Needing and getting exactly 12 points during the Final Round Singles, Team International defeated Team USA 30.5-29.5 on Sunday afternoon to capture the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup at Tralee Golf Links for the closest margin of victory in a Palmer Cup since 2000 at Royal Liverpool Golf Club (Great Britain & Ireland defeated USA 12.5-11.5). With this second consecutive Palmer Cup victory for Team International after winning the 2025 Palmer Cup at Congaree Golf Club, the series is now 15-14-1 in favor of Team USA after 30 Palmer Cups.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be associated with anything to do with the Arnold Palmer Cup, and to be the captain with Janice (Olivencia) and have an unbelievable experience here at Tralee, it’s been amazing,” Team International Co-Head Coach Brennan Webb said. “Everything that we talked about and things that were going to be important for us to have success this week panned out. We were fortunate enough to know each other pretty well and talked a lot about the chemistry of what we were looking for. We knew how important the chemistry of everybody working together would be. There’s more team golf than single golf this week, and that’s the most important aspect of it, let alone what’s happening off the golf course and how much we’re hanging out. Janice did an amazing job and brought a ton of energy to the team and really rallied them together. We were able to sneak it out there at the end. It was an amazing week.”
“We don’t get the chance to do this very often, and I told the team that today is what we came here to do,” said Olivencia. “We came here to not just hope to win today but to take it, and that’s what we did. We were ready to go and kept the Cup at home.”
The teams each earned 12 points after Sunday’s 24 matches. Match 42 was the first match to come in, seeing Nguyen Anh Minh lead after all 15 of the holes in his 5&3 win over Team USA’s Cayden Pope. Team International won five of the next eight matches in to build a 25-20 lead, including Árni Sveinsson’s 6&5 victory over Connor Williams in Match 54 that saw the first Icelandic golfer to qualify for the U.S. Open win eight of the match’s 12 holes. Tied on the 18th hole, Rianne Malixi holed a near-40-foot eagle on the par-5 18th hole to win what was a tied Match 41 1UP against Jasmine Koo and put a pivotal full point on the board for Team International.
Team USA then won seven of the final 15 matches while five others ended in a tie to make a late charge for the Cup. Wheaton Ennis won Match 50 3&2, Chloe Kovelesky Match 49 4&2, Jacob Modleski Match 47 1UP, Kihei Akina Match 51 1UP, Max Herendeen Match 59 3&2, Megan Propeck Match 56 1UP, and Jack Turner Match 58 1UP. Team International’s Cayetana Fernández García-Poggio’s Match 53 tie brought the score to 30-29 with the final match, Match 60, still to finish.
Vanessa Borovilos was up one for six of the back nine holes against Mackenzie Lee in the anchor match. Having won the 16th hole and lost the 17th, Lee had an eagle opportunity on the 18th to win the match and tie the 2026 Palmer Cup that rolled short. She would make birdie to tie the match and etch in a 30.5-29.5 final score.
“This match, no matter if you’re the first or last for everyone, you’re going out to win it,” Borovilos, a 2026 WGCA First Team All-American, said. “Coach Janice gave us a heck of a speech last night that got us all fired up, so it was really the same approach as any other match; try to be aggressive out there, don’t give them any short ones, and put as much pressure as you can on USA because anything can happen with this wind. I will say that it’s a lot more stressful playing for more than just myself. I played with Daniel (Bennett), Lauren (Kim), and Luke (Poulter) this week, and I felt so bad anytime I hit a bad shot because it’s for them and not just me. To have all of the team sitting there after this match, it means so much more for everyone. We get this only so often, so we really try to enjoy it.”
“I took a little bit of a tip from Paul McGinley when he came out and gave us a speech that it’s about you today because it’s Singles and you don’t have a teammate at that moment to lean on like Foursomes and Four-Ball,” Olivencia continued. “We go out there because we’re playing for our teammates, for the badge that we have on our chest, for the country that we represent, and for the family that believes in us. It takes everything; Heart, unity, and belief in each other, and that’s exactly what this team had. Chemistry was extremely important, and we rounded up a great group that was deeply committed and accepted the challenge to come out here and defend the Cup, and that’s no easy task. I’m extremely proud of these players and this coaching staff. Brennan and I couldn’t have done it without any of them. It’s a group effort and takes a village to win something this big, so I’m just so proud.”
Each year, a woman and man are voted upon by their peers to receive exemptions into the 2026 Amundi Evian Championship July 9-12 and 2027 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard® March 18-21. This year’s recipients are Lauren Kim (Texas/Canada) and Luke Poulter (Florida/England), respectively.
“Three weeks in Europe is pretty cool,” said Kim after playing The Women’s Amateur Championship and Palmer Cup already in consecutive weeks. “I wasn’t expecting it. I’m so grateful and I’m so excited to represent everybody and Team International. It’s not every day you represent something more than yourself. In college golf, obviously we represent our schools, but I think playing for Team International and representing Mr. Palmer is a very unique opportunity. I’m really grateful.”
“I was pretty speechless to think that I’m going to be playing on the PGA TOUR come March, especially in my hometown,” said Poulter, who will be slated to make his PGA TOUR debut. “It’s literally 25 minutes from my house and growing up watching my dad play there every single year, it’s surreal and I’m buzzing. The golf course is completely different from when I’ve played it conditions wise, but I’m so excited and I’m going to go out there and enjoy every moment. I’m sure I’ll have some family come out and watch, and it’s going to be great.”
On February 13, 2002, former Penn State University golfer and GCAA Arnold Palmer Cup intern Michael Carter died in an automobile accident at the young age of 19. While Carter tragically left this world too soon, his infectiously fun-loving spirit will forever live in this competition. The Michael Carter “Junior” Memorial Award is presented to the Arnold Palmer Cup participant from each team who best represents the qualities and ideals that made this young man unique.
The 2026 recipients are Kihei Akina and Luke Poulter.
Team USA’s Max Herendeen (3-0-1) and Team International’s Patience Rhodes (3-0-1) each had an undefeated 2026 Palmer Cup.
