Sept. 10, 2008
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State senior All-American David Palm added another achievement to his already accomplished college career. Palm has been invited to participate in the Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic, which will be held at the El Paso Country Club in El Paso, Texas. The tournament will consist of a putting contest and long drive competition on Nov. 23 and the actual competition will take place on Nov. 24-25.
Palm, a SDSU senior, is from Landvetter, Sweden. Overseas, he has been a member of the Swedish national team since 2003, the year when he was ranked as the top amateur in Sweden. Palm began his college career at Georgia Southern where he captured the individual title in only his third collegiate tournament at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Coming to SDSU, Palm took home medalist honors in only his second tournament as an Aztec, defeating his own teammate on the first playoff hole at The Club Glove Intercollegiate. It was with this tournament that Palm helped lead the Aztecs to its first team title of the year.
In 2007-08, Palm captured his second career All-America award after he was named to the honorable mention squad while competing for Georgia Southern in 2005. Palm, who earned all-MWC and all-Southwest Region honors, enjoyed a successful return to the lineup this year after a back surgery sidelined him for the 2006-07 season. Palm also guided the Aztecs to a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, its best showing since 1982.
The top 30 underclassmen college players in the nation are invited to this one-of-a-kind event. This is the only collegiate tournament where players compete head-to-head. The Golf Classic has been held continuously since 1974.
Throughout the years, the tournament has established a reputation for the caliber of players and quality of the competition. Several players have gone on to successfully pursue careers as professional golfers, and many have joined the ranks of the PGA. Notable PGA golfers that competed in this classic as college players include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk and Chris DiMarco.
SDSU will begin its season at the end of the month in Seattle at the Washington Husky Invitational. The tournament is scheduled to take place Sept. 29-30, where last year the Aztecs tied for 5th, with the last day of the tournament cancelled due to inclement weather.