Stirling golfer wins major international team competition

University of Stirling golfer Ross Laird has won the prestigious Arnold Palmer Cup with Team International, beating Team USA 35-25 at the exclusive Congaree Golf Club in South Carolina.

Sports scholar Laird – the only member of the men's International Team to study outside of the United States – played his part in the win by securing a point for his team in the Foursomes.

It was an important moment for the second-year Finance student, who has clocked up a run of impressive wins during his time at Stirling, Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence.

Laird, 21, said: “The week was great – I loved playing and representing Scotland as part of Team International. I really enjoyed being able to play as a team and in different formats, and to have the opportunity to learn and meet a lot of new people within the game.

“It meant a lot beating the United States on their home soil too.”

Dean Robertson, Head of Golf at the University of Stirling, said: “A huge congratulations to Ross on a fantastic win with Team International at the Arnold Palmer Cup. Ross played an important part in a brilliant competition, and he should be proud of his efforts.

“Ross continues to grow and develop as a golfer and experiencing major international competitions such as the Arnold Palmer Cup will strengthen his game.”

The Arnold Palmer Cup – founded in 1997 – is a Ryder Cup-format tournament for top university golfers from across the globe, pitting the United States against a team comprised of international players. Often a milestone for up-and-coming golfers, many who have competed in the event have gone on to play on the PGA, LPGA, and European Tour. Several golf scholars from Stirling have competed in the Cup, including Graeme Robertson, Hazel MacGarvie and Lorna McClymont.

At this year’s competition, which ran June 5-7, Laird and partner Elice Fredriksson lost 3&2 in the Mixed Fourball (opponents were three holes up, with two holes left) to Team USA’s Mary Kelly Mulcahy and Jase Summy.

In the Foursomes, Laird paired with Filip Jakubcik – beating Team USA’s Josiah Gilbert and Michael La Sasso 2&1. In the Mixed Foursomes, Laird and Caitlyn Macnab were beaten by Megha Ganne and Jacob Modleski 6&5, before Laird lost his singles match to Michael La Sasso by the same margin.

It was Team International’s first win in the series since 2022, and the first time they had won in the United States since 2020. Team USA now leads the series 15-13, with one draw.

Further success for Laird

The win in South Carolina is just the latest success for Laird. Last season, he was crowned the best male student golfer in the UK, winning the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Order of Merit. He was second in this year’s Order of Merit, and has recently returned from Spain, where he represented Scotland at the Men’s European Nations Championships. Notably, he also finished tied fifth in last year’s Torneo Internacional Copa Juan Carlos Tailhade competition in Argentina.

Lorna McClymont

Meanwhile, University of Stirling golfer Lorna McClymont – who graduated from the sports scholarship programme last year but continues to train at the University – has secured her first top 10 finish on the Ladies European Tour (LET). After four rounds at the Tenerife Women’s Open, McClymont finished tied eighth with a score of -5 – just four shots off the winner Sara Kouskova.

The win sees the 24-year-old move inside the top 70 in the LET Order of Merit for the first time. In her first season on the professional tour, McClymont has so far played four events – the Tenerife Open, the Jabra Ladies Open in France (tied 54th), Dutch Ladies Open (tied 32nd) and the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco (tied 42nd).

Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence

At Stirling, athletes have access to world-class facilities, including a 50-metre pool, unrivalled outdoor space, and state-of-the-art strength and conditioning suites. In addition to its coaching and facilities, Stirling’s International Sports Scholarship Programme – one of the largest high-performance programmes in the UK – offers athletes funding support, academic flexibility, equipment and kit. It has supported hundreds of athletes since its inception in 1981 – with many competing on the world stage, including at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.

Core sports include football, golf, tennis, swimming, triathlon, rugby and curling, while individual scholarships cover all Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.

Read more about sports scholarships at the University of Stirling.