ORLANDO, Fla. – Three Florida Junior Tour alumni were selected to the Arnold Palmer Cup, as both the International and United States teams were announced on Wednesday ahead of the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational. Abbey Carlson and Dylan Kim will represent the United States team, while Luis Gagne will compete for the International Team.
The 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup will take place at The Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas from June 7-9.
The top collegiate golfers from around the world will face off in the Arnold Palmer Cup, one of the most prestigious event for collegiate golfers. Twelve golfers will represent the United States and 12 golfers will represent the International team. The tournament will feature three rounds of play, each with a different format of mixed four ball, mixed foursomes, and singles to determine the winning team.
Carlson will make her first Arnold Palmer Cup appearance, after receiving a committee selection. The Lake Mary, Florida native captured one win and recorded seven top-five finishes in her FJT career. She was a two-time AJGA Rolex All-American and a first team member in 2013, while also competing in eight USGA championships.
Carlson, a sophomore at Vanderbilt University, will be the first Commodore woman to play in the Palmer Cup. This season at Vanderbilt, she has captured medalist honors at the Mason Rudolph Championship, earned two other top-10 finishes and led Vanderbilt to team titles at the UCF Challenge and Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational. She has also been named to the ANNIKA Award Watch List.
Kim will be returning for her second consecutive Arnold Palmer Cup, as she helped the U.S. to a victory in 2018 at Evian Resort Golf Club in France. She captured the FJT Tour Championship in 2012, while also earning five other top-six finishes. Kim, who qualified for the 2018 U.S. Women’s Open, was a quarterfinalist at the Women's Amateur Championship and a runner-up at the Girls' Junior Championship in 2013.
The Winter Garden, Florida native began her collegiate career at Baylor University, where she was named a Second Team All-American, All-Big 12 and Big 12 Freshman of the Year. She finished fourth at the 2015 NCAA Championship and led Baylor to its first-ever conference title.
After transferring to the University of Arkansas, Kim played her first season with the Razorbacks in 2017-18. She helped the team to its first SEC Conference and NCAA Regional titles, while also earning second-team All-American honors. Kim was also named a first-team All-SEC Selection and the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Gagne is one of five returning players to the International team, after competing at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup in France. The Orlando, Florida native was a four-time winner on the Florida Junior Tour and was an AJGA Rolex Honorable Mention Junior All-American.
In his freshman season at Louisiana State University, he received PING and Golfweek Honorable Mention All-American honors. Gagne captured two individual titles in his first season with the Tigers and was a quarterfinalist at the 2016 U.S. Amateur Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
He received second-team All-Southeastern Conference and PING Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2017, while being named first-team All-SEC and a PING third-team All-American in 2018.
Gagne, who was recently named to the 2019 Ben Hogan Watch List, shared low-amateur honors with Matt Parziale at the 2018 U.S. Open played at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southhampton, New York, posting a final score of 16-over 296.
