|
 Indiana University's Jorge Campillo, one of 10 semi-finalists for the 2009 Ben Hogan Award, college golf's most prestigious honor, will represent Team Europe in the Palmer Cup for the third consecutive year. Team USA will counter with four semi-finalists of its own; Alabama's Bud Cauley, Okalahoma State's Morgan Hoffmann, Georgia Tech's Cameron Tringale and Marquette's Mike Van Sickle.
The collegiate team competition pitting the United State against Europe, similar to Ryder Cup, will take place June 3-5 at Cherry Hills Country Club outside of Denver. Europe won the 2008 event, but the U.S. leads overall 6-5-1.
"Besides the All-America teams, the Palmer Cup is the elite of college golf," said University of Alabama golf coach Jay Seawell. "For Bud to do this as a true freshman it is a big deal. There is another true freshman on there, Morgan Hoffmann. It just shows you that young guys can do it and Bud has played fantastic and he deserves this honor."
The young members of Team USA will be backed by veterans familiar with the Palmer Cup competition. Southern Cal's Jamie Lovemark will appear in the event for the second time (2007), and Georgia's Adam Mitchell is back for the second year in a row.
A senior at Dwayne Wade's old stomping grounds, the 22-year-old Van Sickle is excited about his chance to take part in this elite competition.
"I was really hoping that I would make the team and it became a goal of mine at the beginning of the season," he said.
"This is one of those tangible rewards for all the hard work and time you put in behind the scenes," added Van Sickle, who is the son of Gary Van Sickle, who is a senior golf writer for Sports Illustrated. "My play this last year has improved across the board, and to accomplish that goal is very gratifying. It seems like it's going to be a really strong field."
Often described as a late bloomer, Van Sickle's game has really grown up this year. He is currently the eighth-ranked amateur in the R&A's World Amateur Golf Rankings. Five of the 16 players announced as Palmer Cup participants are ranked in the top 20. Van Sickle leads all of NCAA Division I with five wins this year.
 Tringale, who ranks 14th, is a three time All-American, including second-team recognition in 2006 and 2007.
Hoffmann is the highest-rated amateur in the Palmer Cup field at the moment, as he is ranked No. 2 on the R&A's list.
Team USA is rounded out by Oklahoma State's Trent Leon and Stanford's Steve Ziegler.
Campillo, who helped Europe win the cup last year, is the reigning Big Ten golfer of the year and tied for second in last year's Division I NCAA championship tournament. Teammate Stephen Gross will be the first-ever golfer from Germany to take part in the event. Tim Slutier, who plays collegiately at USC, is the only other member of the team besides Campillo who has prior Palmer Cup experience.
Team Europe also includes Stephan Gross (Arizona State), who is No. 5 in the current R&A rankings, Leonardo Motta (IULM Milan), Henrik Norlander (Augusta State), Chris Paisley (Tennessee), Andrea Pavan (Texas A&M), Tim Slutier (Southern Cal) and Robin Wingardh (Tennessee).
The Venue
The host golf course, Cherry Hills Country Club, along with Winged Foot Golf Club and Hazeltine National Golf Club, site of this year's PGA Championship, are the only courses to have hosted the U.S. Open, U.S. Senior Open, U.S. Amateur and U.S. Women's Open.
The most famous of those competitions was the 1960 U.S. Open, which was won by Arnold Palmer, for whom the Palmer Cup is named.
"Cherry Hills is very excited to host the 2009 Palmer Cup," said John Ogden, Cherry Hills head golf professional. "Arnold Palmer is synonymous with Cherry Hills and naturally we are thrilled to host a tournament of this caliber which bears his name."
About the Palmer Cup
 The Palmer Cup is an annual eight man team golf competition between American college golfers and European college/university golfers. It is named after Arnold Palmer. The teams are selected on the basis of nationality, not according to the location of the players' universities. Many of the European players attend American universities as sports scholarships have never been a feature of the university system in Europe.
Palmer Cup Rosters
Team USA
Bud Cauley, Alabama
Morgan Hoffmann, Oklahoma State
Trent Leon, Oklahoma State
Jamie Lovemark, Southern California
Adam Mitchell, Georgia
Cameron Tringale, Georgia Tech
Mike Van Sickle, Marquette
Steve Ziegler, Stanford
Team Europe
Jorge Campillo, Indiana (Spain)
Stephan Gross, Arizona State (Germany)
Leonardo Motta, IULM Milan (Italy)
Henrik Norlander, Augusta State (Sweden)
Chris Paisley, Tennessee (England)
Andrea Pavan, Texas A&M (Italy)
Tim Slutier, Southern California (The Netherlands)
Robin Wingardh, Tennessee (Sweden)
|
