Four Irish make Arnold Palmer Cup team for Lahinch

Maynooth scholars Kate Lanigan and Ryan Griffin are joined on the 24-strong International team by the University of Louisville’s Max Kennedy and the University of Miami’s Sara Byrne for the clash between some of the world’s top college stars.

Lahinch Golf Club was originally scheduled to host the Arnold Palmer Cup in 2020 but the event was postponed until this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Griffin, who plays out of Ballybofey & Stranorlar, and Royal Dublin’s Kennedy have excelled on the international stage in recent years, playing in LIV Golf’s Promotions Event in Abu Dhabi late last year.

Kennedy won his second US collegiate title last month when he captured the General Hackler Championship and a precious start in the PGA Tour’s $4m (€3.2m) Myrtle Beach Classic next month.

Griffin won the R&A Student Series Order of Merit earlier this month after he claimed a three-shot victory in the final event at St Andrews and he's looking forward to returning to the side alongside Kennedy after both featured last year.

"I am delighted to get picked again this year,' Griffin said. "It was definitely my biggest goal since the start of the first Student Series event in September to win the Order of Merit again to get myself back on the team for the Palmer Cup in Lahinch.

"Lahinch is such a special place to me because everything about it is unbelievable, from the people there to the atmosphere around the course. Just being right in the town is just great.

"To have Barry Fennelly as the captain of the men's team makes it even more special, as we have a great relationship already from my years in Maynooth. So all in all, it'll be a fantastic week for it in Lahinch come July.”

Hermitage star Lanigan, who made the cut in last year’s KPMG Women’s Irish Open at Dromoland Castle, won the women’s R&A Student Series Order of Merit and finished tied for second last weekend in the Helen Holm Scottish Women’s Open.

Douglas Golf Club’s Byrne won her second AIG Irish Women's Close title last year before finishing as the leading amateur in the KPMG Women's Irish Open.

She also won back-to-back individual titles with the University of Miami in October.

From its foundation in 1997 until 2017 the event was only contested by men with the USA facing Great Britain and Ireland until 2003 when Europe won for the first time at Kiawah Island.

Since 2018, it has been contested between a United States team and an International team representing the rest of the world, with 12 men and 12 women on each side.

The Internationals won in 2019, 2020 and 2022 before falling 32-28 to the USA at Laurel Valley last year.

Since its inception, 44 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup or Solheim Cup.

Past participants include Major winners Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Lilia Vu, Wyndham Clark, Allisen Corpuz and Brian Harman as well as 2023 FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland.

Maynooth University’s Barry Fennelly is the head coach of Team International, while Cork native Aaron O’Callaghan, associate head coach at Wake Forest, will act as an assistant coach.

The United States lead the Palmer Cup series 14-12 with one match tied.

This will be the fifth Irish staging of the match following wins for the USA at Doonbeg (2002) and Royal Portrush (2010) and for Europe at Ballybunion (2004) and Royal County Down (2012).

The USA is sending a star-studded team headed by world amateur No 1 Gordon Sargent, sixth-ranked Preston Summerhays and women’s world No 10 Rachel Kuehn, who ties the Palmer Cup record with her fifth appearance. Team International Bastien Amat (University of New Mexico), France Josele Ballester (Arizona State University), Spain Carla Bernat (Kansas State University), Spain Emma Bunch (New Mexico State University), Denmark Sara Byrne (University of Miami), Ireland Adela Cernousek (Texas A&M University), France Hannah Darling (University of South Carolina), Scotland Santiago de la Fuente (University of Houston), Mexico Wenyi Ding (Arizona State University), China Ryan Griffin (NUI Maynooth), Ireland Filip Jakubcik (University of Arizona), Czech Republic Maria Jose Marin (University of Arkansas), Colombia Max Kennedy (University of Louisville) Ireland Kate Lanigan (NUI Maynooth), Ireland Julia Lopez Ramirez (Mississippi State University), Spain Caitlyn Macnab (University of Mississippi), South Africa Paula Martín (Sampedro Stanford University), Spain Omar Morales (UCLA), Mexico Jacob Skov Olesen (University of Arkansas), Denmark Louise Rydqvist (University of South Carolina), Sweden Calum Scott (Texas Tech University), Scotland Mirabel Ting (Florida State University), Malaysia Ben van Wyk (Univesity of Georgia), South Africa Sampson Zheng (University of California), China Head Coaches: Rhyll Brinsmead (Australia), Barry Fennelly (NUI Maynooth, Ireland); Assistant Coaches: Stew Burke (Kansas State, Scotland); Aaron O’Callaghan (Wake Forest, Ireland) Team USA Zoe Campos (UCLA) Luke Clanton (Florida State University) Maisie Filler (University of Florida) David Ford (University of North Carolina) Ian Gilligan (University of Florida) Megha Ganne (Stanford University) Melanie Green (University of South Florida) Ben James (University of Virginia) Jackson Klutznick (Emory University Denver) Jackson Koivun (Auburn University) Rachel Kuehn (Wake Forest University) Michael La Sasso (University of Mississippi) Jack Lundin (University of Missouri) Anna Morgan (Furman University) Mary Kelly Mulcahy (University of Findlay) Farah O’Keefe (University of Texas) Catherine Park (University of Southern California) Kiara Romero (University of Oregon) Amanda Sambach (University of Virginia) Gordon Sargent (Vanderbilt University) Latanna Stone (Louisiana State University) Preston Summerhays (Arizona State University) Brendan Valdes (Auburn University) Jackson Van Paris (Vanderbilt University). head Coaches: Garrett Runion (LSU), Matt Thurmond (ASU); Assistant Coaches: Dudley Hart (University of Florida), Alexis Rather (Louisiana State University).