American contingent, led by U.S. Captain Suzy Whaley, will attempt to retain the PGA Cup in England, Sept. 12-18
FRISCO, Texas – The United States finalized its roster for the 30th PGA Cup, which will be conducted Sept. 12-18, at the Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey, England.
The Americans secured the Llandudno International Trophy in the most recent playing of the PGA Cup, in September 2018, with a historic 14-12 comeback victory over Great Britain & Ireland that featured wins in eight of 10 Sunday singles matches.
The 10-member U.S. Team in the biennial international showcase for PGA Club Professionals was determined through a two-year points system that included the past two PGA Professional Championships and two PGA Championships.
The points race ended with the 2022 PGA Championship held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The 10-player U.S. contingent will be led by Jesse Mueller, the 2022 PGA Professional Champion. Mueller won the PGA Professional Championship by five strokes at Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, in April, and on Monday, he earned a spot in the field for the 2022 U.S. Open, which will be played at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Mueller will be joined by Alex Beach of Stamford, Connecticut; Frank Bensel Jr. of Jupiter, Florida; Michael Block of Aliso Viejo, California; Larkin Gross of Center Cross, Virginia; Jared Jones of Houston; Ben Polland of Jackson, Wyoming; Omar Uresti of Austin, Texas; Ryan Vermeer of Omaha, Nebraska; and Wyatt Worthington II of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
Uresti, the 2021 PGA Professional Champion, is the most experienced American, having represented the U.S. during the 2015 and 2017 PGA Cups.
The PGA Cup began in 1973, and although the U.S. Team dominated the series early, GB&I has enjoyed a resurgence. The U.S. is 18-7-4 overall, but has not won outright in the United Kingdom since 2009.
“Ours is a team with a vast array of talent and I am incredibly excited to work with our skilled PGA Professionals on retaining the PGA Cup at Foxhills Club & Resort in September,” said PGA Honorary President and U.S. Captain Suzy Whaley of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, who captained the victorious American contingent at the inaugural Women’s PGA Cup in 2019 . “We have an ideal roster balance. Five of our 10 players 一 Alex Beach, Michael Block, Ben Polland, Omar Uresti and Ryan Vermeer 一 have previous PGA Cup experience to lean on and share with the other five that are debuting in the event. We’re certainly aware of the formidable challenge we will face from another talented GB&I squad and the difficulty that comes with winning on foreign soil.”
The first woman elected to serve as an Officer of the PGA of America, PGA Honorary President and PGA Master Professional Suzy Whaley is the President of Golf Nation and the PGA Director of Instruction for the Country Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
The Captain of the Great Britain & Ireland Team will be DJ Russell, with his son, Chris, serving as a vice captain.
The PGA Cup was first played at Pinehurst (North Carolina) Country Club and is an outgrowth of the PGA Professional Championship. Following the format of the Ryder Cup, with match-play competition between the U.S. and Europe, the PGA Cup features the top PGA Club Professionals from both sides of the Atlantic.
