ROLAND, Ark. – Opening round Mixed Fourball Pairings for the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup hosted by The Alotian Club have been announced after the opening ceremonies on Thursday evening. Tomorrow morning’s matches will tee off at 8:30 am.
The first match of the competition features the Swedish duo of Frida Kinhult and David Nyfjall against Team USA’s Chandler Phillips and Mariel Galdiano. Matches to follow will include Aled Greville of Wales and Lorna McClymont of Scotland, taking on John Augenstein and Emilia Migliaccio; Scotland’s Sandy Scott and Ireland’s Julie McCarthy against Patrick Martin and Kaylee Benton; Gabi Ruffels of Australia and Kengo Aoshima of Japan versus Alex Scott and Stephanie Lau; Chun An Yu of Taiwan and Agathe Laisne of France against Austin Eckroat and Malia Nam; Costa Rica’s Luis Gagne and Slovenia’s Ana Belac taking on Quade Cummins and Ann Parmerter; Alex del Rey of Spain and Karoline Stormo of Norway against the Vanderbilt duo of Will Gordon and Abbey Carlson; Thailand’s Peng Pichaikool and the Philippines Lois Kaye Go taking on Will Grimmer and Haylee Harford; Ivan Ramirez of Columbia and Sofia Garcia of Paraguay versus Peter Kuest and Kaitlyn Papp; The German pairing of Leonie Harm and Matthias Schmid taking on Alex Smalley and Jennifer Chang; Australia’s Hira Naveed and Japan’s Takumi Kanaya against Brandon Wu and Dylan Kim; and in the final match of the day the Republic of Korea’s Jiwon Jeon and Japan’s Keita Nakajima versus a pair of Texas Longhorns in Hailey Cooper and Cole Hammer.
“The course is spectacular and that goes without saying,” said Head International Coach Mark Immelman. “It asks every question of every club in the bag, there’s room to drive the ball, and if you can hit the irons well and you can putt nicely there is a chance for some birdies.”
“I am really excited about our chances in the Mixed Fourball Matches, I’ve got a group of kids that have had good preparation and have been playing really nicely,” continued Immelman.
Immelman will turn to a pair of Swedes in the opening match of the day, which will be one of the more intriguing matchups to watch. “One of the combinations I am looking forward to is our opening combination of Frida Kinhult and David Nyfjall who will be leading us off. Frida has been a superstar for Florida State all year and they will make a dynamite combination for us.”
For the United States, Head Coach Mic Potter is looking to some veteran leadership to get his team off to the right start, as three-time Arnold Palmer Cup member Chandler Phillips and two-time APC team member Mariel Galdiano will get things going for the Americans. “The first match is always important to get off to a good start and we have Chandler who is a three year veteran of the event and Mariel who is a returning member of the team,” said Potter. “We really wanted to make sure we got them out early to lead us off and get us off to a good start.”
The United States will look to retain the Arnold Palmer Cup, and with a victory will win for the third straight year.
The United States leads the all-time Arnold Palmer Cup series 12-9-1
8:30 a.m. – Match 1
Mariel Galdiano & Chandler Phillips vs. Frida Kinhult & David Nyfjall
8:45 a.m. – Match 2
John Augenstein & Emilia Migliaccio vs. Aled Greville and Lorna McClymont
9:00 a.m. – Match 3
Kaylee Benton & Patrick Martin vs. Julie McCarthy and Sandy Scott
9:15 a.m. – Match 4
Stephanie Lau & Alex Scott vs. Kengo Aoshima & Gabriela Ruffels
9:30 a.m. - Match 5
Austin Eckroat & Malia Nam vs. Agathe Laisne & Chun An Yu
9:45 a.m. – Match 6
Quade Cummins & Ann Parmerter vs. Ana Belac & Luis Gagne
10:00 a.m. – Match 7
Abbey Carlson & Will Gordon vs. Alex del Rey & Karoline Stormo
10:15 a.m. – Match 8
Will Grimmer & Haylee Harford vs. Lois Kaye Go & Peng Pichaikool
10:30 a.m. – Match 9
Peter Kuest & Kaitlyn Papp vs. Sofia Garcia & Ivan Ramirez
10:45 a.m. – Match 10
Jennifer Chang & Alex Smalley vs. Leonie Harm & Matthias Schmid
11:00 a.m. – Match 11
Dylan Kim & Brandon Wu vs. Takumi Kanaya & Hira Naveed
11:15 a.m. – Match 12
Hailee Cooper & Cole Hammer vs. Jiwon Jeon & Keita Nakajima
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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 men’s and women’s university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of International players. The Arnold Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world’s greatest courses including The Old Course, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, and Cherry Hills. The 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club became the only major tournament which features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
Since its inception, over 100 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on either the PGA Tour, European Tour or LPGA, 28 have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, and more than 50 have claimed over 200 victories on the PGA or European Tours. The United States leads the series 12-9-1.
The 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 Arnold & Winnie Palmer 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 has 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, Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation has been entrusted to continue Arnold Palmer’s legacy of philanthropy by ensuring a brighter future for our youth through children’s health, character development and nature-focused wellness. 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.
Rolex and the Arnold Palmer Cup
Through an unwavering commitment to the game of golf for more than 50 years, Rolex has developed one of the broadest and longest-standing relationships between brand and sport. These strong ties date back to 1967 when Rolex partnered with legendary golfer Arnold Palmer. The charismatic American holds a special place in golf history thanks as much to his natural talent and successful playing career as to his pioneering role in the sport. Since that pivotal bond, Rolex has gone on to establish partnerships at every level of the sport, including the governing bodies responsible for advancing the sport and the finest players, from The Big Three to the New Guard who are leading the rankings at the moment. The decision to partner the Arnold Palmer Cup was thus a natural progression for the Swiss watchmaker, and a tribute to Arnold Palmer’s inspiring legacy.
About Rolex
An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise
Rolex, a Swiss watch manufacture headquartered in Geneva, is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products. Its Oyster and Cellini watches, all certified as Superlative Chronometers for their precision, performance and reliability, are symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. Founded by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905, the brand pioneered the development of the wristwatch and is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism invented in 1931. Rolex has registered over 500 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Through philanthropic programmes and a broad palette of sponsorship activities, Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports and exploration, and encourages the spirit of enterprise, as well as the conservation of natural environments.
About Nike
The exclusive footwear, apparel, headwear, and glove supplier of the Arnold Palmer Cup, Our mission is what drives us to do everything possible to expand human potential. We do that by creating groundbreaking sport innovations, by making our products more sustainably, by building a creative and diverse global team and by making a positive impact in communities where we live and work.