Australia, England and Mexico Tied in Men’s Team Competition; Spain and Canada Lead the Women’s Team Competition
Photos From Day Two • Links to Resource Page • Final Round Tee Times
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Trinity, Texas (Nov. 15, 2024) – Team England players combined for an incredible 19 birdies and two eagles to take the lead in the combined team competition at 32-under after day two of The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship (The Spirit) being played at Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity, Texas. Canada trails by five strokes going into the final day. Day one leader, Australia, fell back into 4th place.
“They started very steady and then picked up a few shots,” said Stephen Burnett, Team England captain. “The boys made their first bogey on a par 3 and that just lit a spark because they were 6-under on the next four. I just want the guys to go out and have fun again tomorrow and keep doing what they’re doing. They are hitting the ball great, they are rolling the ball well – if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
England’s men’s team, consisting of Alabama junior Dominic Clemons and LSU junior Matthew Dodd-Berry, is tied with Australia and Mexico at 19-under in the men’s team best ball competition. Australia, which led the men’s competition after day one, features Josiah Gilbert, a sophomore at Auburn University, and Kai Komulainen, a freshman at the University of Tennessee. Mexico is led by UCLA senior Omar Morales and University of Arkansas freshman Gerardo Gomez.
On the women’s side, day one leaders, Team Spain’s Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, a Texas A&M sophomore, and Carla Bernat Escuder, a Kansas State junior, are tied for first at 15-under with Team Canada. Canada is led by Texas A&M freshman Vanessa Borovilos and University of Texas sophomore Lauren Kim. Borovilos played exceptionally well with six birdies and an eagle on the par 4 7th hole. Denmark and France sit one stroke back.
“We need to keep hitting birdies – Carla is playing amazing, and I am there to back her up with the pars,” said Garcia-Poggio. “We have played together before and are really good together so that is an advantage.”
The men’s and women’s individual competition is based solely on birdies and eagles with one and two points awarded for each respectively. Mexico’s Morales is tied with Australia’s Gilbert in the men’s competition with 15 points, followed by England’s Dodd-Berry with 12 points. 16-year-old Soomin Oh from Korea is tied with Spain’s Escuder with 13 points each in the women’s individual competition.
“This format is a lot of fun,” said Morales. “I am able to go at pins that I may or may not usually go at – and having my teammate there playing solid golf gives you a little bit of freedom once you’re in the fairway and you see a tough pin. I’ve played some solid golf these last two days.”
Team USA, which was in fourth after the first day, now sits in 9th place in the combined team competition. The men, led by Tommy Morrison, a junior at The University of Texas, and University of North Carolina senior David Ford, are in 4th place and the women, featuring University of Southern California freshman Jasmine Koo and 15-year-old phenom Asterisk Talley, are tied for 12th in the 20-team field. Three-time Spirit gold medalist and renowned amateur player Nathan Smith serves as coach of the USA team.
A full leaderboard for all competitions can be found at www.thespiritgolf.com.
The 11th edition of The Spirit has brought together 20 countries consisting of teams of two males and two females. The teams play a 54-hole four-ball stroke play competition with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals presented to the top three finishers in each competition. The event was founded in 2011 by Corby Robertson Jr., owner of Whispering Pines, as a celebration of goodwill through the game of golf.
The Spirit Alumni
Previous Spirit International competitors who are now or have previously been professionals on the LPGA and PGA TOUR include Lorena Ochoa, Brooke Henderson, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Francesco Molinari, Lexi Thompson, Brandt Snedeker, Paula Creamer, Jason Day, Bronte Law, Martin Kaymer, Maria Fassi, Viktor Hovland, Rose Zhang and more. Spirit alumni have gone on to win more than 27 major championships, 675 professional titles won on the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour, DP World Tour, Challenger Tour, LPGA TOUR, Ladies DP World Tour; 17 Olympic appearances, 22 PGA Tour winners, 25 European Tour winners, 35 LPGA winners and 21 Ladies European Tour winners.
The Course – Whispering Pines
Whispering Pines Golf Club is one of the best private golf clubs in the country. The club was founded not only to offer its discerning contributors a superior golf experience on an exceptional course, but also to promote amateur golf and to benefit charitable causes on a local, national and international level. Whispering Pines is ranked #1 in Texas, ranks #31 in the top 200 modern courses in the country by Golfweek, and is #11 in America’s Top 50 Greatest Golf Retreats by Golf Digest.
The Host – The Spirit Golf Association
The Spirit Golf Association, 501(c)(3), serves as the host for The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship. The Spirit Golf Association (SGA–formerly the World Health & Golf Association) was formed in 1999, by Houston philanthropist Corbin (Corby) J. Robertson, Jr. With a passionate vision, Corby turned the SGA into reality by establishing a unique charitable organization that benefits health-related causes while promoting the global goodwill of amateur golf. With the encouragement of close friends and family, Corby established the SGA with a mission for philanthropic-minded people to support charitable causes, membership privileges at a world-class golf property, and to conduct The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship.