Penley Named Head Coach of United States Palmer Cup Team

March 22, 2004

Clemson Head Golf Coach Larry Penley has been named the head coach of the United States team in the 2004 Palmer Cup presented by Monster announced the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). This annual Ryder Cup-style competition will be played at Ballybunion Golf Club in County Kerry, Ireland, August 6-7.

The 2003 Eaton Golf Pride Dave Williams National Coach of the Year and a recent inductee into the GCAA Coaches Hall of Fame, Penley has spent the past 20 years as the head coach of the Clemson golf program. He led the Tigers to the 2003 NCAA Championship and his teams have finished in the top five seven times and in the top 20 on 17 occasions. Penley’s squads have also won seven ACC titles and six NCAA Regional crowns.

Penley has coached 46 All-Americans – including 13 first-team selections – and 10 All-America Scholars. He has been named the ACC Coach of the year and District Coach of the Year five times each. In 2003, Penley’s Tigers became the first program in NCAA history to win its conference, regional and national championship in the same year. Clemson was the nation’s top-ranked team by the Precept Coaches poll the entire 2003 season and captured a school record six team titles. The Tigers are currently ranked third in the nation.

“I am honored to serve as the United States coach of the Palmer Cup team,” said Penley. “It has been a very rewarding last 12 months for our program at Clemson and for me personally and this certainly adds to it because this is annually one of the top amateur golf events in the world. Coaching a United States team at an event named in honor of Arnold Palmer is one of the greatest honors I can experience as a golf coach

“We have had seven former players participate in this event and they all said it was one of the highlights of their amateur careers. To have the Palmer Cup matches at Ballybunion, one of the top courses in the world will only add to the experience. I accept this appointment with great pride.” Penley has played the Ballybunion course previously, on a vacation in 1999 with former Clemson golfers, and he shot a 66.

The U.S. team leads the Palmer Cup Series, 4-2-1.