Caitlin Maurice Earns Arnold Palmer Cup Selection in Landmark Year for St Andrews Golf
Caitlin Maurice becomes the fourth St Andrews student selected for collegiate golf’s most prestigious international team event, capping a record-breaking season for Saints Golf.
The University of St Andrews Golf Programme is proud to announce that Postgraduate Golf Scholar Caitlin Maurice has been selected to represent the International Team at the Arnold Palmer Cup, collegiate golf’s premier international team competition. Maurice becomes just the fourth student in the University’s history to earn selection, following Graeme Maly (1998), Oliver Lindsay (1999) and Andrew White (1999).
Maurice’s selection is the latest landmark achievement in what has been an extraordinary year for Saints Golf, marked by historic performances across both the men’s and women’s programmes and firmly establishing St Andrews as Europe’s leading university golf programme.
A record-breaking season for Saints Golf
The 2025/26 season will be remembered as a defining chapter in the history of the programme. For the first time since the R&A Student Tour Series was established, the University of St Andrews has secured both the Men’s and Women’s Order of Merit titles in back-to-back seasons.
Maurice claimed the Women’s Order of Merit, while Ollie George secured the Men’s title – a rare double that underlines the depth, quality and consistency of talent across the Saints Golf programme.
The women’s programme in particular reached new heights, dominating at BUCS Tour level and delivering standout performances at the St Andrews Collegiate and throughout the R&A Student Tour Series.
Caitlin Maurice: an outstanding season
Maurice’s selection for the Arnold Palmer Cup is the culmination of a season that has seen the New Zealand international produce some of the finest golf of her career. Across the R&A Student Tour Series she recorded a win, two second-place finishes, and a third place, a level of consistency that secured her the Women’s Order of Merit title heading into the Finals, where she added a fifth consecutive top-three finish to confirm overall honours.
Her outstanding form has extended beyond university competition. Maurice finished third at the Helen Holm Women’s Scottish Open and has been selected to represent New Zealand in both the R&A Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and the Queen Sirikit Cup in Indonesia later in May. That form has been reflected in the world rankings, where Maurice has risen to a personal best of 295 a mark that reflects her growing stature on the international amateur circuit.
Caitlin Maurice, Arnold Palmer Scholar, said: “I’m really excited to be competing in the Arnold Palmer Cup representing both Saints Golf and New Zealand on the international team. It’s been a strong season for me, and it’s such a huge honour to be part of the week and as an Arnold Palmer Scholar, competing in this event feels like a really full-circle moment. I’ve loved playing college golf and can’t wait to be back in that team environment with the best collegiate players. I’m proud of how much I’ve developed over my collegiate career and excited for what’s ahead.”
The Arnold Palmer Scholarship and the St Andrews connection
Maurice’s story carries particular resonance given that prior to joining St Andrews for her MSc in Finance, she was awarded the prestigious Arnold Palmer Scholarship making her selection for the Cup that bears his name a deeply fitting tribute to the connection between Arnold Palmer and the Home of Golf.
The University of St Andrews introduced its first Golf Scholarships in 2013, in the university’s 600th anniversary year. A commemorative golf tournament was held in June 2013, and through the generosity of donors and a fundraising endowment, the Arnold Palmer Scholarship was created with St Andrews becoming only the second university in the world to bestow Palmer’s name upon a student golfer.
Mr Palmer’s relationship with St Andrews is legendary, cemented in 2010 when he received an honorary doctorate from the University. His decision to lend his name to the scholarship programme was a reflection of his commitment to helping young student golfers flourish in the Home of Golf a vision that Maurice’s journey embodies completely.
About the Arnold Palmer Cup
The Arnold Palmer Cup was established in 1997, originally featuring the top collegiate golfers from the United States against Great Britain and Ireland. The competition was expanded after 2002 to include all European players, with rosters increased to 10 per side in 2013, and in 2018 expanded again to feature United States men’s and women’s teams competing against collegiate golfers from around the world.
Since its inception, over 245 former Arnold Palmer Cup players have earned cards on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours, and 44 have represented Europe or the United States in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup. More than 90 former players have recorded over 415 victories on tour, including major champions Jon Rahm, Lilia Vu, Wyndham Clark, Allisen Corpuz, and Brian Harman, as well as FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland. The United States currently leads the overall series 14-12-1.
Ian Muir, Director of Golf, University of St Andrews, said: “Caitlin’s selection for the Arnold Palmer Cup is a landmark moment for this programme and one we are enormously proud of. The fact that she is also an Arnold Palmer Scholar makes it a truly special story — it is exactly the kind of journey Arnold Palmer envisioned when he gave his name to support young golfers at this university. Caitlin has been exceptional this season, but what is perhaps most impressive is how much she has improved since she first arrived in St Andrews. Her consistency, her composure under pressure, and her continued rise in the world rankings are all marks of a player who belongs at the highest level.”
