Rachel Kuehn (Adam Mackey/Palmer Cup Photo)
After Team USA took momentum and the lead earlier in the day, Team International got six key victories and two halves in Round 3 to knot the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup at 18 apiece heading into Sunday’s final-round singles matches.
The round’s first match in was Match 34 between Maria José Marin/Omar Morales and Team USA’s Maxwell Ford/Rachel Kuehn. Taking advantage of two eagles, including a conceded one on the 14th and match’s final hole, José Marin and Morales defeated Ford and Kuehn 7&5.
“We started off strong with really good shots,” said José Marin, a 2024 WGCA First-Team All-American. “It was more challenging because of the wind, which picked up hard from the morning, but we kept up the strategy that gave us the advantage. Omar’s a really strong player and I think our games complement each other well.”
Irish duo Sara Byrne (Douglas, Cork) and Max Kennedy (Dublin), who collected Team International’s first point of the 2024 Palmer Cup with their 5&4 win on Friday, found themselves down two with six to play in Match 27. Birdies on two of their final five holes were enough to beat Virginia and Team USA’s Ben James and Amanda Sambach 2UP.
Match 32 between Team International’s Emma Bunch/Filip Jakubcik and Catherine Park/Preston Summerhays saw Bunch and Jakubcik leading by at least three during the final 13 holes en route to their 4&3 victory. New Mexico State’s first golfer selected for the Palmer Cup, Bunch, recorded her second win Saturday by at least three.
The round and day ended with two thrilling finishes on the 18th green. First, after being up five through the first 10 holes and allowing three consecutive proceeding birdies, Team USA’s Mary Kelly Mulcahy and Jackson Van Paris picked up after their opening-round win with a 2UP victory against Maynooth and Team International’s Ryan Griffin and Kate Lanigan.
“It was a great match,” Van Paris said. “You don’t think the match is over when you’re up five through 10, but you feel pretty good about yourself. Then they rattled off three birdies in a row and really played a great back nine.”
“I’m super proud of Mary Kelly,” continued Van Paris. “That chip she hit on 18 was so cool. We met each other on the first tee yesterday and it’s been a blast. She’s the most humble golfer ever, saying how lucky she is to be here and then starts making every putt. We were talking today about how we need to find some professional mixed-gender team events that we can play in. She’s great and we’ve had a ton of fun.”
Match 35, the day’s final match to complete, featured one of the closest matches of the entire tournament between Team International’s Wenyi Ding/Louise Rydqvist and Melanie Green/Michael La Sasso. Neither team saw themselves ahead by more than one, and after Ding hit a pitch shot within 10 feet on the 18th hole, Rydqvist recorded the pair’s only under-par hole of the match by making eagle putt. The putt won the match 1UP and brought the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup score to 18-18.
“This wind is what I like and I just hit a straight ball,” said Ding, a 2024 PING First-Team All-American. “Those are the moments that we practice and embrace for,” Rydqvist, a 2024 WGCA First-Team All-American, added. “Today it went in and was a very enjoyable moment. Making the Arnold Palmer Cup team has been a goal of mine for a very long time. To meet a lot of new people like Wenyi and make friends for a lifetime makes me super blessed and happy to be here.”
Final round pairings, beginning at 7:30 am IST (Irish Standard Time), are listed below.
Final Round: Singles Pairings7:30 am (#1): Michael La Sasso (United States) vs. Josele Ballester (International)
7:30 am (#10): Jackson Van Paris (United States) vs. Calum Scott (International)
7:40 am (#1): Jack Lundin (United States) vs. Filip Jakubcik (International)
7:40 am (#10): Gordon Sargent (United States) vs. Bastien Amat (International)
7:50 am (#1): Amanda Sambach (United States) vs. Adela Cernousek (International)
7:50 am (#10): Mary Kelly Mulcahy (United States) vs. Kate Lanigan (International)
8:00 am (#1): Maisie Filler (United States) vs. Hannah Darling (International)
8:00 am (#10): Farah O’Keefe (United States) vs. Maria José Marin (International)
8:10 am (#1): Rachel Kuehn (United States) vs. Louise Rydqvist (International)
8:10 am (#10): Ian Gilligan (United States) vs. Omar Morales (International)
8:20 am (#1): Jackson Klutznick (United States) vs. Santiago de la Fuente (International)
8:20 am (#10): Anna Davis (United States) vs. Paula Martín Sampedro (International)
8:30 am (#1): Melanie Green (United States) vs. Sara Byrne (International)
8:30 am (#10): Brendan Valdes (United States) vs. Phichaksn Maichon (International)
8:40 am (#1): Maxwell Ford (United States) vs. Ryan Griffin (International)
8:40 am (#10): Kiara Romero (United States) vs. Emma Bunch (International)
8:50 am (#1): Zoe Campos (United States) vs. Caitlyn Macnab (International)
8:50 am (#10): David Ford (United States) vs. Ben van Wyk (International)
9:00 am (#1): Ben James (United States) vs. Max Kennedy (International)
9:00 am (#10): Catherine Park (United States) vs. Mirabel Ting (International)
9:10 am (#1): Latanna Stone (United States) vs. Julia Lopez Ramirez (International)
9:10 am (#10): Jackson Koivun (United States) vs. Wenyi Ding (International)
9:20 am (#1): Preston Summerhays (United States) vs. Jacob Skov Olesen (International)
9:20 am (#10): Anna Morgan (United States) vs. Carla Bernat (International)
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