On Friday, July 6, the best college golfers in the United States and around the world met at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-Les-Bains, France, to compete in the 21st annual Arnold Palmer Cup. The competition pit Team USA. against Team International, and the Americans emerged victorious from the contest, winning by a score of 38.5-21.5.
Along with many prominent golfers from across the country, rising senior and star golfer at Pepperdine, Sathith Teegala, competed as a representative of the red, white and blue.
Theegala, a Chino Hills native, finished the week with a 1-3 record. On Friday, Theegala teamed up with University of Arkansas’ Alana Uriell during mixed four ball play. The duo competed against Italian golfer Lorenzo Scalise and Korean golfer Jiwon Jeon. The internationals defeated Theegala and Uriell and the pair fell by a margin of 3 and 2. The Pepperdine wave partnered with USC golfer Justin Suh on Saturday afternoon to collect a 1-up fourball win against Ronona Mullarney of Ireland and Hurly Long of Germany. With this win, Theegala avenged his 1-up mixed foursome loss that he and Nova Southeastern women’s golfer Jamie Freedman suffered at the hands of Mullarney and Chloe Ryan, also from Ireland, on Saturday morning.
In Theegala and Suh’s win, the duo began the day on the 10th hole and both shot eagle on holes 17 and 18, allowing them to take a 1-up lead before entering the final nine-hole stretch. Long and Mularney did manage to even the score during the next three holes, yet Theegala and Suh went 2-up with three holes left and managed to hold onto their lead and capture the 1-up win. Ultimately, this victory helped the U.S. pull in front of their international opponents after Team International narrowed the gap to within a point in the standings on Saturday morning.
The internationals defeated Theegala and Uriell and the pair fell by a margin of 3 and 2. Theegala’s final match was on Sunday, where he competed against University of Florida golfer Andy Zhang of China in singles. Theegala fell 3 and 1.
Theegala finished the 2018 season ranked No. 50 by Golfstat and No. 25 by Golfweek. He is the second Pepperdine golfer to be selected to play in the Arnold Palmer Cup, as former Wave Michael Putnam competed in 2005, a year in which Team USA also emerged victorious.
The United States now holds a record of 12-9-1 in the Palmer Cup, and this year’s win is the third time, and first since 2011, that America has won in consecutive years.
The Arnold Palmer Cup will next be played in the U.S. at the Alotian Club in Roland, Ark., on June 7-9, 2019.
