NORMAN, Okla. – The 2015 Palmer Cup player roster was announced Friday on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. The Ryder Cup-style event pits the top collegiate golfers from the United States against their counterparts from Europe. This year’s event, put on by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA), will take place at Rich Harvest Farms June 12-14.
Team USA
Palmer Cup Rankings Selections
Lee McCoy, Georgia
Maverick McNealy, Stanford
Hunter Stewart, Vanderbilt
Robby Shelton, Alabama
Jack Maguire, Florida State
Beau Hossler, Texas
Committee Selections
Kyle Jones, Baylor
Ollie Schniederjans, Georgia Tech
Non-Division I Selection
Carr Vernon, CSU Monterey Bay
Coach Heppler’s Pick
Anders Albertson, Georgia Tech
Coaches
Head Coach – Bruce Heppler, Georgia Tech
Assistant Coach – Chris Hill, Pacific
Team Europe
Palmer Cup Rankings Selections
Jon Rahm, Arizona State (Spain)
Max Rottluff, Arizona State (Germany)
Rowin Caron, Florida State (Netherlands)
Adrian Meronk, ETSU (Poland)
Clement Sordet, Texas Tech (France)
Thomas Detry, Illinois (Belgium)
Committee Selections
Gary Hurley, Maynooth (Ireland)
Matthias Schwab, Vanderbilt (Austria)
R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament
Mathias Eggenberger, Stirling (Liechtenstein)
Coach Van de Velde’s Pick
Pep Angles, Central Arkansas (Spain)
Coaches
Head Coach – Jean Van de Velde – France
Assistant Coach – Janice Moodie – Scotland
Jon Rahm of Arizona State (Spain) led the six players from Europe selected by the Palmer Cup Rankings. He was joined by his Arizona State teammate Max Rottluff (Germany), Rowin Caron of Florida State (Netherlands), ETSU’s Adrian Meronk (Poland), Clement Sordet from Texas Tech (France) and Thomas Detry from Illinois (Belgium) from the ranking. To compile the ranking, the GCAA used Golfstat’s NCAA Player Ranking as a base. Players then received bonus points for wins and high finishes and negative points for poor finishes to arrive at the final ranking. The equation also includes a strength of schedule component.
Committee selections were Gary Hurley of Maynooth (Ireland) and Vanderbilt’s Matthias Schwab (Austria). Mathias Eggenberger of Stirling (Liechtenstein) qualified for Team Europe by winning The R&A Foundation Scholars Tournament. Pep Angles of Central Arkansas (Spain) was Jean Van de Velde’s coach’s pick.
Rahm, Detry and Angles were members of last year’s victorious European squad while Hurley was a member of the 2013 team at Wilmington Country Club. Meronk is the first Palmer Cup player from Poland, while Schwab and Eggenberger are the first from Austria and Liechtenstein, respectively. Counting its coaching staff, Europe is represented by a Palmer Cup record of 10 countries.
Lee McCoy of Georgia, Stanford’s Maverick McNealy, Vanderbilt’s Hunter Stewart, Alabama’s Robby Shelton, Florida State’s Jack Maguire and Beau Hossler of Texas were the six United States players selected by the Palmer Cup Ranking.
Baylor’s Kyle Jones, Georgia Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans and Carr Vernon of CSU Monterey Bay were committee selections. Vernon was the designated non-Division I player. Anders Albertson of Georgia Tech was Coach Bruce Heppler’s pick. Maguire and Schniederjans were members of 2014 American team that fell to Europe at Walton Heath.
Assistant Coaches Announced
Earlier this week, the GCAA announced Janice Moodie and Chris Hill as the assistant coaches for the European and United States teams, respectively.
A participant in the 2009 Solheim Cup held at Rich Harvest Farms, Moodie will assist Jean Van de Velde for team Europe. Moodie represented Europe three times as a Solheim Cup player in 2000, 2003 and 2009, compiling a 7-2-2 record. She won twice on the LPGA Tour at the 2000 ShopRite LPGA Classic and the 2002 Asahi Ryokuken International Championship.
Also a standout in the college and amateur ranks, Moodie was inducted into the WGCA Hall of Fame in 2004 and the San Jose State University Sports Hall of Fame the previous year. Moodie will also team up with Van de Velde at the 2016 Arnold Palmer Cup at Formby Golf Club.
“It will be special for me to return to the site of the 2009 Solheim Cup, but even more so to hopefully pass on my knowledge and wisdom of amateur, professional and team golf on to these young talented European collegiate players,” said Moodie. “With Mr. Palmer as the foundation of this event, it will be a tremendous influence on the lives of these young gentlemen going forward, whether on or off the course.”
Chris Hill, Pacific’s head coach, will serve with Team USA Coach Bruce Heppler.
Hill was honored at the University of Houston in April of 2014 as recipient of the Jan Strickland Award, presented to the nation’s top assistant coach by Taylor Made-Adidas Golf as selected by the GCAA. It marked the second straight season that Hill was recognized as one of the nation’s top assistant coaches.
“I am extremely honored to be the assistant coach for this year’s Palmer Cup at Rich Harvest Farms,” stated Hill. “I look forward to coaching alongside an NCAA great, Coach Heppler. Under his command, we will bring the trophy back to the USA!”
The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 9-8-1.
About the Palmer Cup
The 2015 Palmer Cup will be played June 12-14 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, IL. The Ryder Cup-style event pits the top European-born collegiate golfers against the best American-born collegiate players in a tournament to honor the tremendous legacy of Arnold Palmer. Both general admission and parking at the event will be free of charge. Spectators will also be able to walk the fairways with the players during the tournament. For more information, please visit palmercup.org or richharvestfarms.com.
About the GCAA
The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) was established in 1958 and is located in Norman, OK. The GCAA is a non-profit organization and is the professional association of men’s collegiate golf coaches. Through its established events and programs, the GCAA maintains a goal of increasing awareness and the status of men’s golf. There are over 750 members in the GCAA representing all three NCAA divisions, as well as NAIA and NJCAA.
About Rich Harvest Farms
Consistently ranked in Golf Digest’s America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses, Rich Harvest Farms is an ultra-private, members-only club located in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Owned and built by Jerry Rich, the course consists of 18 holes and is a 1,820-acre showcase of nature and agriculture. In addition to the 2015 Palmer Cup, the course will also host the 2015 Western Amateur, 2016 LPGA UL International Crown and 2017 NCAA Division I Golf Championships. The course also hosted the 2009 LPGA Solheim Cup.