Cup Defense: U.S. Team Wins the Palmer Cup in 2024
USA’s Palmer Cup team (Adam McKee/Palmer Cup Photo)
Team USA defeated Team International 32.5-27.5 on Sunday afternoon to win the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup at Lahinch Golf Club, retaining the cup for the second consecutive year.
Four-time Palmer Cup participant Ratana Stone reclaimed the lead on the 14th hole against Team International’s Julia Lopez Ramirez and never looked back after that, winning the match 57 1UP to claim the decisive point for the Cup.
“I was really nervous going up to the 18th hole,” said Stone, who represented the U.S. in the Palmer Cup in 2020 when it was scheduled to be held at Lahinch Golf Club, then moved to Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, and won the Palmer Cup at Rich Harvest Farm as a representative of the U.S. in 2021. “Seeing my coaches walk by and all my teammates sitting on the green waiting for me to come up was really special. It was really cool to end my career with two coaches who are from LSU.”
The first match of the day was between the top-ranked male amateur in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Gordon Sargent, and Bastien Amat of Team International in the 40th match. Sargent recorded six birdies, one eagle and no bogeys to win his ninth Palmer Cup title, 5&4.
Team International saw successive wins in the early stages through Josele Ballester (4&2), Callum Scott (1UP), Filip Jakubczyk (1UP) and Santiago de la Fuente (4&2).
“My tee shots were pretty good so I was always in the fairway and in a good position to put pressure on myself right from the start,” De La Fuente said. “The scoreboard was pretty close today so one point could make the difference between winning the Cup.”
Team USA’s Anna Davis recorded a hole-in-one on the par-3, 175-yard 16th hole (the 7th hole of the 48th match) against Team International’s Paula Martín-Sampedro.
“I haven’t had a hole-in-one since I was about 8 years old,” Davis said. That ended a 10-year streak!
Crowd favorite Mary Kelly Mulcahy scored five birdies on her way to defeating Ireland and Team International’s Kate Lanigan 2&1 in the 42nd match.
“I lost a couple of games early on, but mentally I stayed confident,” Mulcahy said. “I think I was the strongest mentally today I’ve been all week.”
Mulcahy, Findlay’s first Palmer Cup participant, set the program and Great Midwest Conference single-season scoring average record for 2023-24 and led the team to the first undefeated (4-0) record outside of Division I in Palmer Cup history.
“I had been working towards being here for months and I believed I had done the right preparation,” she continued. “Knowing that, I was able to come here with confidence and enjoy this experience.”
The victory was the United States’ first in an international tournament since winning at Evian Resort Golf Club in Evian-les-Bains, France in 2018 and its second since winning at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland in 2010.
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The annual Ryder Cup-style tournament pits the top U.S. male and female collegiate players against international-level players.
Each team will be made up of 12 male and 12 female golfers. Day one will feature mixed four-ball competition, day two will feature mixed foursomes in the morning, four-ball in the afternoon and the final day will feature 24 singles matches.
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