The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Golf's Maas named to 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup International Team
04.25.2023 | Men's Golf
UT freshman will compete at the prestigious event on June 8-10 at Laurel Valley Golf Club.
AUSTIN, Texas — University of Texas Men's Golf freshman Christiaan Maas will represent the International Team at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced Tuesday. A member of the Golf RSA (South Africa) National squad, Maas is one of 12 men's players selected to the International squad that will compete on June 8-10 at Laurel Valley Golf Club outside Ligonier, Pa.
The Arnold Palmer Cup was co-founded by Arnold Palmer and the GCAA and began at the Bay Hill Club & Lounge in Orlando 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. Beginning with the 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club, the Palmer Cup is the only major tournament which features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
During his freshman season in 2022-23, Maas has competed in each of UT's first 11 events and boasts a team-best 70.04 stroke average. He is No. 13 in the most recent GolfStat national individual rankings (April 24) and No. 22 in the current World Amateur Golf Rankings (April 19). Maas was named to the 2023 Ben Hogan Award watch list (Jan. 27) and the 2023 Fred Haskins Award first spring watch list (Mar. 10).
During his previous nine stroke-play tourney appearances this season, Maas has registered five top-10 and eight top-20 individual finishes. He has shot par or better in 19 of his 25 stroke-play rounds this year, including 11 rounds in the 60s. Maas earned a collegiate-best individual runner-up finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate (Feb. 26-28) with a 10-under-par 206 (66-69-71), and he recorded his collegiate low 18-hole score of 6-under-par 66 in the opening round at the Southern Highlands (Feb. 26). He also tied for third at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 3-4) with a 6-under-par 204 (70-67-67) and tied for fifth at the Southwestern Invitational (Jan. 30-Feb. 1) with a 4-under-par 212 (68-70-74).
Maas tied for 17th at the DP World Tour's Alfred Dunhill Championship (Dec. 8-11) in Melalane, South Africa with a 9-under-par 279 (71-70-70-68), and he played alongside PGA legend Ernie Els in the opening two rounds at the event. He also made the cut and tied for 35th at the DP World Tour's Investec South African Open Championship (Dec. 1-4) in Johannesburg at 5-under-par 283 (69-65-72-77).
Current UT senior Travis Vick competed for the U.S. team at the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup, held last summer at Golf Club de Geneve in Switzerland.
2023 International Men Arnold Palmer Cup Team Selections
Santiago de la Fuente | Houston | Mexico
Mats Ege | East Tennessee State | Norway (coach's selection)
Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira | Arkansas | Argentina
Ryan Griffin | Maynooth | Ireland (R&A Student Tour series selection)
Max Kennedy | Louisville | Ireland
Frederik Kjettrup | Florida State | Denmark
Christo Lamprecht | Georgia Tech | South Africa
Christiaan Maas | Texas | South Africa
Herman Sekne | Purdue | Norway
Tyran Snyders | Texas Tech | South Africa
Karl Vilips | Stanford | Australia
Sampson Zheng | Cal | China
Players Mentioned
