2012 Palmer Cup: Team Europe announced
Team Europe for the 2012 Palmer Cup (clockwise from top left): Graeme Robertson, Thomas Pieters, David Booth, Julien Brun, Daan Huizing, Sebastian Capellen, Pontus Widegren and Robert Karlsson.
Coming off a heartbreaking 13-11 defeat to the U.S. in 2011, Team Europe is ready to end a two-year losing streak at the Palmer Cup.
And the Europeans will have a stacked roster to try and win the Ryder Cup-style collegiate competition that will be held June 28-30 at Royal County Down in Newcastle, Northern Ireland.
"I think we have a really strong team, and we'll be playing on a course we might be able to take advantage of," said Team Europe coach Rickard Lindberg, the Swedish national coach. "We have a good mix of different types of players and a lot of different countries. It's going to be great."
The team features three players who have competed exclusively in Europe, while five more have starred at U.S. colleges.
"I haven't met most of these players and really haven't had much chance to talk to them, but I know how good the team looks," Lindberg said. "We have some really experienced guys, and that will help."
The U.S. leads the Palmer Cup series 8-6-1 and has won two straight. The American team, to be coached by SMU's Josh Gregory, has yet to be announced.
Here is a look at the 2012 Team Europe roster:
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David Booth, University of Stirling (England)• Resume: Has won two titles in 2012, capturing both the R&A Foundation Scholars and the Scottish Universities; had three top-10 finishes in 2011, including a second at the European Universities, a T-9 at the Westwood Trophy and a T-7 at the Swiss International Amateur.
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Daan Huizing, Utrecht University (Netherlands)• Resume: Made it to the semifinals of the Spanish International Amateur and was T-16 at the European Nations in 2012; won five titles in 2011, including the Argentina Amateur, Tailhade Cup, Turkish Amateur Open, the Brabants Open Amateur and German International Amateur.
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Graeme Robertson, University of Stirling (Scotland)• Resume: Won the 2012 Craigmillar Park Open Amateur in Scotland; won three titles in 2011, including the European Universities, the Edwards Trophy and the South East District Open Amateur; had two second-place finishes in 2011 at the Sutherland Chalice and the Tennant Cup. |
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Julien Brun, TCU (via France)• Resume: The ninth-ranked collegiate player, according to the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, the TCU freshman played in all 30 rounds with an overall stroke average of 70.87 (more than 1.5 strokes better than anyone else on his team); Brun had three collegiate victories in the 2011-12 season, winning the Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate, the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational and the Augusta State Invitational; Brun, the first French player in the Palmer Cup, also had three other top-10 finishes, including a T-3 at The McLaughlin. |
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Sebastian Cappelen, Arkansas (via Denmark)• Resume: Arkansas sophomore, originally from Denmark, has one win in the 2011-12 season, capturing the Cabo Collegiate; had three top-10 finishes in 2011-12, including a T-3 at the Woodlands All-American Intercollegiate; won the Seminole Intercollegiate in freshman season; was a third-team All-America selection by Golfweek in 2010-11; won three of four matches in 2011 Palmer Cup, including both singles rounds; is ranked No. 53 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Men's Individual Collegiate Rankings. |
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Robert Karlsson, Liberty (via Sweden)• Resume: The Liberty University senior had an impressive campaign which featured one victory (the Big South Men's Championship), a second-place finish (ODU-Outerbanks Collegiate), third-place finishes at the Seahawk Invitational and River Landing Intercollegiate, as well as two T-4s and a T-5; his season scoring average was 72 (1.3 strokes better than anyone else on the Flames roster); making his second Palmer Cup appearance and is only the second Big South Conference player to ever participate (Coastal Carolina's Dustin Johnson played for the U.S. in 2007); is ranked No. 31 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Men's Individual Collegiate Rankings. |
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Thomas Pieters, Illinois (via Belgium)• Resume: The sophomore won his first career title in the fall, taking the Jack Nicklaus Invitational by two strokes; was also runner-up at the D.A. Weibring Intercollegiate; is the first Belgian player to be named to the European Palmer Cup squad; was T-5 at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate, T-6 at the Augusta State Invitational and T-7 at the Barona Collegiate Cup; is ranked No. 50 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Men's Individual Collegiate Rankings. |
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Pontus Widegren, UCLA (via Sweden)• Resume: Widegren has four top-10 finishes in the 2011-12 season, two of them coming in his last three tournaments; won the Fall Preview in 2010-11, his only collegiate victory; the Swede is making his third appearance in the Palmer Cup; the junior was a third-time Golfweek All-American in 2010-11, while also earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors; is ranked No. 46 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Men's Individual Collegiate Rankings. |
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