Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh has been named the head coach for the United States’ men’s team at the 2019 Palmer Cup, a Ryder-Cup competition for collegiate golf that takes place every two years. The event will be played at the Alotian Club in Little Rock, Ark., one of America’s premiere golf clubs, June 7-9, which will be the first to be played in the United States since being expanded last year to include men’s and women’s USA collegiate golfers against their counterparts from around the world.
The tournament is affixed with Arnold Palmer’s name, who was a standout player at Wake Forest and an ardent supporter of amateur and collegiate golf.
The honor is the first for Limbaugh and the first for a Commodore golf coach.
“This is really so exciting and quite humbling at the same time,” said Limbaugh. “To be a part of something with Mr. Palmer’s name on it really means the world to me. He stood for everything that is right in the game of golf, which to me means class, integrity, competition, and being a gentleman. I always want to protect those same characteristics as a coach with any young people I am around. Also, to be able to coach the USA in these matches is something I have dreamed of doing, but you really don’t ever think it will happen. I am thankful to everyone that made this possible and believed in me along the way. I will be committed along with our other coaches to helping our team be the very best we can be.”
Limbaugh has lifted the Vanderbilt golf program to new heights in his seven seasons with the Commodores. Since his arrival prior to the 2012 campaign, Limbaugh has quickly established himself as one of the nation’s preeminent coaches. He has mentored four PING First-Team All-Americans, four Arnold Palmer Cup selections, a Walker Cup member and 13 total PING All-America selections, all while also garnering six consecutive NCAA Regional bids and five consecutive NCAA Championship appearances.
Under Limbaugh, Vanderbilt has won 20 team tournaments — the most by a head coach in Vanderbilt golf history — and garnered 16 individual tournament winners. He has also led Vanderbilt to a first-place (2017), second-place (2015) and fourth-place (2016) finish in the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship, Elite Eight appearances in 2015 and 2016, and a Final Four appearance in the 2017 NCAA Championship. In 2015, Limbaugh became a finalist for the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year presented by Golf Pride Grips. One year later he was named the Golf Pride Grips Southeast Region Coach of the Year, and in 2017, he garnered the program’s first Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award and SEC Coach of the Year, while also winning another GCAA Southeast Region Coach of the Year.
Augenstein, Gordon invited to Walker Cup Practice
Junior John Augenstein and senior Will Gordon will participate in a practice session December 14-18 in advance of the 2019 Walker Cup Match, which will be played at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Holyoke, England, September 7-8.
The Walker Cup Match is a biennial amateur team competition between the USA and a team composed of players from Great Britain and Ireland, selected by The R&A. The Match, which was first contested in 1922, is played over two days with 18 singles matches and eight foursomes (alternate-shot) matches. The USA leads the series, 36-9-1, but the GB&I side has won seven of the last 15 meetings.
The 2017 USA Team defeated Great Britain and Ireland, 19-7, at The Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club in the 46th Walker Cup Match.
