Golda Borst Named Arnold Palmer Cup Assistant Coach
NORMAN, Okla. – Kentucky women’s golf head coach Golda Borst has been selected as an assistant coach for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup. Borst, a native of Visby, Sweden, will assist the international team.
Featuring the top collegiate golfers, the Arnold Palmer Cup – co-founded by Arnold Palmer and the Golf Coaches Association of America – is a Ryder Cup-style tournament matching the United States against a team of international players. Beginning with the 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club, the Arnold Palmer Cup is the only major tournament which features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
The 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup will take place July 1-3 at Golf Club de Genève in Vandœuvres, Switzerland. The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 13-11-1.
Mexico’s Diana Cantú of Tennessee and England’s Phil Rowe of Cal Poly will serve as the head coaches on the international side while Kory Henkes of Ole Miss and Illinois Wesleyan’s Jim Ott will lead Team USA. Barry Fennelly of Maynooth and Ireland will join Borst as one of the two international assistants, and Ryan Potter from Wake Forest and Bill Allcorn from Oklahoma will serve as assistants for Team USA.
The top six golfers from the final ranking in the spring from both the U.S. and international men and women will be among the individuals selected to compete in the Palmer Cup. Using Golfstat’s player ranking as a base, the Arnold Palmer Cup ranking awards bonus points for wins and high finishes and a penalty for poor finishes. The ranking also contains a strength of schedule component.
The remaining six spots for the U.S. will consist of five committee picks, including at least one non-Division I golfer, and a coaches’ pick. The balance of the international team also includes five committee selections, including at least one representative from The Royal & Ancient Student Tour Series, and a coaches’ pick.
The next Arnold Palmer Cup Ranking will be announced on Feb. 17, 2022.
Although the fall rankings didn’t feature any of Borst’s Kentucky Wildcats, it isn’t out of the question for a UK player to make a move with the heart of the schedule coming up in the spring. Junior Jensen Castle, the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, checked in at No. 67 in the latest Golfstat rankings.
The Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world’s greatest courses, including The Old Course, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Cours and Cherry Hills.
Since its inception, more than 125 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, European or LPGA Tours; 32 have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup; and more than 60 have claimed 280-plus victories on the PGA, European, or LPGA Tours, including three major champions in both 2020 and 2021.
Borst is a fitting addition to the Palmer Cup following her program’s recent breakthrough. Last season, in her 11th year on the job, Borst’s group broke through with an NCAA Championship Finals berth, the program’s first in 29 years. In addition to the appearance in Scottsdale, Arizona, Borst’s teams have qualified for seven NCAA Regional appearances and won six team championships.
Under Borst, UK has posted nine of the top 10 single-season team scoring averages in program history while claiming 24 of the 25 lowest 18-hole rounds. Additionally, all 20 of the top 20 single-season player scoring averages in school history are in the Borst era and 24 of the top 25 marks for most single-season par or better rounds took place with Borst at the helm.
This season, Borst’s team is in the hunt again for another postseason run. Currently positioned No. 34 in the latest Golfstat rankings, UK placed in the top five in two of four fall events with two individual top-10 showings and five top-20 finishes. Castle posted a team-best 71.8 stroke average in the fall followed closely by sophomore Laney Frye at 72.9.
Kentucky’s season resumes Jan. 17 vs. Louisville to begin the spring slate.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s golf team, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
