Nationally Acclaimed PGA of America Golf Professional, Teacher and Broadcaster Michael Breed Leads Team USA
HOUSTON, Texas – The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship (The Spirit), a premier event featuring the world’s best men and women amateur golfers representing 20 countries, returns to Whispering Pines November 14-16, 2024. Michael Breed, a nationally acclaimed PGA Professional and golf advocate, will lead Team USA in the competition.
After taking a year off, the biennial event is back and will feature two men and two women from 20 countries, representing six continents. They will play a 54-hole four-ball stroke play competition with three concurrent competition categories: international team, men’s team and women’s team. Gold, Silver and Bronze commemorative medals are awarded to the top three finishers in each competition.
“After a hiatus since 2021, we are pleased to once again host what we believe is the best amateur event in the world,” said Spirit Golf Association Chairman Corbin Robertson, Jr. “Some of the greatest names in golf from Lorena Ochoa and Rose Zhang to Scottie Scheffler and Jason Day have participated in the past and we are expecting another world-class field this year. We are also excited to have one of golf’s greatest personalities, Michael Breed, as captain of Team USA.”
Breed succeeds Stacy Lewis as captain of Team USA. Lewis served as captain in 2019 and 2021, leading Team USA to the 2019 Men’s Championship and 2021 Team and Women’s Championships.
“The Spirit is an incredible event and I’m humbled to succeed Stacy as captain of Team USA,” said Breed. “Whispering Pines is one of the greatest venues in the world and I’m looking forward to leading our team in November. It’s going to be a great week of camaraderie and competition.”
Breed, a member of the PGA of America, was the 2012 PGA of America National Teacher of the Year. He is the host of “Course Record with Michael Breed” on CBS and is a CBS Sports HQ contributor, while also hosting “A New Breed of Golf” on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio weekday mornings and a “New Breed of Golf” digital series on Facebook Watch and YouTube. The chief digital instructor for Golf Digest, he is focused on innovative golf instruction and oversees the Best Young Teachers’ program. He has led the way in digital golf instruction and previously hosted the highest-rated golf instruction series for Golf Channel, “The Golf Fix.”
The players for Team USA and other countries will be announced later this summer.
About The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship | Nov. 14-16, 2024 | Whispering Pines Golf Club:
Eighty competitors from 20 countries compete for gold medals in the 54-hole, four-ball stroke play competition in The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship (The Spirit). Each country is represented by two women and two men amateur golfers. The primary competition is International Team which includes both men’s and women’s teams. The four-ball stroke play score for both the men’s and women’s teams will be combined after each 18-hole round to compute the International Team score for that round. The International Team with the lowest cumulative score at the conclusion of the competition will be the Gold Medal winner. The secondary competition is Men’s Team and Women’s Team Four-Ball Stroke Play competitions. In addition, both men and women competitors will be entered into an unofficial individual competition where all holes scored under par during the 54-hole competition will be tabulated for the men’s individual and women’s individual competitions.
Previous Spirit International competitors who now are professionals on the LPGA and PGA TOUR include Lorena Ochoa, Brooke Henderson, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Francesco Molinari, Lexi Thompson, Brandt Snedeker, Paula Creamer, Jason Day, Bronte Law, Martin Kaymer, Maria Fassi, Viktor Hovland, Rose Zhang and more. Spirit alumni have gone on to win more than 665 professional titles, 27 major championships and 17 Olympic appearances, including 22 PGA Tour winners, 25 European Tour winners, 35 LPGA winners and 21 Ladies European Tour winners. The Spirit Golf Association is dedicated to the promotion of amateur golf for the benefit of health-related causes. It organizes and oversees the tournament along with the Texas Golf Association.
About Whispering Pines Golf Club:
Whispering Pines Golf Club is one of the best private golf clubs in the country. Located in Trinity, Texas, just 80 miles north of Houston, Whispering Pines is set along the shores of Lake Livingston. It completed a course construction and re-opened in the fall of 2020. The club was founded not only to offer its discerning contributors a superior golf experience on an exceptional course, but it also was created to promote amateur golf and to benefit charitable causes on a local, national and international level. Whispering Pines is ranked #1 in Texas, ranks #31 in the top 200 modern courses in the country by Golfweek, and is #11 in America’s Top 50 Greatest Golf Retreats by Golf Digest.
About the Spirit Golf Association:
The Spirit Golf Association, 501(c)(3), serves as the host for The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship. The Spirit Golf Association (SGA–formerly the World Health & Golf Association) was formed in 1999, by Houston philanthropist Corbin (Corby) J. Robertson, Jr. With a passionate vision, Corby turned the SGA into reality by establishing a unique charitable organization that benefits health-related causes while promoting the global goodwill of amateur golf. With the encouragement of close friends and family, Corby established the SGA with a mission for philanthropic minded people to support charitable causes, membership privileges at a world class golf property, and to conduct The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship.
For more information about The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship, visit TheSpiritGolf.com.
About The Texas Golf Association (TGA):
Founded in 1906 as the governing body of amateur golf in Texas, the TGA is an official representative of the United States Golf Association and the only licensed distributor of USGA GHIN® Handicaps. We serve all golfers across Texas with elite competitive championships and recreational playing opportunities for men, women, seniors, and juniors. The TGA is represented by hundreds of public and private facility Member Clubs throughout the state. It is our honor and responsibility to promote, protect and grow the game of golf on all levels. To learn more, click here.
Media Contacts:
Will Doctor, Spirit Golf Association | wdoctor@spiritgolf.org | 713.471.8603
Tammy Boclair, Alday Public Relations | tammy@aldaypr.com | 615.500.2930
