Far Hills, N.J. (Nov. 20) – Four amateur players have been selected for the men’s and women’s USA Teams that will compete in the 2010 Copa de las Americas, Jan. 6-9, 2010, at Buenos Aires Golf Club and Olivos Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The players were named by the International Team Selection Committee of the United States Golf Association.
The Copa de las Americas is a biennial amateur team competition for countries in North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean. There are three 72-hole competitions – men’s, women’s and overall – with 18 holes played on each of the four days.
The players named to the women’s team are:
Jessica Korda, 16, of Bradenton, Fla., who was a quarterfinalist at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and also made the 36-hole cut in each of the last two U.S. Women’s Opens, finishing tied for 19th in 2008.
Jennifer Song, 19, of La Cañada, Calif., a sophomore at the University of Southern California who won the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship and the 2009 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship, became just the second female in history to win two USGA championships in the same year. She was also the low amateur at the 2009 U.S. Women’s Open.
Kimberly Kim, 18, of Hilo, Hawaii, was named as an alternate for the women’s team.
The players named to the men’s team are:
Nathan Smith, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pa., who won the 2009 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship and was 2-1-0 in the 2009 Walker Cup Match. He was also a member of the victorious Pennsylvania squad at the 2009 USGA Men’s State Team Championship.
Peter Uihlein, 20, of Orlando, Fla., is a sophomore at Oklahoma State University who was a quarterfinalist at the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship. He was also a member of the 2009 USA Walker Cup Team, posting a record of 4-0-0 in his matches.
Mike McCoy, who turns 47 on Nov. 21, of West Des Moines, Iowa, was named as an alternate for the men’s team.
The captain of the USA Teams is Steve Smyers of Lakeland, Fla., a member of the USGA Executive Committee and chairman of the USGA International Team Selection Committee.
The venues for the 2010 Copa de las Americas – Buenos Aires Golf Club and Olivos Golf Club – are the same two golf courses that will be used during the 2010 World Amateur Team Championships, scheduled to be played in October.
About the USGA
The USGA is the national governing body of golf in the USA and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the world’s golfers and golf courses.
The USGA annually conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Senior Open, 10 national amateur championships and, biennially, two state team championships. It also helps conduct the Walker Cup Match, Curtis Cup Match and World Amateur Team Championships.
The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System®, celebrates the history of the game, and administers an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program, which has allocated more than $65 million over 13 years to successful programs that bring the game’s values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.
Contact:
Pete Kowalski (pkowalski@usga.org)
Web Address: www.usga.org
USGA Phone: 908-234-2300 ext.1322 (office) 908-216-8435 (cell)
