Senior Austin Greaser and sophomore David Ford will represent the University of North Carolina on Team United States in the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup, an annual international golf tournament which will be played June 8-10 at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa., outside of Pittsburgh.
UNC associate head coach Matt Clark is a member of Team USA’s coaching staff in this year’s tournament, in which 24 men’s and women’s amateur golfers from the United States compete against 24 international amateurs in a Ryder Cup-style format.
The pair of Tar Heel players are currently reigning champions in three of amateur golf’s major tournaments – Ford won the 2022 Southern Amateur and 2023 Jones Cup; Greaser won the 2022 Western Amateur.
“Getting the chance to represent the United States is rare in our sport,” says UNC head coach Andrew DiBitetto. “We are thrilled David and Austin will have this opportunity, one they have earned with great play over an extended period. Both are incredible players and even better people. They will proudly represent our country the right way. It’s exciting to have three Tar Heels part of Team USA at this year’s Palmer Cup, which honors the legacy of Mr. Arnold Palmer, one of the best ambassadors ever for golf and sportsmanship.”
Ford and Greaser are ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and two of 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan National Player of the Year Award. They have helped lead UNC to five team titles this season. UNC is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation (Golfstat).
Greaser won the 2022 Western Amateur, was a U.S. Amateur finalist in 2021 and finished third in a 211-player field in the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship near Paris, France. Greaser led Team USA at 15-under 271 and was one of only two players to shoot all four rounds in the 60s. He teamed with Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent and Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen to lead Team USA to third place in the WATC. Sargent and Thorbjornsen will also be competing in the Palmer Cup.
“I love my country and respect everybody that’s laid their life on the line for this country and puts everybody else in a position to do what they want to do,” Greaser said following the WATC. “For me, that’s golf. There have been a lot of sacrifices made for this country to be as good as it is, and for me to go out…
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