Sambach and James Open Play at 2024 Palmer Cup
Lahinch, Ireland – The Virginia duo of Amanda Sambach and Ben James lost their mixed foursomes match 1-Up on the first day of competition at the 2024 Palmer Cup at Lahinch Golf Club in Lahinch, Ireland. The International team maintained a slim 6.5 to 5.5 advantage after the first day of competition.
Sambach and James grabbed an early lead against Louise Rydqvist (South Carolina) and Wenyi Ding (Arizona State) by winning the first hole before losing their advantage when their competitors made eagle on the par-5 fourth hole. The international duo managed to jump back up by a hole twice and hole that advantage until the Cavaliers tied things up on No. 14. Ding and Rydqvist won the 15th hole and held off the UVA duo for the 1-Up victory.
Two sessions of play are scheduled for Saturday – foursomes in the morning and mixed foursomes again in the afternoon. Sambach is paired with Maisie Filler (Florida) and will face off against Hannah Darling (South Carolina) and Julia Lopez Ramiez (Mississippi State) at 8:50 a.m. James will play with Preston Summerhays (Arizona State) at 9:10 IT and compete against Ryan Griffin and Filip Jakubcik (Arizona).
Both Sambach and James are making their second consecutive Palmer Cup appearances. They helped Team USA to victory last season at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa.
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.