Ken Kong, Alex Yun Nominated for Arnold Palmer Cup
CLAREMONT, Calif. - Two Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's golfers, sophomore Ken Kong and freshman Alex Yun, were nominated to participate in the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup, which will be held at he Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas from June 7-9.
The Arnold Palmer Cup is an annual competition for golfers from colleges and universities. It uses a Ryder Cup-style format, pitting a United States team against an international team (based on the players' nationalities and not where their college or university is located). The United States team won last year match at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France to improve to 12-9-1 in the series.
Kong tied for fifth at the SCIAC Championships as a freshman last year, and got off to a strong start to his sophomore season with a 66 in a dual match with Chapman back in the fall, when he birdied his last five holes. He also tied for third at the Cal State Intercollegiate in September, with a 68-72-140 over the two-day event to help CMS to the team title.
Yun has had a strong impact on the Stags already as a fresman, finishing right behind Kong in a tie for fifth at the Cal State Intercollegiate with a 141, and then coming in second place with a 72-67-72-211 at the three-day Embry Riddle Invitational in Prescott, Arizona in October, helping the Stags to a close second-place finish behind Ottawa University.
The top six United States and international golfers from the final Palmer Cup rankings in the spring will be selected to compete in the Arnold Palmer Cup. Using Golfstat's NCAA Player ranking as a base, the Arnold Palmer Cup ranking awards bonus points for wins and high finishes and a penalty for poor finishes. The ranking also contains a strength of schedule component.
The remaining six spots for the United States will consist of five committee selections, including at least one non-Division I golfer, and a coaches pick. The balance of the International team will include the men's and women's winners of The R&A Scholars Tournament, four committee selections, and a coaches pick.
CMS men's golf is back in action this weekend for their first spring event, competing at the three-day Coyote Invitational hosted by CSU San Bernardino from Sunday through Tuesday.
About the Arnold Palmer Cup
The Arnold Palmer Cup was co-founded by Arnold Palmer and The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and began at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla. in 1997. The event is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men's and women's university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of International players. The Arnold Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world's greatest courses including The Old Course, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, and Cherry Hills. The 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club became the only major tournament to feature men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
Since its inception, over 100 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on either the PGA Tour, European Tour or LPGA, 28 have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, and more than 50 have claimed over 200 victories on the PGA or European Tours. The United States leads the series 12-9-1.
The Arnold Palmer Cup is supported by the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. The Arnold Palmer Cup provides a platform for perpetuating Arnold Palmer's commitment to youth development and the growth of amateur/collegiate golf. For more information, please visit ArnoldPalmerCup.com.