Sugar Grove, I.L.– The U.S. reclaimed the annual Palmer Cup with an 18-12 victory at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois, with the team featuring three Georgians on the 10-player squad, which was coached by Georgia Tech’s Bruce Heppler.
Ollie Schniederjans of Powder Springs and Anders Albertson of Woodstock, two recent Georgia Tech graduates, were part of the U.S. team along with UGA golfer Lee McCoy of Clarkesville.
Schniederjans and McCoy teamed up the first day, splitting their alternate shot and best ball matches. They won 4&3 in alternate shot but lost by the same score in best ball. Albertson split his two matches with Florida State’s Jack Maguire, winning 1-up in alternate shot and 2&1 in best ball, with the U.S. leading 6-4 after the team matches.
In the first day of singles matches, Schniederjans and Albertson both won by 2&1 scores, with Schniederjans defeating Jon Rahm, the European team’s highest ranked player. McCoy lost to Thomas Detry, who he faced in both team matches the previous day.
The U.S. won seven of 10 singles matches to take a 13 ½ to 6 ½ lead, and went 4-5-1 the final day to preserve the victory. Schniederjans won his match 5&3 to finish the week 3-1, with Albertson 2-2 after a 2&1 defeat. McCoy halved with Rahm in the final match to go 1-2-1.
With the victory, the U.S. is 10-8-1 in the history of the event, which matches top college players from the U.S. against collegiate golfers born in Europe.
Schniederjans and McCoy both left for the U.S. Open after the tournament, with five of the 10 members of the U.S. team competing at Chambers Bay.