During the annual coaches convention held at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas on Tuesday, the head coach and assistant coach for the American and International teams at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup was announced.
The International team will be led by Rhyll Brindsmead from Minnesota and Matt Thurmond, who is the co-head coach of Team USA. Florida’s Dudley Hart, LSU’s Alexis Rather and Ireland’s Aaron O’Callaghan are Team USA’s co-assistants coaches.
The Ryder Cup, a competition that pits men’s and woman’s collegiate golfers in the United States against their International competitors, will take place July 5-7, at Lahinch, Ireland.
Runion is currently in his sixth year as head coach of LSU’s women’s golf team. He has won multiple awards for conference and regional coaches of the year and been involved with two national championships. Runion has led the Tigers to 12 victories, including their first SEC Championship for 30 years, in 2022. They have also made three consecutive NCAA Division I National Championships appearances.
Thurmond, who is now in his eighth year as the head coach of men’s golf at Arizona State, has won three Pac-12 Coaches of the Year awards. This includes in 2019. During his tenure, the Sun Devils won 19 tournaments including back-to-back NCAA Regionals. They also earned 18 PING All-Americans and three consecutive Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer awards.
Hart is currently in his seventh year on the coaching staff of Florida, under coach J.C. Deacon. This is Hart’s first season as an associate head coach. In 2022-23, the Gators had a successful season that saw them win six titles in tournaments. This included their fifth NCAA Division I National Championship as well as 16th SEC Championship. Hart won the Jan Strickland Outstanding Coach Award in 2023, making him the second Gator ever to win the award. John Handrigan received the award in 2015. Hart has led the Gators to 14 victories, nine PING All-America awards and 14 PING All-Southeast Region accolades during his tenure.
Rather is currently in her fourteenth season as a Tiger and her sixth with Runion. She played for Bahnsen from 2003-08 and spent eight years under her tutelage.
Brinsmead was an assistant coach for Team International at the Palmer Cup in 2023. She became the head coach of the women’s team at Minnesota, beginning January 2021. In her two plus seasons she led the Gophers in four top five finishes, including two of four tournaments they played this fall. She also had 17 top 10 finishes. Seven of her players are WGCA All-American Scholars.
Fennelly has been the head coach of the men’s program at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth for 13 years. Maynooth, under Fennelly, has been the leader of Ireland for many years, winning two National club titles, as well as numerous Irish, British and European University titles.
Burke was appointed head coach of Kansas State by the university on June 30, after serving in the same role at Tulane for the past four seasons. This fall, the Wildcats posted a team stroke average of 291.33, which is their highest fall stroke average at least since 2011. Kansas State won their first team title in four years at the White Sands Invitational, where individual winner Haley Vargas was also present. Carla Bernat (2023 Palmer Cup alumna) also won the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational. This was the first time Kansas State had more than one individual winner in six years.
O’Callaghan, who joined Wake Forest after four years at Louisville in July 2018, is now in his seventh year as associate head coach for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest’s men’s team has won the Highlands Invitational in Chicago Highlands Club this fall. 2022 Palmer Cup alumnus Michael Brennan claimed his seventh career title.
The Americans have won the series in total 14-12-1.
