LAS VEGAS – Rich Harvest Farms will become the first repeat Arnold Palmer Cup host when the 25th playing of the of the matches are held in 2021. It will mark the fourth Arnold Palmer Cup to be held 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 June 11-13.
“Arnie’s Army Charitable Foundation is pleased the Arnold Palmer Cup matches are returning to Rich Harvest Farms,” said Amy Saunders, President of Arnie’s Army Charitable Foundation. “Jerry and the Rich family have shown great commitment to men’s and women’s golf at all levels. Jerry has a passion to introduce the game, and all of the positive attributes it teaches, to young people.”
Located less than an hour outside of Chicago, Rich Harvest Farms is an ultra-private, members-only club, consistently ranked in Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses. Owned and built by Jerry Rich, the course consists of 18 perfectly manicured holes and is a 1,820-acre showcase of nature and agriculture. With state-of-the-art meeting spaces, numerous lodging options and non-golf amenities that include a private car museum, miles of horseback riding trails and three fully stocked lakes for fishing, Rich Harvest Farms offers distinguished facilities in a luxurious setting.
Rich Harvest Farms, from its Professional tees plays at a length of 7,715 yards, as a par 72, and continues to play host to numerous amateur, collegiate, and professional tournaments. These includes the Arnold Palmer Cup (2015) and Solheim Cup (2009), as well as the Ryder Cup Captain’s Challenge (2012) and numerous USGA Qualifiers. This list also includes the Western Amateur (2003, 2015) and Western Junior (2019). The Northern Illinois University Huskies Men’s and Women’s Golf Teams are proud to call Rich Harvest Farms their home course and so the following have also been hosted at the course: NCAA Men’s Division I Central Regional (2007, 2014), MAC Championship (2003, 2012), an annual Northern Intercollegiate (2010-Present) and, most recently, the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships (2017).
A hidden gem at Rich Harvest Farms is the Kids Golf Foundation of Illinois, a nonprofit junior golf organization founded in 1998 by Jerry Rich and longtime friend Don Springer. Today, the Foundation has impacted the lives of over 150,000 youth through golf and its valuable life lessons.
“I am very thrilled to bring the Arnold Palmer Cup back to Rich Harvest Farms and the Chicagoland area,” stated Jerry Rich, President and CEO of Rich Harvest Farms. “When we hosted this prestigious event in June of 2015, the community showed great support, and my staff and I are ready to expand on that success. It is exciting to watch the growth of the Arnold Palmer Cup to include mixed teams of men and women from the United States against the rest of the world for these thrilling matches. While showcasing the best collegiate players in the world, the impact of Arnold Palmer’s legacy will also be on display for the duration of the event, and that is what makes this event one of the greatest honors to host,”
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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.