DURHAM, N.C. – Senior Brinson Paolini is No. 6 for Team USA, while freshman Mads Soegaard in No. 23 for Europe in the first Palmer Cup Ranking of the spring as announced today by the Golf Coaches Association of America. The top six golfers in the new ranking from both the United States and Europe shall be among the 10 individuals selected to compete in the 2013 Palmer Cup at Wilmington Country Club.  

Paolini, rated 13^th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, is off to a terrific start to his senior season at Duke. The Virginia Beach, Va., native boasts a 71.4 stroke average with seven under par rounds (14 total rounds). He has finished in the top 20 in all five events this season with three top 5 finishes and four top 10 placings. Paolini finished tied for third with a four-under 140 in a rain shortened John Hayt Collegiate Invitational in his first outing of the spring.

Paolini’s name is already scattered throughout the Duke career record books as he ranks among the school’s all-time leaders in stroke average (2^nd – 72.25), rounds in the 60s (2^nd – 24), under-par rounds (6^th – 39), even-par rounds (2^nd – 20), even-par or better rounds (3^rd – 59), top 5 finishes (3^rd – 11), top 10 finishes (t-7^th – 16)  and top 20 finishes (7^th – 22).

Soegaard has a 73.1 stroke average with a pair of to 10 finishes in his inaugural season in Durham. The Denmark native is tied for second on the team with six under-par rounds and has a season-best tie for fourth finish at the Tar Heel Intercollegiate.

The Palmer Cup rankings will be updated on March 20 and April 3. The six participants selected by the Palmer Cup Ranking will be announced on April 17 with the balance of both teams named the following week. 

For more information visit palmercup.org.