April 17, 2014

Palmer Cup | Walton Heath Golf Club

NORMAN, Okla. (SMU) - Less than 24 hours after being named a semifinalist for the Ben Hogan Award, given annually to the nation's most outstanding collegiate amateur golfer, SMU sophomore Bryson Dechambeau was selected to the 2014 Palmer Cup squad on Golf Channel's Morning Drive on Thursday. The Clovis, Calif., native is one of 10 golfers that will represent the United States against Europe from June 26-28 at the Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England.

Dechambeau becomes the second Mustang to play in the event, with Hank Kuehne representing the United States in both 1998 (St. Andrews, Scotland) and 1999 (Chattanooga, Tenn.). SMU head coach Josh Gregory coached the United States side in 2012.

The sophomore was thrilled upon hearing of the announcement, and is both honored and excited to play at the famed Walton Heath Golf Club.

"Quite honestly after (the Western Intercollegiate), I thought I had shot myself out of it," Dechambeau said. "But luckily with my steady play all this year I guess I was fortunate enough to be chosen. This will be a new challenge being that it is my first time going over to Europe and playing links golf, but it is a challenge I am willing to take on. Anytime you get to play for your country and represent your school it is quite an honor. An honor that I will cherish for a long time."

Dechambeau was one of three players chosen as a committee selection for the United States side. The top six in the Palmer Cup rating system earned automatic qualification, and one more player was chosen as a coach's pick. The 2014 team will be led by California head coach Steve Desimone. The event will feature 24 matches with every player required to compete twice. Players must participate in either the four-ball or foursomes matches and in one of the two rounds of singles matches.

As of April 12, Dechambeau was the only player in the nation ranked in the top 20 of the World Amateur Golf Ranking, GolfStat, GolfWeek and Scratch Players rankings. He has six top-five finishes this season and has carded 15 rounds of par or better in 2013-14. Dechambeau shot a career-low 64 (minus-six) in the final round of the Gifford Collegiate at Pelican Hill, moving him to a third-place finish. Dechambeau was the only sophomore listed among the 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award.

Last summer, Dechambeau advanced to the match play portion of the U.S. Amateur Championships after placing sixth during stroke play. He also took medalist honors at the 2013 Trans-Mississippi Championship. For his efforts in 2012-13, Dechambeau received Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors and was named to the PING All-Region team.

The Palmer Cup began in 1997 after Arnold Palmer was approached by the Golf Coaches Association of America regarding lending his name to an international, Ryder Cup-style collegiate event. The United States is 9-8-1 all-time in the Palmer Cup, winning last year's event in Wilmington, Del., 20.5-9.5.

The Walton Heath Golf Club is located less than 20 miles to the south of the center of London and was founded in 1903. Former members of the club include King Edward VIII and British Prime Ministers Lloyd George, Bonar Law, Arthurs Balfour and Winston Churchill. The course is ranked as one of the top 100 in the world, and even boasts a Monarch as a former captain, as the Prince of Wales held the distinction from 1935-36. The course has hosted many prestigious events, including the 1981 Ryder Cup, the 2011 Senior Open Championship, five European Opens and numerous top-level amateur events. The facility is also home to the U.S. Open European Qualifying event.

United States

Palmer Cup Ranking Selections

Cameron Wilson, Stanford

Ollie Schniederjans, Georgia Tech

Robby Shelton, Alabama

Wyndham Clark, Oklahoma State

Brandon Hagy, California

Rico Hoey, Southern California

Commitee Selections

Bryson Dechambeau, SMU

Anthony Maccaglia, Oglethorpe

Trey Mullinax, Alabama

Coach's Pick

Stewart Jolly, LSU

Head Coach - Steve Desimone, California

Assistant Coach - Ryan Murphy, Texas

Europe

Palmer Cup Ranking Selections

Jon Rahm, Arizona State - Spain

Ricardo Gouveia, UCF - Portugal

Erik Oja, Arizona - Sweden

Thomas Detry, Illinois - Belgium

Pep Angles, Central Arkansas - Spain

James Ross, Houston - Scotland

Commitee Selections

Paul Dunne, UAB - Ireland

Grant Forrest, San Diego - Scotland

The R&A Scholars' Tournament Champion

Louis Tomlinson, UCLAN Myerscough - England

Coach's Pick

Jack McDonald, Stirling - Scotland

Coaches

Head Coach - Andrew Coltart - Scotland

Assistant Coach - Phil Rowe, Stanford - England