GCAA Release (PDF)

NORMAN, Okla. - Illinois Wesleyan University Head Men's Golf Coach Jim Ott has been named to the Team USA coaching staff for the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup at Golf Club de Genève. Ott will lead Team USA alongside Ole Miss' Kory Henkes, while Tennessee's Diana Cantú and Cal Poly's Phil Rowe will guide the international squad. The matches, which feature men and women collegiate golfers from the United States versus their international counterparts in a team competition, will be held July 1-3. USA leads the all-time series, 13-11-1.

A three-time Golf Coaches Association of America Dave Williams Division III Coach of the Year selection, Ott guided Illinois Wesleyan to consecutive Division III Championships in 2019 and 2021. His teams have won 17 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Championships since 2000, including nine straight. The Titans have made 14 consecutive NCAA Division III Championship appearances, with seven top-10 finishes.  

An eight-time CCIW Coach of the Year pick, Ott has coached 33 PING Golf All-Americans and 18 Cleveland Golf All-American Scholars. Additionally, IWU has been honored as a GCAA All-Academic Team seven straight seasons.

Ott served as the Chair of the NCAA Men's Golf committee in 2020-21. He has also been a member of the GCAA All-America committee. 

As a student-athlete at Illinois Wesleyan, Ott was a four-year member of the Titan golf team. He served as team captain in 1991 and was voted the team's Most Valuable Player in both 1989 and 1991.

About 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, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, and Cherry Hills. The 2019 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club became the only major tournament which features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.

Since its inception, over 125 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, European, or LPGA Tours; 32 have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup and more than 60 have claimed over 280 victories on the PGA, European, or LPGA Tours, including three major champions in both 2020 and 2021. The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 13-11-1.

The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation supports the Palmer Cup, which provides a platform for perpetuating Arnold Palmer's commitment to youth character development and the growth of amateur/collegiate golf. For more information, please visit ArnoldPalmerCup.com.