Lauren Walsh, Max Kennedy and Ryan Griffin have been selected on the International Arnold Palmer Cup side to face the USA in Laurel Valley Golf Club, Pennsylvania in June.
Wake Forest’s Walsh is making her second appearance having been part of the International side in 2021 while Kennedy has seen his blistering college form for Louisville rewarded and Griffin earned his way onto the panel after winning the R&A Student Tour Series – as did Scotland’s Lorna McClymont.
The Arnold Palmer Cup was co-founded by Arnold Palmer and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and began at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla., in 1997. The event is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men’s and women’s university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of International players. The Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world’s greatest courses, including The Old Course at St. Andrews, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, and Cherry Hills. Beginning with the 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club, the Palmer Cup is the only major tournament which features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
Since its inception, over 125 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours; 34 have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup and more than 75 have claimed over 315 victories on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours, including 2022 major champions Jennifer Kupcho (The Chevron Championship) and Justin Thomas (PGA Championship). The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 13-12-1.
All three Irish selections are in good form with Walsh posting six top-10 finishes including two as runner-up while Griffin won the Spanish Student Tour Series and was second in the final in St Andrews as he clinched the Order of Merit title.
Royal Dublin’s Kennedy has played seven events in 2023 and has not finished outside the top-9 including winning the Aggie Invitational and coming second in the South American Amateur Championship. The 21-year-old has been Ireland’s most in form player so far and he feels making the team is reward for his consistency and he is relishing the prospect of taking his form into competition against the best college golfers in the world.
“To make the team is a really nice feeling. I feel like my consistency over the last few months has led me to this, not just one or two good events, it’s been a host of events which is nice,” said Kennedy.
“Looking forward to it I mean you’re playing against the best college golfers out there so I’m excited to test my game against these guys and see what we can do. I know I’m good enough to go up against them you just have to show it on the day. That will be the main thing preparing for that and seeing how I do.
“We have regionals and nationals so looking forward to them and seeing how I prepare in the meantime.”
United States team ranking qualifiers: Rachel Kuehn (Wake Forest), Crystal Wang (Illinois), Zoe Campos (UCLA), Megan Schofill (Auburn), Antonia Malate (San Jose State), and Ashleigh Park (Oregon) for the women and Gordon Sargent (Vanderbilt), Michael Thorbjornsen (Stanford), David Ford (North Carolina), Preston Summerhays (Arizona State), Ben James (Virginia), and Nick Gabrelcik (North Florida) for the men.
United States team Committee selections: Austin Greaser (North Carolina), Tommy Kuhl (Illinois), Ashley Menne (Arizona State), Emilia Migliaccio (Wake Forest), Maxwell Moldovan (Ohio State), Jennie Park (Texas A&M), Amanda Sambach (Virginia), and Caleb Surratt (Tennessee). Olivia Mitchell (Dallas Baptist) and Alex Price (Christopher Newport) were the non-Division I selections. Team USA Head Coach Michael Beard selected Derek Hitchner (Pepperdine) and Derek Radley selected Amari Avery (Southern California) as their coach’s picks.
International team ranking qualifiers: Julia Lopez Ramirez (Mississippi State; Spain), Charlotte Heath (Florida State; England), Mirabel Ting (Augusta; Malaysia), Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Oklahoma State; Australia), Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn (Iowa State; Thailand), and Carla Bernat (Tulane; Spain) for the women and Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech; South Africa), Christiaan Maas (Texas; South Africa), Herman Sekne (Purdue; Norway), Tyran Snyders (Texas Tech; South Africa), Sampson Zheng (California; China), and Karl Vilips (Stanford; Australia) for the men.
International team Committee selections: Santiago de la Fuente (Houston; Mexico), Mateo Fernández de Oliveira (Arkansas; Argentina), Max Kennedy (Louisville; Ireland), Frederik Kjettrup (Florida State; Denmark), Andrea Lignell (Ole Miss; Sweden), Caley McGinty (Ohio State; England), Lauren Walsh (Wake Forest; Ireland), and Lottie Woad (Florida State; England). Ryan Griffin (Maynooth; Ireland) and Lorna McClymont (Stirling; Scotland) were the representatives from The R&A Student Tour Series. Head Coaches John Handrigan and Golda Borst selected Mats Ege (East Tennessee State; Norway) and Chiara Tamburlini (Ole Miss; Switzerland), respectively, as their coach’s picks.
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