Assistant Coaches Named for 2026 Palmer Cup
Monday, December 15, 2025
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Posted by: Emma Bryant
Assistant Coaches Named for 2026 Palmer Cup
LAS VEGAS — Assistant coaches have been named for the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup at Tralee Golf Links. England’s Jake Amos, Canada’s Veronique Drouin-Luttrell, England’s Matt Walton, and Mexico’s Yoshio Yamamoto will help lead Team International with head coaches Janice Olivencia (Miami/Puerto Rico) and Brennan Webb (Tennessee/Canada). Emily Fletcher and Beth Miller of Northwestern, Bowen Sargent of Virginia, and Thomas Sutton of Arizona State will work with head coaches Laura Ianello (Texas) and Trey Jones (Florida State) to lead Team USA. The Ryder Cup-style competition, which features U.S. men’s and women’s collegiate golfers playing side-by-side against a team of their International counterparts, will be played July 3-5. USA leads all-time 15-13-1.
A Leicester, England native, Amos is in his second season as men’s head coach at LSU. Hired on May 29, 2024, Amos’ Tigers have consistently been ranked inside the top 10 and recorded seven tournament victories and three individual medalists. Second-ranked LSU won their final three tournaments this fall after finishing third in their season opener. Three Tigers carded scoring averages under 70 in the fall, including No. 8-ranked (via the World Amateur Golf Rankings® (WAGR®) and 2025 Palmer Cup alum Árni Sveinsson. The first Icelandic golfer to play in both the Palmer Cup and U.S. Amateur, Sveinsson hasn’t finished lower than 11th this season and leads LSU with a 68.67 scoring average. The Tigers won four times in 2024-25, including the 2024 Visit Knoxville Collegiate in Amos’ debut, and earned the No. 1 seed in the 2025 NCAA Amherst Regional. Sveinsson was a PING Third Team All-American and GCAA All-Freshman Team member, and senior Algot Kleen finished the season with the second-lowest season stroke average in program history (70.06) before being named PING Second Team All-American. Academically, five Tigers were Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars and First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll honorees, and the team earned a 2025 PLATFORM Golf Team Academic Award (Presidents Special Recognition).
Drouin-Luttrell is in her 17th season as head women’s golf coach at Oklahoma. Guided by seniors Savannah Barber and Reagan Cheney, the No. 26 Sooners finished inside the top six in all five events this fall and inside the top three three times. Her 2024-25 team had three WGCA All-American Scholars, won the Paradise Invitational with eight other top-five finishes, and qualified for the program’s seventh NCAA Championship appearance under Drouin-Luttrell. Hired on June 24, 2009, the Saint-Anges, Quebec native has led Oklahoma to 30 WGCA All-American Scholar recognitions, six WGCA All-America honors, and the program’s top 20 54-hole and top 23 lowest round scores. Oklahoma has won 10 tournaments in Drouin-Luttrell’s tenure, highlighted by the 2012 and 2014 Big 12 Championship. They finished sixth, ninth, and fourth in consecutive trips to the NCAA Championship (2012-14) and were guided by 2012 NCAA Individual Champion and two-time WGCA First Team All-American Chirapat Jao-Javanil. Jao-Javanil was one of Drouin-Luttrell’s original recruits at Oklahoma, is the only First Team All-American in program history, and was also the 2014 Big 12 Individual Champion. Drouin-Luttrell has been named WGCA Central Region Coach of the Year three times (2012-14) and Big 12 Coach of the Year twice (2012 and 2014) at Oklahoma.
A Lytham St. Annes, England native, Walton is in his third season as assistant men’s coach at Arizona under 2013 Palmer Cup Team USA Assistant Coach Jim Anderson. The Wildcats have recorded five tournament victories, four runner-up finishes, and 16 top-five finishes with Walton’s assistance. They won the Windon Memorial Classic and Arizona Thunderbirds Intercollegiate in 2024-25, participated in the 2025 NCAA Amherst Regional, and won twice in 2023-24 before qualifying for the 2024 NCAA Championship. Three Wildcats have earned PING All-West Region in Walton’s two years on staff, including 2024-25 Palmer Cup alumnus Filip Jakubcik. The first golfer from the Czech Republic to participate in the Palmer Cup, Jakubcik became the fourth player in the 78-year history of the Western Intercollegiate in consecutive years (2024-25) on April 16 before being named First Team All-Big-12 and PING Honorable Mention All-America. Three Arizona golfers have been named Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars, and Tianyi Xiong was a 2024 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team member.
Yamamoto is in his second season as assistant women’s coach at South Carolina under 2025 Palmer Cup Team USA Co-Head Coach Kalen Anderson. Hired on July 30, 2024, the Guadalajara, Mexico native helped lead one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2024-25. Breaking the program record for single-season scoring average and spearheaded by Palmer Cup alumnae Eila Galitsky (2025), Louise Rydqvist (2024-25), and Hannah Darling (2024), the Gamecocks won four times, including the program’s second SEC Championship and NCAA (Charlottesville) Regional, and finished inside the top five in all but one tournament last season. South Carolina was the first No. 1 seed to win the SEC Championship since the championship adopted its current match play format in 2018. Galitsky, Rydqvist, and Darling all earned First Team All-SEC and WGCA All-America honors. Galitsky was named WGCA First Team All-America, WGCA All-Freshman Team, and Co-SEC Freshman of the Year while Rydqvist and Darling were named WGCA Second Team All-Americans. Four Gamecocks collected WGCA All-American Scholar recognitions, including Rydqvist and Darling, and Rydqvist won the Edith Cummings Munson Golf Award from the WGCA.
Fletcher and Miller are in their 18th season as head and assistant women’s coaches, respectively, at Northwestern. The duo earned Division I Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year Presented by Golf Pride and Division I Golf Pride WGCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2024-25, marking the first time in the history of the awards that both recipients came from the same program. The Wildcats compiled top-eight finishes in all 11 tournaments last season with eight inside the top five and six inside the top three. Guided by 2025 Palmer Cup alumna Lauryn Nguyen, the Wildcats defeated top-ranked Stanford and four 2025 Palmer Cup participants to win the program’s first national championship on May 21, 2025. Nguyen and Ashley Yun were named 2025 WGCA Honorable Mention All-Americans. Northwestern has qualified for 16 straight NCAA Regionals under Fletcher and Miller, advancing to the NCAA Championships 10 times, including the last three. Finishing inside the top 15 at the NCAA Championship in nine of those 10, they were the runner-up in 2017 after being the No. 1 seed after stroke play. An Evanston, Ill. native, Fletcher has led the Wildcats to three Big Ten Championships (2013, 2015-16) while earning Big Ten Coach of the Year six times (2011, 2013, 2015-16, 2023-24) and Golf Pride WGCA Central Region Coach of the Year four times (2016-17, 2023, 2025). Miller, a Dixon, Ill. native, was also named Division I Golf Pride WGCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2015. In their tenure in Evanston, Fletcher and Miller have coached 21 All-America, four Big Ten Player of the Year, seven Big Ten Freshman of the Year, 54 All-Big Ten, 47 WGCA All-American Scholar, and 98 Academic All-Big Ten selections. Their Wildcats own the program’s top 16 career and top 25 single-season scoring average records.
Sargent is in his 22nd season as men’s golf head coach at Virginia. The top-ranked Cavaliers either finished first or second in all four tournaments this fall, winning the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate and co-winning the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational presented by Charles Schwab against 12 other top-25 teams. Virginia won twice in 2024-25, including the program’s first ACC Championship, and collected six other top-three finishes before Sargent became a finalist for the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award for the first time. They advanced to their third consecutive NCAA Championship match play before falling to champion Oklahoma State in the program’s first appearance in the championship match. The 2023-24 Cavaliers won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate and finished inside the top six in all 11 tournaments before finishing as a quarterfinalist and bowing out against eventual champion Auburn at the 2024 NCAA Championship. Virginia carded two wins and 10 top-five finishes in 2022-23 before being ousted by eventual champion Florida in the 2023 NCAA Championship quarterfinals. Sargent’s last three teams have compiled nine PING All-East Region, seven GCAA All-America Scholar, six PING All-America, six All-ACC, and two GCAA Outstanding Team Academic Award recognitions. 2023-24 Palmer Cup alumnus and current top-ranked (via Scoreboard powered by Clippd) Ben James has become one of the program’s most decorated golfers. He’s the first Cavalier to be a three-time PING First Team All-American, was only the second Cavalier to earn PING First Team All-America honors, won the 2023 Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award presented by StrackaLine, and has qualified for the 2024 and 2025 U.S. Opens. Hired at Virginia on August 31, 2004, Sargent has won ACC Coach of the Year twice (2010, 2025) and was the 2025 Golf Pride Grips East Region Coach of the Year leading the Cavaliers to 30 tournament victories. He has led Virginia to 17 straight NCAA Regional appearances and coached current PGA TOUR players such as Ben Kohles, Denny McCarthy, and Jimmy Stanger.
Sutton is in his fourth season as associate head men’s coach at Arizona State under 2009 and 2024 Palmer Cup Team USA Head Coach Matt Thurmond. The Sun Devils won the Sahalee Players Championship and The Wohali to open 2025-26 before finishing the fall ranked No. 7 via Scoreboard powered by Clippd. The No. 1 seed after stroke play at the 2025 NCAA Championship, Arizona State won three times with seven other top-three finishes in 2024-25, including runner-up at the program 2025 Big 12 Championship, their first year in the conference. Being led on the course by four PING All-Americans, including Palmer Cup alumni Josele Ballester (2022-24) and Preston Summerhays (2023-24), Arizona State completed the season ranked No. 3. Along with being the fifth four-time All-American in program history, Ballester became the first Spaniard to win the U.S. Amateur in 2024 before being named 2025 Big 12 Player of the Year and 2025 Division I Gary Player International Golfer of the Year presented by FlightScope. For his guidance, Sutton was named recipient of the 2025 NCAA Division I Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award presented by TaylorMade Golf Company. Hired as associate head coach on June 16, 2022, the Montgomery, Ala. native has helped lead the Sun Devils to the No. 1 seed in their NCAA Regional each year, 11 tournament victories, including the 2024 Pac-12 Championship and 2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional, and consistent top-five national rankings. 11 PING All-America, 14 PING All-West Region, six GCAA All-America Scholar, and six Palmer Cup selections have occurred with Sutton on staff.
For more information about the Palmer Cup, visit arnoldpalmercup.com.
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 Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world’s greatest courses, including The Old Course at St. Andrews, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, Cherry Hills, and Lahinch. Beginning with the 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club, the Palmer Cup is the only major tournament that features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
Since its inception, over 245 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours; 46 have represented Europe/International or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup and more than 95 have claimed over 435 victories on the PGA, DP World, LPGA, or Ladies European Tours, including 2025 U.S. Women’s Open Champion Maja Stark. The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 15-13-1.
More than a showcase of golf skill, the Palmer Cup acknowledges and rewards character as well, in line with the principles of its founder and the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. Arnold and Winnie Palmer championed causes that were not just about golf, but possible because of golf. They devoted their time away from the game to philanthropy — focused especially on young people — and created a model for other modern athletes to use their influence in service to others. The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation continues the Palmer tradition of impactful philanthropy by uniting the generosity of golfers and fans everywhere to make a difference.
The Arnold Palmer Cup is part of the foundation’s missions to promote youth character development and foster the growth of amateur/collegiate golf. For more information, please visit arnoldpalmercup.com.
About the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation
The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation continues the Palmer family’s mission to champion youth health and development. By continuing their efforts to ensure every child gets the opportunity to live a life well played — through support for nature-focused well-being and character development through golf — the foundation is committed to keeping the Palmer legacy at the forefront of the global conversation of golf and society at large. Learn more at palmerfoundation.org.
Rolex and the Arnold Palmer Cup
Through an unwavering commitment to the game of golf for more than 50 years, Rolex has developed one of the broadest and longest-standing relationships between brand and sport. These strong ties date back to 1967 when Rolex partnered with legendary golfer Arnold Palmer, making him the first official Rolex Golf Testimony. The charismatic American holds a special place in golf history thanks as much to his natural talent and successful playing career as to his pioneering role in the sport. Since that pivotal bond began, Rolex has gone on to establish partnerships at every level of the sport, including with the governing bodies responsible for advancing the sport and with the finest players, from The Big Three to the New Guard who lead today’s rankings. The decision to partner with the Arnold Palmer Cup was thus a natural progression for the Swiss watchmaker and a tribute to Arnold Palmer’s inspiring legacy.
About Rolex
Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacturer. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized around the world for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance, and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Cellini watches are certified by COSC, then tested in-house for their precision, performance, and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization.
The word “Perpetual” is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. In the course of its history. Rolex has registered over 500 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops, and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly, and finishing of the movement, case, dial, and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport, and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.
About Nike
The exclusive footwear, apparel, headwear, and glove supplier of the Arnold Palmer Cup, our mission is what drives us to do everything possible to expand human potential. We do that by creating groundbreaking sport innovations, by making our products more sustainably, by building a creative and diverse global team, and by making a positive impact in the communities where we live and work.
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