Demand is certain to exceed supply after the decision to put a crowd limit of 10,000 on Britain and Ireland's attempt to regain the Walker Cup at Royal County Down in September.

The figure is only a third of the daily attendance at last year's Ryder Cup, and Royal and Ancient Club championship director David Hill said yesterday: "If we could accommodate more people safely we would do so, but moving crowds around on this course is particularly difficult and we have to be mindful of that.

"The golf fraternity understands that the Walker Cup is very different to the Ryder Cup and we think that giving every club in Ireland an allocation of tickets is the fairest thing to do."

The demand is bound to be huge, especially since the home team is almost certain to include Holywood's Rory McIlroy, the European champion.

"To have somebody of his extraordinary talent definitely ramps up the interest," said team captain Colin Dalgleish, who gave a broad hint that six players - McIlroy, US championship winner Richie Ramsay, his fellow Scot Lloyd Saltman, Welsh pair Rhys Davies and Nigel Edwards and England's Jamie Moul - are likely to be in the 10-man line-up.

"That's not to say anybody has definitely been picked, but that's the base if you like," he said.