UW’s Chris Williams named to Palmer Cup college golf team

Washington sophomore Chris Williams (Moscow, Idaho) was one of eight American collegiate golfers selected to represent Team USA in the Palmer Cup it was announced last month by the Golf Coaches Association of America. The annual Ryder Cup-style competition that pits eight collegians from the USA and Europe will be played June 9-11 at The Stanwich Club outside of Greenwich, Conn.

The Husky golf program has previous experience in the Palmer Cup with UW Coach Matt Thurmond leading the USA squad in 2009 and Brock Mackenzie playing for the USA in 2002.

Williams is having an outstanding 2010-11 season at Washington, a year after winning the 2010 Phil Mickelson Award handed out annually to the nation’s top collegiate freshman.

Williams joins a USA squad that includes Blayne Barber of Auburn, UCLA’s Patrick Cantlay, Abilene Christian’s Alex Carpenter, Russell Henley of Georgia, Oregon’s Daniel Miernicki, Bank Vongvanij of Florida and Stanford’s Andrew Yun. Representing Europe will be Arkansas’ Sebastian Cappelen, Ignacio Elvira of Texas A&M, Texas Tech’s Nils Floren, Jeff Karlsson of Kennesaw State, Liberty’s Robert Karlsson, Nick MacAndrew of Aberdeen, Augusta State’s Henrik Norlander and UCLA’s Pontus Widegren.