Great Britain and Ireland’s Tom Lewis is hoping for wet and windy conditions for this weekend’s Walker Cup tussle against the United States.

The 20-year-old, who led The Open after the first round earlier this year after shooting a record amateur score of 65, believes driving rain and two-club winds at Royal Aberdeen would help unsettle the Americans.    

Lewis, who went on to win the silver medal for finishing best amateur at Royal St George’s, said: “We have probably played in wind and rain conditions more often than the Americans and it may give us the upper hand.

“However, whatever the conditions, they are still good players – the best in the world. We just have to carry on doing what we are doing and let the weather do what it’s going to do.”

The United States are strong favourites to win the trophy for the fourth time in a row but Lewis, who is one of five Englishmen in the team, believes GB&I can cause an upset.

He said: “We have a strong team and if we all play well then I’m sure we can win. I’m sure the whole team will play their best when they need to and hopefully we can get a few wins together early on which will give us some confidence for the rest of the weekend.”

And the Welwyn Garden City youngster says his experience at this year’s Open will stand him in good stead for the challenges of playing in front of large crowds at Royal Aberdeen on Saturday and Sunday.

He added: “The more pressure there is the more you thrive on it. Sometimes you can hit bad shots under pressure but the best players really thrive on it. Hopefully I can get a few crowds watching me this week as I probably play my best golf when there are more people watching.” 

In Detail

United States ready for Walker Cup challenge