SAN DIEGO – San Diego State men's golfer Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand) finds himself at No. 22 among international players in the initial Arnold Palmer Cup rankings announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) following the completion of the fall collegiate schedule.
The top six men and top six women from the final ranking in the spring for both the United States and international rosters (12 total players) will be among the 24 individuals selected to compete in the Arnold Palmer Cup, scheduled for July 3-5, 2020 at Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, Ireland.
The rankings are compiled utilizing Golfstat's NCAA Player Ranking as a base. Bonus points are awarded for wins and high finishes, while a player is penalized in the ranking for poor finishes. The ranking also contains a strength of schedule component.
The remaining six men's and women's spots for the United States will consist of five committee selections, including at least one non-Division I golfer and a coaches pick. Conversely, the balance of the International team will include the men's and women's winners of The R&A Scholars Tournament, four committee selections and a coaches selection.
A 2019 All-Mountain West honoree, Anupansuebsai was the Aztecs' top golfer in three of the four tournaments he appeared in this fall, posting a team-best 69.18 scoring average in 11 rounds played.
At the Bill Cullum Invitational in October, Anupansuebsai captured his first collegiate victory after firing a career-best 18-under 198 at Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley, where he led San Diego State to its first event title since 2016. Additionally, the Aztec junior set a program record for lowest score in relation to par for a 54-hole event, while his card of 198 also established a new tournament standard which is also tied for second in school history, along with former SDSU All-Americans Todd Baek and J.J. Spaun.
A native of Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, Anupansuebsai is one of just three Mountain West men's golfers on either the U.S. or international side of the Arnold Palmer Cup rankings, joining UNLV's Jack Trent (No. 3, International) and Colorado State's Parathakorn Suyasri (No. 24, International).
The Arnold Palmer Cup was established in 1997 and originally featured the top eight collegiate golfers from the United States against Great Britain and Ireland. Following the 2002 tournament, the American opponent was enlarged to include all European players, while roster size for both sides was increased to 10 competitors in 2013.
In 2018, the Arnold Palmer Cup was expanded once again to include United States men's and women's teams against collegiate golfers from around the world.
A total of 53 former Arnold Palmer Cup players have claimed 195 victories on the PGA or European Tours, including U.S. Open Champions Dustin Johnson, Graeme McDowell, Lucas Glover and Webb Simpson, Open Champion Ben Curtis and PGA Champion Justin Thomas among others.
The San Diego State men's golf program has been represented at the Arnold Palmer Cup on two previous occasions by Aaron Goldberg (2008) and Nahum Mendoza III (2016).
The next Arnold Palmer Cup rankings will be released Feb. 20, 2020.
Anupansuebsai and his SDSU teammates open their spring schedule Feb. 17-19, traveling up to the desert for The Prestige at PGA West in La Quinta, California.