The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship (The Spirit) returns to Whispering Pines after taking a hiatus in 2023. The biennial event features the world’s best men and women amateur golfers representing 20 countries and six continents.
2024 The Spirit Schedule of Events (Whispering Pines)
- Tuesday, Nov. 12, 4:30 pm: Opening Ceremonies
- Wednesday, Nov. 13, 8:30 am – 10:18 am: Team Practice Rounds – Assigned Tee Times off #1 and #10
- Thursday, Nov. 14, 8:30 am – 10:18 am: First Round of Competition – Assigned Tee Times off #1 and #10
- Friday, Nov. 15, 8:30 am – 10:18 am: Second Round of Competition – Assigned Tee Times off #1 and #10
- Saturday, Nov. 16, 8:30 am – 10:18 am: Final Round of Competition (pairings by 36-hole score) – Closing Ceremony and Medal Presentations follow
The 2024 Field
Eighty of the best men and women amateur golfers from 20 countries and six continents will compete in the 2024 Spirit. The countries represented include Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States.
Team USA Led by Captain Nathan Smith
Spirit Alum Nathan Smith will captain Team USA this year. Smith replaces Michael Breed who had to withdraw due to unforeseen circumstances. Smith will be assisted by Alli Jarrett. Smith was a three-time gold medalist in the 2011 Spirit. He won gold in the individual men’s division (tied with six other players) and he and Kelly Kraft teamed to win the men’s team division at 18-under 270. He also won the international team division (Kraft, Austin Ernst, Emily Tubert) with a 31-under par in the 72-hole, best-ball stroke play championship.
Smith has played in 48 USGA championships and has won four U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships. He has played on three Walker Cup teams – 2009, 2011 and 2013 – and provided the match-winning point for the USA in 2013 at National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y. He was paired with golf legend Arnold Palmer at the 2004 Masters in Arnold’s last round at Augusta NaTonal. In 2025, Smith will captain the U.S. Walker Cup team.
Smith, who resides in Pittsburgh, Penn., played golf at Allegheny College where he earned NCAA Division III All-America honors and is a member of the Allegheny College Sports Hall of Fame. Smith succeeds Stacey 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.
Team USA
David Ford, Peachtree Corners, Ga. – Senior at the University of North Carolina…ranked No. 9 in WAGR… finished 33rd in the 2024 U.S. Amateur…member of United States winning teams in the 2023 Walker Cup, 2023 and 2024 Palmer Cups and 2023 World Amateur Team Championship…competed in the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, earning an exemption by vote of his Palmer Cup teammates in 2023 based on the teammate who best represents the legacy and values of Arnold Palmer…has played in three NCAA Championships – his highest finish was T5 in 2022…UNC’s all-Tme leader in stroke average with a 70.58…three-Tme All-ACC and All-America selection…ACC Player of the Year in 2023 and Freshman of the Year in 2022…made his PGA Tour debut in 2023 in the BarbasolChampionship, where he made the cut by two shots and finished T58 at 7-under…played in the 2022 Southern Amateur and 2023 Jones Cup
Tommy Morrison, Dallas, Texas – Junior at The University of Texas…ranked No. 27 in WAGR…first American champion of the 2024 European Amateur…earned medalist honors in the 2023 U.S. Junior Amateur shooting an 8-under on 36 holes to earn the top match play seed…played in all of University of Texas’ 14 events in 2023-24 ranking third on the team in scoring (71.73)…has six top 12 individual finishes for the Longhorns in 2023-24…registered his collegiate-low 18-hole score of 7-under 64 in the final round of the Valspar Collegiate Invitational in March…stands at 6-9
Jasmine Koo, Cerritos, Calif. – Freshman at University of Southern California…Ranked No. 5 in WAGR…finished third at the 2024 Jr. Invitational at Sage Valley…2023 Women’s Western Amateur Champion…finished fourth at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur… member of the 2024 Curtis Cup team and 2023 US Junior Solheim Cup Team…was the low amateur finishing 13th in the LPGA Chevron Championship…
Asterisk Talley, Chowchilla, Calif. – Sophomore at Chowchilla High School High School…ranked No. 33 in WAGR and No. 2 in AJGA rankings…champion of the 2024 Jr. Invitational at Sage Valley…finished second in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur…member of the 2024 Curtis Cup team…youngest competitor in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open and tied as the low-amateur …finished fourth at the 2024 Girls Junior PGA Championship…first player in history to play in three USGA championship matches in one year…Asterisk means ‘little star’ in Greek
Other Key Players in the 2024 Spirit
Adela Cernousek (France)…Hometown: Antibes, France…Senior at Texas A&M University…No. 8 in WAGR…finished fourth among amateurs in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open…member of Team International for the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup… 2024 NCAA Division I national champion, winning by three strokes…posted eight top-six finishes and named to numerous All-American teams…averaged a program-record 69.94 stroke average last year becoming the first Aggie women’s golfer to shoot below 71 for the season……5th in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur
Dominic Clemons (England)…Hometown: Cambridge…Junior at University of Alabama …No. 69 in WAGR…winner of the 2024 Scottish Men’s Open Championship at Muirfield with a 17-shot victory…finished runner-up at the 2024 British Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin in match play; finished tied for fifth in stroke play to advance to the championship……played at Stetson during 2023-24 season and was named ASUN Golfer of the Week three times and was a unanimous first team All-ASUN selection…started collegiate career at Hutchinson Community College where as a freshman, he won the 2022 NJCAA individual national championship and helped lead the Dragons to the team championship.
Christiaan Maas (South Africa)…Hometown: Pretoria…Junior at The University of Texas…No 9 in WAGR…finished 33rd in U.S. Amateur Championship…Won the Brabazon Trophy at Saunton Golf Club (England) in 2022 with a 14-under, five shots ahead of the field…competed for South Africa in the 2022 World Amateur Team Championship (Paris)…advanced to Match Play at the 2022 U.S. Amateur…2021 champion of the Cape Province and South African Amateur Championship…Two-time All-Big 12 Team and Newcomer of the Year in 2022-23…played in 13 of the Longhorn’s 14 events in 2023-24 and led the team in scoring average with a 71.09…had four top 10 and seven top 20 individual finishes
Omar Morales (Mexico)…Hometown: Puebla City…Senior at UCLA…No. 14 in WAGR…9th in the 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship…GCAA third team All-American and All-PAC 12 first team in 2023-24…two-time Pac 12 Golfer of the Week…Ben Hogan Award Watch List in 2023-24…was the No. 1 junior amateur golfer in Mexico during the 2018-19 season…played in the 2019 Toyota Junior World Team Championship…back-to-back champion of the Asociación de Golf del Sur Regional Championship Tournament in 2018 and 2019…
Valentina Rossi (Argentina)…Hometown: Rosario…No. 258 in WAGR…played collegiate golf at Michigan State University…champion of the 2022 Women’s Amateur Latin America…has significant international team experience as she represented Argentina in the World Amateur Teach Championship and South America Junior Team Championships, and played in the South America Championship three times…ranked second in the Argentina Amateur rankings two consecutive years…six-time participant in The Annika Invitational.
The Format
Teams will play a 54-hole four-ball stroke play competition with three concurrent team competition categories:
- International team
- Men’s team
- Women’s team
Gold, Silver and Bronze commemorative medals are awarded to the top three finishers in each competition.