The Palmer Cup is unique in the global golf calendar, a Ryder Cup-style format featuring top men’s and women’s collegiate golfers competing side-by-side. The event, co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1997, emphasizes not just world-class play, but also character, diversity, and the unifying power of sport.

Thursday’s Match Format

Thursday’s action consists of mixed four-ball pairings, where each player plays their own ball and the best score on each hole counts for the team. Tee times began at 10:00 a.m. EST, with matches going off in 15-minute intervals.

Round 1 Recap: International Team Takes Narrow Lead

Team International emerged with a slight edge after Thursday's tightly contested mixed four-ball session, claiming a 6.5–5.5 lead over Team USA at Congaree Golf Club. While the Americans dropped the first three matches, they bounced back with four victories over the next five, fueled by strong performances from duos like Mulcahy/Summy and Modleski/Todd.

Three of the 12 matches finished tied, underscoring the competitive balance in this year's field. A standout showing by Graham and Revuelta (4&3) helped pace the international squad, while Chacarra and Ereño secured a key late point. With two days of play remaining, including Friday's alternate shot formats, the race for the Cup remains wide open.

Round 1 Mixed Four-Ball Results

Day 1 Total Points

• Team International: 6.5
• Team USA: 5.5

Spotlight: Returners & Firsts

Several key names from past Palmer Cups return this year, including La Sasso, Davis, Koivun, Romero, and Mulcahy, a two-time Division II selection, for Team USA, and Woad, Marin, Ting, and Bernat for Team International.

The field also includes multiple firsts: Hastings (Cayman Islands), Palacios (Guatemala), and Sveinsson (Iceland) become the first players from their countries to compete. Programs like Colorado Christian, Halmstad, Long Beach State, Utah, and Minnesota (women’s team) make their Palmer Cup debut through players like Duncan, Fredriksson, Forster, Palacios, and McCauley.

Looking Ahead

The mixed four-ball matches are the first of three formats this week. The event continues Friday with both foursomes and mixed foursomes, before wrapping up with singles matches on Saturday.

Round 2: Foursomes Pairings (Friday Morning)

Round 3: Mixed Foursomes Pairings (Friday Afternoon)

Format and Schedule

The Palmer Cup spans three days of play, combining different team formats that highlight strategy, chemistry, and individual performance:

• Thursday, June 5 – Mixed Four-Ball (10:00 AM – 12:45 PM): Each match features one male and one female golfer per team. All players play their own ball, and the best score from each side counts as the team score for each hole.
• Friday, June 6 – Foursomes and Mixed Foursomes:
  • Foursomes (8:30 AM – 9:20 AM): Played off split tees, these alternate shot matches pair players of the same gender from each team.
  • Mixed Foursomes (1:30 PM – 2:20 PM): Also played off split tees, these alternate shot matches pair one male and one female player per team.
• Saturday, June 7 – Singles Matches (7:30 AM – 9:20 AM): All 48 players compete in one-on-one match play off split tees, with one point awarded per match.

The first team to reach 30.5 points out of 60 will win the Arnold Palmer Cup. The Closing Ceremonies and Trophy Presentation will take place approximately 30 minutes after the final match concludes on Saturday.

Follow live scoring here, and stay with AmateurGolf.com for match recaps, standout performances, and leaderboard updates from Congaree.