Ege set to make Palmer Cup debut

Published 11:08 pm Thursday, June 8, 2023

LIGONIER, Pa.  – ETSU’s Mats Ege (Kristiansand, Norway) will make his Palmer Cup debut this week as play begins Thursday at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa.

Ege, the eighth Buccaneer selected to play in the Palmer Cup, was the coach’s pick for Team International, which was announced back on April 25. The Ryder Cup-style format features the United States versus the International Team.

Tournament play begins on Thursday with mixed four-ball matches starting at 7:30 a.m. On Friday, teams will play foursomes beginning at 7:30 a.m. and afternoon play features mixed foursomes starting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday’s final day consists of singles beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Live scoring for the tournament will be available via GolfStat. In addition, Streamstak.com will provide live streaming of the tournament.

The International Team is the reigning champion after defeating the United States last year, 33 to 27. The United States lead the all-time series, 13-12-1.

The teams consist of 12 men’s and 12 women’s golfers. The first six men’s and women’s players were selected using the Arnold Palmer Cup Ranking. The remaining players were selected by using five committee picks and the one coach’s pick. One of the committee selections must have been a representative from The R&A Student Tour Series.

Ege joins a list of Buccaneer greats to participate in the Palmer Cup – Adrian Meronk (2015-16), Keith Nolan (1997), Chris Wisler (2000-01), Rhys Davies (2004-07), Gareth Shaw (2007-08), Rhys Enoch (2010) and current teammate Archie Davies (2022). This is now the 14th time ETSU will be represented in the prestigious tournament.

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 Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world’s greatest courses, including The Old Course at St. Andrews, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, and Cherry Hills. Beginning with the 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club, the Palmer Cup is the only major tournament which features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.

Since its inception, over 125 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours; 34 have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup and more than 75 have claimed over 310 victories on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours, including 2022 major champions Jennifer Kupcho (The Chevron Championship) and Justin Thomas (PGA Championship). The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 13-12-1.

The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation supports the Palmer Cup, which provides a platform for perpetuating Arnold Palmer’s commitment to youth character development and the growth of amateur/collegiate golf. For more information, please visit ArnoldPalmerCup.com.