RIDGELAND, S.C. -- San Diego State men’s golfer Justin Hastings (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) went 4-0 to lead Team International to a 35-25 win over Team USA and win the 2025 Arnold Palmer Cup Saturday at Congaree Golf Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina. It was the first Palmer Cup win for the Internationals since 2022 and first on United States soil since 2020.
In today’s singles, Hastings led for eight of the front nine holes but had to regain the lead late in a 2UP victory over Ethan Fang. Hastings began his perfect weekend by teaming with Mirabel Ting to defeat Michael La Sasso and Megha Ganne 2UP in mixed fourball on Thursday morning. On Friday morning, Hastings and Charlie Forster downed Max Herendeen and Jase Summy, 4&3, in foursomes. Hastings teamed up with Ting again on Friday afternoon for a 1UP victory over Jackson Koivun and Kiara Romero in mixed foursomes.
“Singles is a very different format than the first two days, so I kind of had to flow back into more of a stroke play mindset,” said Hastings, the first Caymanian to be selected for the Palmer Cup. “It was a little back and forth, where we both were playing some good golf early. I got it to 2UP earlier on and then Ethan started making some good pars while I made some mistakes on the back nine. He got it to 1UP with four to play, but I was able to stay in position and close it out on 18.”
It’s team golf, so going 4-0 isn’t the priority, but to put points on the board when the team needed it, I’m grateful to have been able to do that,” Hastings added. “This is my first time playing this event, and this is probably the most fun I’ve had playing golf. I can’t think of any time I’ve had more fun than this, so to be a part of the winning team and do it on American soil feels good.”
Hastings is playing in next weekend’s U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. Hastings earned the exemption into the U.S. Open and also The Open (July 17-20), along with the Masters in April, where he posted the best score by an amateur, by winning the Latin American Amateur Championship in January.
Hastings had arguably the best season in San Diego State history, racking up two victories and posting the second-best scoring average (70.33) in program history. Out of his 11 collegiate tournaments, he had two wins (by four strokes each), a runner-up finish and six top-10 efforts. Most recently, Hastings was an honorable-mention Golfweek All-American and a PING All-West region selection after becoming the fourth Aztec to win a MW Championship, April 25-27, carding an 18-under-par 198. He also won the Lamkin Classic, March 10-11, in a tournament-record 16-under 200. Last month, Hastings was named the MW Golfer of the Year and made his third all-MW team.
San Diego State won its fourth consecutive MW championship last month and a spot in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, where the Aztecs tied for seventh out of 14 teams, two spots from advancing to the NCAA Championship.
About the Arnold Palmer Cup
The Arnold Palmer Cup was co-founded by Arnold Palmer and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and began at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla., in 1997. The event is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men’s and women’s university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of International players. The Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world’s greatest courses, including The Old Course at St. Andrews, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, Cherry Hills, and Lahinch. Beginning with the 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club, the Palmer Cup is the only major tournament that features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
Since its inception, over 245 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours; 46 have represented Europe/International or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup and more than 95 have claimed over 435 victories on the PGA, DP World, LPGA, or Ladies European Tours, including 2025 U.S. Women’s Open Champion Maja Stark. The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 15-13-1.
More than a showcase of golf skill, the Palmer Cup acknowledges and rewards character as well, in line with the principles of its founder and the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. Arnold and Winnie Palmer championed causes that were not just about golf, but possible because of golf. They devoted their time away from the game to philanthropy — focused especially on young people — and created a model for other modern athletes to use their influence in service to others. The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation continues the Palmer tradition of impactful philanthropy by uniting the generosity of golfers and fans everywhere to make a difference.
The Arnold Palmer Cup is part of the foundation’s missions to promote youth character development and foster the growth of amateur/collegiate golf. For more information, please visit arnoldpalmercup.com.