Captains Roberts And Cornelius Face The Press Ahead Of Belton Woods
There may be the small matter of some cup being fought for at Bethpage Black in New York this September, but real sporting fans have their eye on one event only; the 19th Breadalbane taking place at Belton Woods in Grantham. The town, rather fittingly given the origins of the Breadalbane, has a rich military history since the completion of the Old Barracks in 1858. Having housed the RAF Bomber Command in 1943 during the Dambuster raids, it will be Taymouth and their skipper Craig Roberts who will be hoping to plot their own siege on Kenmore's hold of The Rider Cup; now in its 4th year.
The pressure will ramp up on Taymouth once again, having failed to claim a victory in the previous three attempts and memories of last year's Sunday failure still fresh in their minds. Roberts, from the outside, seemed an odd choice to Captain the Taymouth side. Not famed for his organisational skills and attention to detail, he follows on from the meticulous John McLuckie who had come so close to finally breaking their duck. However, he did score maximum points for the side at Forest Pines and has approached the task at hand with gusto. Once again, they boast the stronger team on paper and arguably the strongest ever in The Rider Cup. In fact, the statistics show that the Taymouth team of 2025 have the lowest average handicap in the short history of the team event. Taymouth's Captain will no doubt take further inspiration from the fact that Grantham was the birthplace of one of his heroes; former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. To slightly alter one of her famous quotes, Roberts will be hoping that the tide is very much for turning at Belton Woods.
For the reigning champions, Kenmore, Gary Cornelius steps forward as this year's Captain. The younger Cornelius brother was in scintillating form at Forest Pines, finishing the weekend unbeaten and demolishing Taymouth's Darren Petersen in the Sunday Singles with a 6&4 win. His side is a settled one, with the addition of Blair Reid who previously returned maximum points at Heron's Reach in 2023. Cornelius has, until now, led with quiet confidence; ensuring that his side are getting in plenty preparation on the course and taking council from previous Captains before making any decisions. The Kenmore side know how to grind out a result and will be no pushovers, determined to take home The Rider Cup for another year.
BB News had the opportunity to speak to both Captains at the final press event ahead of competition starting in exactly one week's time.
First to face the cameras is Cornelius. The Kenmore man is in jovial mood as he takes his place in front of the gathered press; "It's that time of year again..." he begins. "No sooner have I found space for the third Rider Cup winner's medal, than we will be teeing off to hopefully make it another victory for team Kenmore."
Cornelius is asked how he feels about the upcoming event and being Captain this year; "It's an honour to Captain this year's team, following in the footsteps of Brucey, Adam and Dodge." Whist there is obvious pride in the role, he also admits that he is aware of the pressure and responsibility that comes with it; "All three captained the side to victories, and I'm under no illusions how difficult it will be to match the previous skippers' results."
Given said previous results, BB News asks if Cornelius believes his side start as favourites to retain The Rider Cup for a 4th time; "For me, we come into this year's event as huge underdogs, similar to when Wrexham faced Arsenal in the 1992 FA Cup." This position is an interesting one, Cornelius clearly aware that Taymouth have the strongest team in Rider Cup history, on paper. Despite that, he is keen to not completely write off his side's chances; "However, upsets do happen and I'm confident the underdogs can become Champions again and make it four in a row."
Attentions turn to the squad itself and who will be playing for Kenmore this year with Cornelius taking the opportunity to reference the opposition; "Unlike the Tays, who have made a number of changes this year..." At this point the Kenmore Captain pauses and smiles before adding; "Most notably forcing poor Stevie MacKinnon out of this year's Breadalbane, with a deliberately late Sunday tee off time, then replacing him with a ringer." He is keen to emphasise the step up in quality available to Kenmore's opponents this year, boasting 6 of the 8 lowest handicappers in the field.
"Team Kenmore have only made one addition. We welcome back into the fold a fearsome competitor who has an excellent Rider Cup record and someone no Tay will want to play against. That is of course the mighty Blair Reid!" Reid teed it up for Kenmore in 2023 and recorded a perfect 3 out of 3 over the weekend, hugely contributing to Kenmore's 10.5 - 9.5 victory. Cornelius is clearly thrilled to have the big hitting Reid back in his side; "Blair was greatly missed last year, but still kept in contact with the team, giving us encouragement and support throughout the weekend. Welcome back Champ!"
BB News turns attention to team preparation and individual form, the Kenmore Captain is keen to not go into individuals but is happy with the reports in general; "It's very pleasing to hear the Kenmore boys have been hard at it with the golf preparation throughout the year, especially Jase, who's been very busy." The choice to single out Jason Kerr feels poignant, Cornelius knowing he was the man who ultimately delivered The Rider Cup for Kenmore on the Sunday last year. However, he also feels that there are other important factors that his side possess; "It's not just talent and ability that wins you a Rider Cup, you need bottle and a positive team ethos." BB News follows up and asks if Cornelius believes his side have those qualities, the response is emphatic; "Team Kenmore bleed that!"
The Kenmore man is giving off a quiet confidence, someone at ease with having a settled side that know how to go the distance. With time running out on the interview, BB News asks if Cornelius has any final messages ahead of the showdown. "Finally, I would like to finish by thanking Steve Rodgers for giving me the opportunity to lead the team this year. I'm looking forward to the challenges of the weekend and competing against a very strong Taymouth team led by my fellow baldy, Edge."
After taking a final sip of his water and standing up to leave, Cornelius gives BB News one final quip before the battle at Belton Woods; "The most rewarding part of golf is the friends you make along the way. Here we go, four in a row!"
Next up is Roberts who was asked for his initial thoughts and feelings with the first tee shots now so close; "It's my absolute privilege and one of the honours of my life to captain Taymouth this year", he replied.
"Being skipper of this group is big. We are more than a team, we are a way of life." The initial positioning is clear, Roberts going big on the Taymouth players' need to pull together to achieve their aim, with accusations of some being more interested in personal achievements than the overall team in the past.
Roberts is asked how last year's final day comeback has impacted on his side, especially after looking for so long like they were going to win after leading from the first day. "This year there will be no fanfare from us, no braggadocio; after last year's painful draw Taymouth will be all business." The wording carefully selected and sending out a message to the opposition. Taymouth clearly still reeling from not losing the match in 2024 and allowing Kenmore to retain the trophy. "Our talking will be done (finding balls) in the woods of Belton. Our time has come." These are the words of a man who had confidence that his side is ready to take that extra step this year.
Questions turn to squad selection and the fact that Taymouth have had several changes from last year's lineup;"The squad has a new face in Chris, a silent assassin, along with returning heroes Anton and Ian." Despite Roberts' slant on the team, he knows there are two rookies in the squad with Ian Baird having previously appeared at the Breadalbane but never having dealt with the pressure cooker atmosphere of The Rider Cup. There are question marks too over Anton Mowatt, who's only Rider Cup appearance at Wokefield in 2022 led to no points from his three matches.
The changing of the Taymouth team was necessary after the withdrawal of Stephen MacKinnon and the will-he, won't-he saga over whether Darren Petersen would tee it up at Belton Woods. There were even rumours that the team in white tried to approach one of Kenmore's players to fill their squad, something Roberts didn't shy away from; "Demand for places was so high this year that we had to reject requests from both Dazzy P and Blair Reid, putting them on our reserve list." The controversy over Reid adds extra spice to this year's match up, rumours that he explored a move to Taymouth have been rife but he will be teeing it up for Kenmore with a point to prove.
Attentions turn to the weekend itself and Roberts is asked about the preparation that has gone into organising the event; "I want to thank Alex Keir in advance for his 'organisation'. I know it will have been difficult for him to find any time away from work to devote to planning, such is his unbelievably hectic schedule." BB News detects a hint of sarcasm from the Taymouth Captain and asks for more on this subject.
"I am sure that it will be a cracking weekend and I am definitely looking forward to my first experience of twilight golf. I'm already excited about starting the journey home at about 9pm and arriving back just in time for the office opening on Monday morning." The controversy over the late Sunday start has been bubbling under the surface since it was announced earlier this year. Roberts is asked if he believes there will be any repercussions for the event organisers over the decision; "I am sure the judge will have plenty to say on the matter."
Roberts ends the talk about the event itself mentioning that there have been some positive developments in recent weeks; "Thankfully, I understand he (Keir) has finally sorted and funded the buggies for everyone which was good of him."
The needle between the sides is a key factor of The Rider Cup and something that has grown with each passing year, the Taymouth skipper was asked about the rivalry and how he approaches it. He smiled before saying; "I want to thank our adversaries, the KK, for our Christmas card last year. It was generous of them to think of the homeless when considering what to put as the cover photo." This is in reference to a card that was sent to every Taymouth player depicting the forlorn character of Baz Ramsay after the final round at Forest Pines. On a more serious note, Roberts added that the card; "Provided us with additional motivation."
Asked if he had any message for the Kenmore side, the 47 year-old was keen to keep focus on his own team; "I know we as a team are fully prepared for the weekend, having played as much as possible and spent endless hours wondering what does Chris actually look like, what does Alex really do for living and is Gaz Cornelius using Kevin Spacey's hairline as inspiration?"
At this point, it is thrown back at Roberts that he is indeed being drawn into talking about the other team, with the jibe at his opposite number. He takes the opportunity to have another dig; "Ok, whilst we are at it; I've even had Michelle (Roberts' wife) sweep Steve Rodgers off our mantlepiece at home in preparation for the silverware coming up the road." The guard has slipped slightly but the man from Kilmarnock is back on script when asked if he has a final message to deliver before the end of the press call.
"My final message is this to my team mates. Being a Tay means that from this day to the ending of the Breadalbane, we shall be remembered. We few, we happy few. We band of brothers. For he today who sinks his putt and pints with me shall be my brother. We shall fight them in the bunkers, we shall fight them in the clubhouse and in the spa. We shall fight them on the fairways. We shall fight them on the putting greens. We shall never surrender."
There are echoes of Baz Ramsay's attempts to bring the side together at Heron's Reach in 2023 from Roberts' final words. The Taymouth side certainly have questions to answer and there would be no more emphatic response than finally delivering The Rider Cup. And for the Captain himself, he knows there is the stigma of talking a good game but failing to deliver; something which has followed him throughout his golfing career. The game has been talked again, but can he finally back it up on the biggest stage of them all?
The wait, is almost over.
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