NORMAN, OKLA. – Ryan Blagg of Baylor and Susan Rosenstiel of Alabama will serve as assistant coaches for the United States while Jan Dowling of Michigan and Canada and Adrien Mörk from TCU and France will serve on the International side coaching staff at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup. Held at Evian Resort Golf Club, the 2018 event will be the first played under the expanded format to include men’s and women’s USA collegiate golfers against their counterparts from around the world. The annual Ryder Cup-style competition will be played July 6-8.
Blagg, the 2017 Jan Strickland Award presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf winner as the nation’s outstanding assistant coach, is in his sixth season with the Baylor men’s golf program. The Bears have advanced to NCAA Regional play in all six of Blagg’s seasons, including a pair of NCAA Championship berths. Last season, Blagg helped the Bears to the most successful year in program history. The 2016-17 BU squad won four tournaments and had a streak of seven consecutive top-three finishes. BU earned its first No. 1 national ranking in the Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll. Additionally, the Bears advanced to match play at the NCAA Championships, earning the program its best finish. He played collegiately at Arkansas, where he was named to the SEC Honor Roll each of his three seasons in Fayetteville. He began his collegiate career at Tyler Junior College and led the team to the 1998 NJCAA National Championship, earning All-American and Academic All-American honors.
Rosenstiel is in her 15th season on the Crimson Tide coaching staff. Rosenstiel’s efforts in Tuscaloosa were honored following the 2010 season as the National Golf Coaches Association recognized her as National Assistant Coach of the Year. Rosenstiel’s wealth of experience includes a playing career at Tennessee and Florida, plus time on the staff at the University of Florida and as an assistant golf professional. She was also the tournament director for the 2010 SEC Championship at the North River Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa. Rosenstiel assists in all facets of developing the Crimson Tide players and program, including instruction, course management, coordination of golf operations and recruiting. During her first 14 years at the Capstone, Rosenstiel has mentored numerous top players who have combined for 20 All-America honors and 28 All-SEC accolades. Her career at Alabama includes the 2012 NCAA Championship, 12 NCAA Championships appearances and three SEC Championships.
Named the fifth women's golf coach in U-M history in the fall of 2013, Dowling has spent the last four seasons reshaping the Wolverine program into a Big Ten and a national contender. Some of that hard work has paid off as her Wolverines have made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Championships in 2016 and 2017. After a four year wait, Dowling's 2015-16 squad returned to the NCAA postseason by rallying with a sixth-place finish at the Alabama Regional to advance to the 2016 Finals for just the second time in program history and the first in 14 years. After missing the first team cut by just four shots, the Wolverines tied for 18th to end a historic season. This past season Michigan tied for 16th at NCAA’s while Elodie Van Dievoet tied for fourth - both the best in program history. Prior to her stint at Michigan, Dowling served as head coach at Florida from 2009-12 and was an assistant at Kent State, Duke and Tennessee. As a collegiate golfer at Kent State, she helped lead the Golden Flashes to four-straight MAC championships. Dowling was the individual medalist two years in a row at the MAC Championship, a four-time first team All-MAC selection and was named the 2000 MAC Player of the Year.
Mörk is in his first season as an assistant coach for the TCU men's golf program. Mörk came to TCU after two years as an assistant coach at UCF. In 2016-17, UCF grabbed three team victories and four top-three finishes, highlighted by winning the NCAA College Grove Regional in Tennessee. That regional victory earned a national seed at the NCAA Championship at Rich Harvest Farms, where UCF finished in a tie for 14th. Prior to joining the UCF, Mörk served as Coach of the French Golf Federation. He served as the Team Advisor at the 2015 European Team Championship in Sweden, where his squad took a fifth-place finish. As an amateur player, Mörk represented France in the World and European Team Championships. As a professional, Mörk was the first player ever to shoot a 59 in any European Tour event, accomplishing that feat in the second round of the 2006 Morocco Classic on the Challenge Tour. He played the European Tour in 2007.
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About Arnold Palmer Cup
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 male university/college golfers matching the United States against Europe. In 2018, the participants will include corresponding women golfers who will be added to both the USA and International teams and will thus become the only major tournament which features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
Since its inception, 101 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on either the PGA or European Tours, 25 alumni have gone on to represent Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, and 53 have claimed 1916 victories on the PGA or European Tours. The United States leads the series 11-9-1.
Arnold Palmer Cup is supported by Arnie’s Army Charitable Foundation. The Arnold Palmer Cup provides a platform for perpetuating Arnold Palmer’s commitment to youth development and the growth of amateur/collegiate golf. For more information, please visit ArnoldPalmerCup.com.
About Arnie's Army Charitable Foundation
It all began in the 1960’s when Arnold Palmer’s go-for-broke style of golf bolstered a legion of fans, coined by the press as Arnie’s Army. Palmer's charisma and unfailing sense of kindness and thoughtfulness endeared him to millions around the world. Over the past four decades, the Palmer family have contributed time and resources to support their passion for helping others and in so doing have made a profound impact on many lives. Founded in 2015, Arnie’s Army Charitable Foundation has been entrusted to continue Arnold Palmer’s legacy of philanthropy by positively impacting and empowering children and strengthening our communities by investing in health, wellness, and the environment. For more information, or to join Arnie's Army, please visit ArniesArmy.org or contact Chris Kolodinsky at 407-876-3944 or ckolodinsky@arniesarmy.org.