Sophomore Blayne Barber, the 17th-ranked world amateur golfer, jotted down one more obligation to his busy June scorecard.
Barber became the first Auburn golfer selected to represent the United States in the Palmer Cup June 9-11 at The Stanwich Club outside Greenwich, Conn.
"Anytime you can represent your country, I think it's a great honor," Barber said. "It's a great feeling. I feel very blessed and honored to have that opportunity and hope to represent Auburn well in that pursuit."
Named after legendary PGA golfer Arnold Palmer, who hosted the inaugural event in 1997 at his Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Fla., the 2011 Palmer Cup will pit the top eight collegiate golfers from the United States against the top eight collegiate golfers from Great Britain and Ireland in a Ryder Cup-style competition.
"I think that's a big testament to Blayne," said Dustin Roberts, director of external affairs for the Golf Coaches Association of America.
"With all the good players out there that could have been selected to represent the United States, he's one of the eight picked.
"When you're trying to pick a group of guys that are going to represent your country, you certainly want to do all your due diligence and make sure you find guys that not only are great players, but people you'll be proud to have represent your country."
Team USA will consist of Blayne Barber of Auburn, UCLA's Patrick Cantlay, Abilene Christian's Alex Carpenter, Russell Henley of Georgia, Oregon's Daniel Miernicki, Bank Vongvanij of Florida, Washington's Chris Williams and Stanford's Andrew Yun.
The U.S. team will be led by head coach Tim Poe of Central Missouri and assistant coach Michael Burcin of South Carolina.
"We're very proud of Blayne for his selection to represent the United States at the prestigious Palmer Cup this summer," said Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs. "This will be a tremendous opportunity for Blayne to play against some of the best amateur players in the world. We know he'll represent Auburn well."
Barber's solid play this season in collegiate competitions and last summer in amateur events stood out and led to his inclusion on the team, said Dustin Roberts, director of external affairs for the Golf Coaches Association of America.
"He's a guy that will come out there and, regardless of what day it is, is going to put together a solid round," Roberts said.
Barber won't have an opportunity to practice with his Palmer Cup teammates, as he'll fly straight to Connecticut after competing in the U.S. Open Sectional Qualifying tournament June 6 in Florida.
The U.S. Team will try to build on its 7-6-1 lead over its European counterparts in the Palmer Cup series as it goes for a second-straight win.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
