CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia golfers Amanda Sambach (Pinehurst, N.C.) and Ben James (Milford, Conn.) are set to open play for the United States team at the 27th Arnold Palmer Cup matches on Thursday. This year’s event is hosted by Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa. Sambach is a rising junior at Virginia while James just completed his first year on Grounds.
The Arnold Palmer Cup will be live streamed at this link.
The three-day tournament 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 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 Arnold Palmer Cup Champion is the team with the most points at the conclusion of the four rounds of play. If the two sides are tied the holder retains the Cup. Team International won the Arnold Palmer Cup in 2022. Currently the United States leads the all-time series 13-12-1.
Palmer Cup Schedule
Thursday, June 8 – Mixed Four-Ball Matches (7:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.)
Friday, June 9 – Foursomes (7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.) & Mixed Foursomes (1:30 p.m. to 2:20 p.m.)
Saturday, June 10 – Singles (7:30 a.m. to 9:20 a.m.)
This year James led UVA to its best finish at the NCAA Championships in program history as the Cavaliers qualified for the quarterfinals of match play for the first time. He was named the Phil Mickelson Award winner as the nation’s most outstanding freshman golfer, was a first-team All-American and the ACC Freshman of the Year.
In 13 tournaments he posted a school-record stroke average of 69.0 for 40 rounds of play. He posted 11 top-six finishes, had 24 rounds in the 60s and 33 rounds of par or better. His sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships tied as the second best by a Cavalier. He helped UVA reach match play at the NCAA Championships for the first time and post the best finish in stroke play (seventh) in program history.
Sambach was named a second-team All-American by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association and was a finalist for both the Division I PING Women’s Golf Coaches Association Player of the Year honor and the ANNIKA Award, both of which are presented to the nation’s top female collegiate golfer.
This season she set the UVA record for wins in a season with three. She opened the year by taking medalist honors at the ANNIKA…
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