PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. \u2013 Before beginning their quest to win the 50th Walker Cup and become just the third visiting side ever to win on U.S. soil, the Great Britain and Ireland team received some motivation from a former Walker Cupper and Ryder Cup legend.<\/p>\n
Players received on Friday evening, just hours before teeing off in Saturday morning foursomes at Cypreas Point, about a minute-long video from Rory McIlroy, who competed for the losing side in the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down. <\/p>\n
McIlroy was also a member of the 2012 Ryder Cup team that won in comeback fashion at Medinah. Ian Poulter, also a key player from that 2012 European team, is on site at Cypress Point, watching his son, Luke, a member of this year\u2019s GB&I squad. (Matt Kuchar, on the losing end at Medinah, is also at Cypress as a spectator along with his son, Cameron, a TCU commit.)<\/p>\n
\u201cAs someone who played a Walker Cup and wasn\u2019t able to quite get it done, and then to go on to play Ryder Cups and be able to beat the Yanks in their own backyard, nothing feels better,\u201d said McIlroy, who is set to play in his eighth Ryder Cup later this month at Bethpage Black.<\/p>\n
\nLast night before the start of the #WalkerCup<\/a>, the GB&I team were sent a lengthy video from Rory McIlroy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs someone who played a Walker Cup and wasn\u2019t able to quite get it done, and then to go on to play Ryder Cups and be able to beat the Yanks in their own backyard, nothing\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/khOqzpZhQV<\/a><\/p>\n