Looking Ahead

After edging Americans at Arnold Palmer Cup on Sunday in Ireland, International squad will be looking for unprecedented third straight win when Cherry Hills hosts Ryder Cup-like event for top college golfers next year

By Gary Baines – 7/5/2026

Next year, when the Arnold Palmer Cup — where the top college golfers from the U.S. play an International squad in a Ryder Cup-like competition — comes to Cherry Hills Country Club south of Denver, it’s quite possible history will be made.

Never before at the APC has one side or the other — the USA or International/Europe/Great Britain & Ireland (depending on the time period) — won the title three straight years.

But on Sunday, at the 2026 edition of the APC in Tralee, Ireland, the International squad — made up of both males and females — edged the Americans 30.5 to 29.5 points, giving the Internationals victories two consecutive years.

Cherry Hills will host the 31st edition of the Arnold Palmer Cup, which debuted in 1997 and traditionally alternates between U.S. and European sites. Dates for the 2027 event are June 7-13. 

Palmer, of course, won his only U.S. Open title at Cherry Hills, rallying from seven strokes out of the lead going into the final round to shoot 65 and win, prevailing over the leaderboard that featured Jack Nicklaus and Beg Hogan. Cherry Hills also hosted the APC in 2009, when the Europeans defeated the U.S. 13-11. Palmer himself spent much of that week at Cherry Hills at functions related to the APC, sharing many a story with the competitors — all males at that point. The King, who was an honorary member at Cherry Hills, passed away in 2016 at age 87.

After the Internationals won on Sunday, the Americans still lead the all-time series, but now only by a 15-14-1 count.

These days, the Arnold Palmer Cup features two 24-player teams, each divided evenly among men and women. In 2018, the rosters were expanded to include women and players outside of the U.S. and Europe.

Among the many prominent players who have competed in the Arnold Palmer Cup are Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Ludvig Aberg — as well as Cherry Hills CC honorary member Wyndham Clark and fellow Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Jennifer Kupcho.

This weekend in Ireland, the competitors included Kiara Romero, the No. 1-ranked female amateur in the world and winner of the 2023 U.S. Girls’ Junior at Eisenhower Golf Club at the Air Force Academy. Also teeing it up were 2026 women’s NCAA individual champ Farah O’Keefe, and 2026 Augusta National Women’s Am winner Maria Jose Marin. Romero, by the way, defeated Marin 1 up in singles on Sunday.

The Palmer Cup has been held at many of the world’s top courses, including St. Andrews’ Old Course, Bay Hill, the Honors Course, Royal Liverpool, Baltusrol, Kiawah Island, Whistling Straits, Royal Portrush and The Alotian Club.

Cherry Hills has been host to many big-time golf competitions over the last century. That includes three U.S. Opens, two PGA Championships, a U.S. Women’s Open, a U.S. Senior Open and three U.S. Amateurs. In all, the club has been the site of 10 USGA championships, the most for any facility in Colorado.

For all the scores from the 2026 APC in Ireland, CLICK HERE.