Mark Power relishing Walker Cup clash against top-ranked USA

Mark Power is hoping that his Walker Cup experience can be passed down to help his team-mates ahead of the 49th edition of the prestigious amateur event against the United States this weekend.

The Kilkenny man and England’s Barclay Brown are the only players from the 2021 Great Britain and Ireland side to have returned this year, Power having won three of his four matches at Seminole.

The visiting USA team, however, are odds-on favourites to secure a fourth consecutive victory in the biennial contest for the top male amateur golfers, with eight of Mike McCoy's 10-man side ranked in the world's top 10.

Only Stewart Hagestad (19th) is ranked lower than GB&I's top-ranked player John Gough (14th), while the home side includes 16-year-old Scot Connor Graham, the youngest player to contest the Walker Cup for either side.

The last win for the hosts came in 2015 at Royal Lytham, where Jimmy Mullen compiled a perfect 4-0 record in a seven-point win over an American side which included this year’s captain McCoy and Bryson DeChambeau.

"I’m trying to help some of the younger guys out and even some of the guys who haven’t played here before," Power said.

"I suppose it’s a different feeling than last time. Circumstances were a little bit different with Covid and everything.

"I feel like this week has been a lot longer, and I feel like our preparations have been great. I feel like everyone is confident we’ve done the right things.

"It’s just about getting into the matches now, and I suppose just locking into your own process, not trying to do anything too different. That’s a big thing I would say.

"Last time around there was a restricted crowd, so it wasn’t quite the full experience. It was still probably the best week of my golfing career so