup at Cypress Point in California.

Adam, the Royal Burgess left-hander who won the St Andrews Links Trophy earlier in the year, sits 18th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) while Blairgowrie teenager Graham and California-based Shiels Donegan are currently 37th and 59th.

That, of course, doesn’t make them favourites in the 72-hole stroke-play title battle on the Tampines Course at Tanah Merah Country Club, but, if all three can produce their best stuff, then there’s certainly a chance they can emulate the ‘Class of 2008’.

‘You just want to play the best for your nation’

“It means the world to represent your country on a stage like this,” admitted Shiels Donegan, who reached the semi-finals in this year’s US Amateur Championship in San Francisco and won two of his three matches in the Walker Cup.

“I was lucky enough to do it with these boys at the Walker Cup a few weeks ago for Great Britain & Ireland and there is a lot of pride when you are playing for the flag. You just want to play your best for the nation.

“We know each other’s games very well and we have good banter on the course. That kind of chemistry is one of those one per cent things that will definitely help.

“Connor and I played a college event before we left for Singapore, and we both played pretty solid. Cameron has played very well this entire summer and had a strong showing at the Walker Cup. So we’re all feeling very confident we can do something special this week.”

The tartan trio have been working closely in the practice rounds for this week’s assignment with Spencer Henderson, who is hoping to bow out on a high as national coach after his contract wasn’t renewed by Scottish Golf.

“Spencer has prepared them really well in terms of the golf course,” reported Clare Queen, Scottish Golf’s head of performance and filling the role as captain this week, as she did in last week’s Espirito Santo Trophy at the same venue, where an inexperienced Scottish side finished 31st out of 36 teams.

“They've spent a lot of time around the greens, putting, chipping from various places, and that's kind of where I think the shots will be made up and saved as well because there's some pretty tricky greens out there.”

Scots can ‘deal with it pretty well’ in Singapore

The US, represented by Amateur champion Ethan Fang, US Amateur champion Mason Howell and world No 4 Preston Stout, are the defending champions while Eliot Baker, winner of this year’s Scottish Men’s Open at North Berwick, teams up with Charlie Forster and Tyler Weaver for England.

“They've adapted really well,” added Queen of the humid conditions facing the Scots. “I think there's almost a bit of a mindset when you know that the weather's like this. It's kind of the same for everyone, though.

“It's not like they love it. But they can sort of forget that they feel a little bit tired and sweaty. I think these guys are pretty experienced in playing in different places as well. So I think they'll deal with it pretty well.”