March 16, 2017
NorCal’s McNealy, Morikawa Named to 2017 Palmer Cup Squad
Northern California will be represented by two players at this year’s Arnold Palmer Cup.
Stanford senior Maverick McNealy and Cal sophomore Collin Morikawa were both named to the 10-man U.S. squad during an announcement held Thursday morning at Bay Hill Club and Lodge as part of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
For McNealy, winner of the 2015 NCGA Amateur Match Play Championship and currently the No.2 ranked amateur in the world, it’s the third straight time he’s qualified for the team. In 2015 he’d help helped lead the U.S. team to victory. Last year, he skipped the event due to an illness.
Collin Morikawa
“Maverick really exemplifies the amateur golfer right now,” said 2017 U.S. head coach John Fields, the head coach at Texas. “Everything that he does, whether it’s college golf or amateur golf, I think he takes it so serious. He brings a wealth of experience. So you can lean on a guy like that to help you.”
Morikawa, currently at No.9 in the world rankings, became Cal’s first player to earn a spot on the GCAA’s All-Freshman team as a rookie following the 2015-2016 season and was first-team All-Pac-12. This season, he has six Top 10 finishes, five being in the Top 5.
This year’s Palmer Cup will tee off June 9-11 at Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia.
-NCGA Staff
