EUROPEAN MENS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP - Stewart named in Scotland team

(SGU News Release)

Amateur Championship runner-up Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) has been named in a strong Scotland line-up that will contest the European Men’s Amateur Team Championship at Oceanico Victoria in Vilamoura, Portugal next month (5 – 9 July).

Stewart narrowly missed out on a place in The Open Championship and US Masters with defeat in Saturday’s final to the Australian Bryden Macpherson, but the 21-year-old from Troon will be aiming to land his second winner’s medal in the Europeans having played a key role in Scotland’s victory in Wales two years ago.

Joining Stewart in the six-man side is St Andrews New’s Greg Paterson, who also enjoyed a great run at Hillside last week before losing out to Macpherson at the semi-final stages. James Byrne, silver medallist in the 2010 Amateur Championship and Scotland’s highest ranked amateur on the world stage, is also selected alongside Colville Park’s Ross Kellett, another member of the victorious 2009 Scottish side.

Former Scottish Boys and Men’s champion David Law is selected for his European team championship debut, having enjoyed a successful start to the season by winning the Northern Amateur Open and finishing runner-up in the South African Stroke Play Championship.

Law’s North East team-mate Kris Nicol, one of five Scots to reach the last 64 match play stage The Amateur Championship before losing out by one hole to Frenchman Adrien Saddier in the opening round, also gets the nod for his second successive European team appearance.

“We’ve had a lot of players performing well just now and fighting for a place in the team so it hasn’t been an easy decision but we believe the six guys selected give Scotland as good a chance as any side of winning,” said Ian Rae, the SGU’s national coach.

“The players will go into the championship full of confidence and there’s great experience among them of winning big events. We’ve had great support this season and this team is hungry to another big result.” he added.

The leading eight nations from the two rounds of stroke play qualifying will earn a place in the top flight of the match play stages, with England defending the crown they won last year in Sweden.

The Scotland team, sponsored by Aberdeen Asset Management and TaylorMade-adidas Golf, is:

James Byrne (Banchory)

Ross Kellett (Colville Park)
David Law (Hazlehead)
Kris Nicol (Fraserburgh)
Greg Paterson (New Club, St Andrews)
Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck)

Non playing captain: Scott Knowles