Brennan Named to Arnold Palmer Cup Team
4/19/2022 2:40:00 PM | Men's Golf
The Demon Deacon sophomore continues a long tradition of Wake Forest golfers taking part in the event.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Wake Forest men's golf sophomore Michael Brennan was named to the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup Team USA, as announced on Golf Channel Tuesday.
Brennan was one of just 12 players named to Team USA who will compete against the International Team at Golf Club de Genève in Vandœuvres, Switzerland from July 1-3. Additionally, he will be joined Wake Forest Women's golf assistant coach, Ryan Potter, on Team USA.
The announcement of Brennan being named to the Arnold Palmer Cup Team comes a week after the sophomore was named one of just 16 players to make the latest Fred Haskins Award watch list. The Haskins Award recognizes the most outstanding male NCAADI college golfer as voted on by players, coaches and members of the college golf media.
Additionally, it comes two months after Brennan was also named to the Ben Hogan Award Watch List along with teammate Alex Fitzpatrick.
Brennan has been the top Demon Deacon on the leaderboard after 17 of 24 rounds so far this season while also having four top three finishes and a pair of individual victories. In 18 career events, he has finished inside of the top five eight times.
This season he has taken home a pair of individual titles, claiming the Old Town Club Collegiate Invitational title along with Fitzpatrick. He followed that up in the next tournament by winning at the Colonial Collegiate Invitational.
The win at historic Colonial Country Club marked the fourth time in Brennan's career he has captured an individual title putting him with names such as Will Zalatoris and Bill Andrade to have four titles to their name at Wake Forest. Only six Demon Deacons have more than four titles in their collegiate career: Bill Haas (10), Gary Hallberg (9), Curtis Strange (8), Lanny Wadkins (5), Jay Haas (5) and Cameron Young (5).
Wake Forest Golfers to Win Four Collegiate Events
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Bill Andrade
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Lee Bedford
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Bob Byman
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Billy Chapman
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Will Zalatoris
Additionally, it was the second time in his career Brennan has won back-to-back events after winning at Kiawah and Pinehurst as a freshman.
Brennan has a team-best 70.31 stroke average this season, which would rank fifth in program history.
Arnold Palmer Cup Format
The Arnold Palmer Cup is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top male university/college golfers matching the United States against Europe. The event began at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando FL in 1997 and has been staged each year alternately in Europe and the USA.
The three-day event features:
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July 1 - "Four Ball" - A match in which each member of the two-person teams plays their own ball. Four balls are in play per hole with each of the four players recording a score on the hole. The team whose player posts the best score on that hole wins the hole. Should players from each team tie for the best score, that hole is halved.
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July 2 - "Foursome" - A match in which the golfers compete on a team against two other golfers and each side plays one ball. The golfers play alternate shots (player A hits tee shot, player B hits second shot, etc.) until the hole is played out. Team members alternate on the playing of tee shots, with one golfer hitting the tee shot on odd-numbered holes, and the other hitting tee shots from the even-numbered holes. The team with the better score wins the hole. Should the two teams tie for best score, the hole is halved.
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July 3 - "Singles" - A match in which one player plays against another player. A player wins the match when the player is up by more holes than there are holes remaining to play.
Arnold Palmer Cup History
In 1997 the Golf Coaches Association of America approached Arnold Palmer regarding lending his name to an international collegiate event between the United States and Great Britain and Ireland. The event would use a Ryder Cup-style format and bring together the top eight collegiate players in the United States against their counterparts from GB&I. Palmer, a former collegiate player himself, has been called America's greatest Ambassador for the game of golf.
With his blessing and the support of the Arnold Palmer Golf Company, the inaugural event was played at his own Bay Hill Club in Florida in June 1997.
Wake Forest at the Arnold Palmer Cup
Brennan becomes the 12th player from Wake Forest to compete in the event. Additionally over the last five years, nine different Demon Deacons have competed in the three-day tournament, accounting for 15 appearances.
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Michael Brennan (2022) - USA
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Rachel Kuehn (2020, 2021, 2022) - USA
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Carolina Chacarra (2022) - International
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Alex Fitzpatrick (2020, 2021) - International
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Emilia Migliaccio (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021) - USA
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Lauren Walsh (2021) - International
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Mark Power (2020) - International
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Kengo Aoshima (2019) - International
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Jennifer Kupcho (2018) - USA
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Will Zalatoris (2016) - USA
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Webb Simpson (2007) - USA
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Bill Haas (2002, 2003) - USA
