Palmer Cup Play Starts Friday for Sambach and James

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia golfers Amanda Sambach (Pinehurst, N.C.) and Ben James (Milford, Conn.) begin play for the United States team at the 28th Arnold Palmer Cup matches on Friday. This year’s event is hosted by Lahinch Golf Club located on the west coast of Ireland. This marks the second consecutive year both Cavaliers have played for the U.S. Team at the Palmer Cup. They helped the U.S. Team to a 32-28 victory at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa.

The three-day tournament 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 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 Arnold Palmer Cup Champion is the team with the most points at the conclusion of the four rounds of play. If the two sides are tied the holder retains the Cup. Currently the United States leads the all-time series 14-12-1.

Palmer Cup Schedule
For tournament days (Friday-Sunday), the tee time starts and tee time intervals are as follows:

Friday, July 5
8:30 a.m. (No. 1 Tee): Four-ball matches

Saturday, July 6
8:30 a.m. (split tees): Foursomes
2:30 p.m. (split tees): Mixed Foursomes

Sunday, July 7
7:30 a.m. (split tees): Singles
Closing ceremonies/Trophy Presentation
Note: All times are Irish Standard Time

About Amanda Sambach

• Second-team All-American by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association
• Third consecutive year she has earned All-America honors
  • Led the Cavaliers with a 71.45 stroke average
• Ranked No. 11 in the final NCAA individual standings
• Had seven top-10 performances in 11 total tournaments
• Won Toledo’s Glass City Invitational for the fourth victory in her career
• Led UVA in scoring at the ACC Championships, NCAA Regional and NCAA Championships in addition to five regular-season tournaments
  • Was named an All-ACC performer for the third consecutive season.
• One of 10 finalists for the 2024 ANNIKA Award presented to the nation’s top female collegiate golfer
• Competed in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur for the fourth consecutive time, placing 14th for the second consecutive year.

About Ben James

• PING first-team All-American by the Golf Coaches Association of America
• Finished as the runner-up at the NCAA Championships, his second consecutive top-10 finish at the event
• At NCAAs, shot 2-under 286 to finish tied one stroke behind the national champion
• His finish was the best ever by a UVA competitor during stroke play at the NCAAs
  • Had seven top-10 performances in 11 tournament appearances
• Led UVA with a 70.31 stroke average that included 23 of 34 of his rounds at par or better
• Helped Virginia to a second-place finish at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional, the best regional finish in program history
• Cavaliers were third in stroke play at the NCAA Championships, also a program best
• UVA reached the match play portion of the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year
  • James recently competed at the USGA’s U.S. Open and the Rocket Mortgage Classic where he tied for 44th at -8

Palmer Cup History
James is the third Cavalier men’s player to participate in the Palmer Cup. Jimmy Stanger was named to the 2017 United States team. Derek Bard became the first Cavalier to play in the event in 2016. Last year, Sambach became the first participant from the UVA women’s golf program. Virginia women’s head coach Ria Scott led the International team to victory in 2020 and was an assistant coach for the International squad in 2019.

More About the Palmer Cup
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.

The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation supports the Palmer Cup, which provides a platform for perpetuating Arnold Palmer’s commitment to youth character development and the growth of amateur/collegiate golf. For more information, please visit ArnoldPalmerCup.com.

U.S. Team
Zoe Campos (UCLA), Anna Davis (Auburn), Maisie Filler (Florida), David Ford (North Carolina), Maxwell Ford (North Carolina), Ian Gilligan (Florida), Melanie Green (South Florida), Ben James (Virginia), Jackson Klutznik (Emory), Jackson Koivun (Auburn), Rachel Kuehn (Wake Forest), Michael La Sasso (Ole Miss), Jack Lundin (Missouri), Anna Morgan (Furman), Mary Kelly Mulcahy (Findlay), Farah O’Keefe (Texas), Catherine Park (USC), Kiara Romero (Oregon), Amanda Sambach (Virginia), Gordon Sargent (Vanderbilt), Latanna Stone (LSU), Preston Summerhays (Arizona State), Brendan Valdes (Auburn), Jackson Van Paris (Vanderbilt).

Formats

Mixed Four Ball
12 Groups of two-person teams
“Four Ball” play is a match in which each member of the two-person teams plays their own ball. Four balls are in play per hole with each of the four players recording a score on the hole. The team whose player posts the best score on that hole wins the hole. Should players from each team tie for the best score, that hole is halved.

Mixed Foursomes/Foursomes
12 groups of two-person teams
“Foursome” play is a match in which the golfers compete on a team against two other golfers and each side plays one ball. The golfers play alternate shots (player A hits tee shot, player B hits second shot, etc.) until the hole is played out. Team members alternate on the playing of tee shots, with one golfer hitting the tee shot on odd-numbered holes, and the other hitting tee shots from the even-numbered holes. The team with the better score wins the hole. Should the two teams tie for best score, the hole is halved.

Singles
24 groups of one-man teams
“Singles” is a match in which one player plays against another player. A player wins the match when the player is up by more holes than there are holes remaining to play.