DERRY Hill ace Jordan Smith is hoping that he is on the way to following in the footsteps of some of Great Britain and Ireland’s top stars as he jets out to America to compete in the Walker Cup yesterday.

The 20-year-old Bowood player is only the second Wiltshire golfer, after Swindon’s David Howell, to earn a place in the Great Britain & Ireland team for the amateur answer to the Ryder Cup, with Smith set to be part of the squad taking on their American counterparts at the National Golf Links of America in Southamp-ton, New York, on September 6-8.

Smith, who won the English strokeplay title and competed in the US Amateur Championship earlier this summer, says that his historic Walker Cup call-up is the icing on the cake to an unforgettable season.

“It’s been an amazing season and this is all just a huge bonus for me – I thought that I may have a chance of getting in to the Walker Cup squad but that was only after the US Amateur (on August 12-18),” said Smith, who is 17th in the World Amateur Golf rankings.

“I haven’t really felt the nerves, even though it such a huge competition. It’s the first time that the Walker Cup has been held at the same course as the very first one though so it’s really nice to be a part of history like that.

“I’m just excited. When you see the names that have played in it before you just hope that you’re going on the right track to getting to where they are.”

Smith’s parents Martin and Emma, and the Wiltshire star’s coach Simon Shanks, are all due to travel to New York next week to support him at the Walker Cup.

Dad Martin said: “As soon as the news came out last week, we’ve been inundated with messages from people within the Wiltshire Golf Union and all those people he met when he was playing as a junior.

“It’s going to be an absolutely tremendous occasion. I’ve never had the chance to support him outside of the UK before.”

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