ORLANDO, Fla. – Auburn sophomore Julie McCarthy was one of 10 women's golfers to be named to the International team for the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup on Wednesday.
The Arnold Palmer Cup was co-founded by Arnold Palmer and The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and began at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando in 1997. The event is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men's and women's collegiate golfers matching the United States against a team of International players.
McCarthy, a native of Ireland, ranked fourth on the International side in the latest Arnold Palmer Cup rankings following a top-three finish in the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate last month. It was her fourth straight top-five finish for Auburn dating back to the fall, and in that span, she has shot par or better in six of 10 rounds.
McCarthy arrived on the Plains last January and joined the team for the spring season.
"For Julie, last year was a tough year," Auburn head coach Melissa Luellen said. "She's so good and so talented, but she just lacked a little confidence. I have to give Coach (Andrew) Pratt a lot of kudos. He's kind of our player development extraordinaire. He helped her get very clear on what she's working on with her swing. She's improved her short game. She's improved her putting. And you just see the confidence start to build.
"She's so humble anyway that this is the thing that will make her continue to improve. She's never going to rest on her laurels. She's worked hard to get to this place, and she knows the time she's put into it."
Since its inception, over 100 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on either the PGA Tour, European Tour or LPGA. Twenty-eight have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, and more than 50 have claimed over 200 victories on the PGA or European Tours. The United States leads the series 12-9-1.
This year's event, which will also feature Auburn men's golfer Jovan Rebula on the International team, will take place June 7-9 from The Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas.