Yamamoto Named Team International Assistant Coach for 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup

NORMAN, Okla. – The Golf Coaches Association of America announced the coaching staffs for the upcoming Arnold Palmer Cup this summer in Ireland on Wednesday. Yoshio Yamamoto was tabbed an assistant coach for Team International. He will represent his home country of Mexico and will be the first Gamecock golf assistant to participate in the prestigious Ryder Cup style, amateur event.

The tournament will be played this summer July 3-5 at Tralee Golf Cup in Kerry, Ireland. It will mark the 30^th edition of the annual event which was founded in 1997.

The Ryder Cup-style competition features U.S. men’s and women’s collegiate golfers playing side-by-side against a team of their International counterparts in a series that Team USA leads all-time 15-13-1. Longtime Arnold Palmer partner Rolex will continue its more than 50-year relationship with the brand through support of the matches.

Kalen Anderson served as co-head coach for Team USA this past summer at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, S.C. All-Americans Eila Galitsky and Louise Rydqvist both competed for Team International helping lead them to a 35-25 victory.

Yamamoto is currently in his second season as an assistant coach on Anderson’s South Carolina staff. He made an immediate impact in his first season in 2024-25 as the team won four tournaments, including the 2025 SEC Championship (second in program history) and 2025 NCAA Charlottesville Regional (sixth in program history). The Gamecocks had five All-SEC selections and three All-Americans. Last year’s squad set the program record for 18-hole, season scoring average (286.26).

He was instrumental in the development of Galitsky, the SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and a First Team All-American that finished T-5^th at the NCAA Championship in May. Yamamoto was on the bag for Galitsky this August as she became the first quarterfinalist in program history at the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes. He also helped coach two of the best players in school history last year in Rydqvist and four-time All-American Hannah Darling. This year’s team finished the fall No. 17 in the Clippd Top-25 Rankings, playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.

About the Arnold Palmer Cup
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, Fla., in 1997. The event is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men’s and women’s university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of International players. The Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world’s greatest courses, including The Old Course at St. Andrews, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, Cherry Hills, and Lahinch. Beginning with the 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club, the Palmer Cup is the only major tournament that features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.

Since its inception, over 245 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours; 46 have represented Europe/International or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup and more than 95 have claimed over 435 victories on the PGA, DP World, LPGA, or Ladies European Tours, including 2025 U.S. Women’s Open Champion Maja Stark. The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 15-13-1.

More than a showcase of golf skill, the Palmer Cup acknowledges and rewards character as well, in line with the principles of its founder and the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. Arnold and Winnie Palmer championed causes that were not just about golf, but possible because of golf. They devoted their time away from the game to philanthropy — focused especially on young people — and created a model for other modern athletes to use their influence in service to others. The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation continues the Palmer tradition of impactful philanthropy by uniting the generosity of golfers and fans everywhere to make a difference.

The Arnold Palmer Cup is part of the foundation’s missions to promote youth character development and foster the growth of amateur/collegiate golf. For more information, please visit arnoldpalmercup.com.

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