Spirit Golf Podcast

Episode 20: Post Round 2 Interview with Team Denmark's Emma Bunch and Marie Madsen

Episode 19: Post Round 1 interview with Team USA's Tommy Morrison and David Ford

In the men's medal, Team USA's Tommy Morrison and David Ford are three shots back of Team Australia after opening 9-under 63, thanks to Morrison's seven birdies and an eagle on the sixth at Whispering Pines Golf Club.
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Episode 18: Quick chat post-round 1 with Team USA captain Nathan Smith

USA | Nathan Smith | Captain |Team USA
Smith was a three-time gold medalist in the 2011 Spirit. He won gold in the individual men’s division (tied with six other players) and he and Kelly Kraft teamed to win the men’s team division at 18-under 270. He also won the international team division (Kraft, Austin Ernst, Emily Tubert) with a 31-under par in the 72-hole, best-ball stroke play championship.…Smith has played in 48 USGA championships and has won four U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships…he has played on three Walker Cup teams - 2009, 2011 and 2013 - and provided the match-winning point for the USA in 2013 at National Golf Links of America in Southampton, New York…In 2025, Smith will captain the U.S. Walker Cup team…he was paired with golf legend Arnold Palmer at the 2004 Masters in Arnold’s last round at Augusta National…he resides in Pittsburgh, Penn.…played golf at Allegheny College where he earned NCAA Division III All-America honors and is a member of the Allegheny College Sports Hall of Fame 
 
“It is an amazing honor to have played in The Spirit and to be asked to serve as captain of Team USA in this incredible event.”

Episode 17: Team Spain's Cayetana Fernandez and Carla Bernat Escuder after their opening round 7-under 65

Carla Bernat Escuder | Team Spain
Age: 22
Hometown: Castellon, Spain
College/University: Kansas State - Senior
Lowest Round: 64
World Amateur Golf Ranking: 33
 
Collegiate/Amateur Highlights:
2023-24 Second Team All-American (WGCA)
2023-24 Third Team All-American (Golfweek)
2023-24 All-Big 12 (Coaches)
2024 Big 12 Golfer of the Month (March)
2022-23 AAC Women’s Golfer of the Year (Coaches)
2022-23 All-AAC (Coaches)
2022-23 Second Team All-American (WGCA)
2022-23 Third Team All-American (Golfweek)
 
Getting to Know Carla: 
Tied for third in program history with two individual wins … Majoring in kinesiology … Favorite golfer is John Rahm … Has one career hole-in-one
 
“Proud to be representing Spain.” —Carla Bernat Escuder
 
Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio | Team Spain
Age: 19
Hometown: Madrid, Spain
College/University: Texas A&M - Sophomore
Lowest Round: -8
World Amateur Golf Ranking: 29
 
Collegiate/Amateur Highlights:
#24 in Clippd Scoreboard individual standings (as of Nov. 6)
2024 All-SEC Second Team
2024 All- SEC Freshman Team
2024 Golf Channel Preseason Second Team All-American
2023-24 ANNIKA Award Preseason Watch List
2024 Golf Channel Preseason First Team All-American
Finished fourth at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (2023)

Episode 16: Australia's Kai Komulainen and Josiah Gilbert after 12-under 60 in opening round of Spirit

Australia's Kai Komulainen and Josiah Gilbert are leading the Men's Medal leaderboard after shooting 12-under 60 in the opening round of The Spirit! They talked to SGA post-round.

Episode 15: Quick chat with 2021 #SpiritAlum and Team South Africa's Caitlyn Macnab

Caitlyn Macnab | Team South Africa
Age: 22
Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa
College/University: University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) - Senior
Lowest Round: 63
World Amateur Golf Ranking: 32
 
Collegiate/Amateur Highlights:
#38 in Clippd Scoreboard individual standings (as of Nov. 6)
Played in the 2021 Spirit - T32 in Individual Division; T15 in Women’s Team (Kaylah Willliams) and 8th in Overall Team Division
2022, 2023 & 2024 WGCA All-American
2022, 2023 & 2024 Golfweek All-American 
2023-24 All-SEC Second Team
2022, 2023 & 2024 Augsta National Woman's Amateur Participant 
2023 & 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup Participant
2024 NCAA Bermuda Run Regional Medalist
2024 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
2023 Mason Rudolph Championship Medalist
2022 Schooner Fall Classic Medalist
2021-22 & 2022-23 All-Big 12
2021-22 Big 12 Freshman of the Year
2021-22 First-Team Academic All-Big 12
2021-22 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team
 
Getting to Know Caitlyn: 
Has four career holes-in-one …Senior at the University of Mississippi …studying Allied Health Studies …Favorite golfer is Henrik Stenson, the Ice Man
“It is always such a privilege and honor to represent your country, and I am ecstatic to have the opportunity to represent SA again this year at the 2024 Spirit!” — Caitlyn Macnab

Episode 14: Quick chat with reigning NCAA Division 1 champion and Team France's Adela Cernousek

Adela Cernousek | Team France
Age: 21
Hometown: Antibes, France
College/University: Texas A&M - Senior
Lowest Round: 65 at the 2024 U.S Open qualifier
World Amateur Golf Ranking: 10
 
Collegiate/Amateur Bio:
#2 in Clippd Scoreboard individual standings (as of Nov. 6)
2025 GOLF Channel and Golfweek Preseason First Team All-American
2024 NCAA Division I national champion, winning by three strokes
Posted eight top-six finishes and named to numerous All-American teams
Finished fourth among amateurs in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open
Member of  Team International for the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup
Averaged a program-record 69.94 stroke average last year becoming the first Aggie women’s golfer to shoot below 71 for the season
5th in the 2024 U.S. Women’s Amateur

Episode 13: Quick chat with Team USA's David Ford during Spirit practice round

David Ford | Team USA
Age: 22
Hometown: Peachtree Corners, Georgia (Rivers Academy HS - Alpharetta, Ga.)
College/University: North Carolina - Senior
Lowest Round: 62, three times
World Amateur Golf Ranking: 6
 
Collegiate/Amateur Highlights:
ranked #1 in PGA TOUR University rankings
#2 in Clippd Scoreboard individual standings (as of Nov. 6) 
named ACC Men’s Player of the Month in October
finished 33rd in the 2024 U.S. Amateur
member of United States winning teams in the 2023 Walker Cup, 2023 and 2024 Palmer Cups and 2023 World Amateur Team Championship
competed in the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational, earning an exemption by vote of his Palmer Cup teammates in 2023 based on the teammate who best represents the legacy and values of Arnold Palmer
has played in three NCAA Championships – his highest finish was T5 in 2022
UNC’s all-time leader in stroke average with a 70.58
three-time All-ACC and All-America selection
ACC Player of the Year in 2023 and Freshman of the Year in 2022
made his PGA Tour debut in 2023 in the Barbasol Championship, where he made the cut by two shots and finished T58 at 7-under
played in the 2022 Southern Amateur and 2023 Jones Cup
four-time AJGA champion

Episode 12: Dominic Clemons, 2024 Team England and University of Alabama Men's Golf

Dominic Clemons is a junior at the University of Alabama. He talks about his 2024 victories at the Scottish Men's Open and the Folds of Honor Intercollegiate. He also discusses his amateur golf journey, beginning at Hutchinson Community College, then to Stetson University, and now at Alabama. Clemons also qualified for the 152nd Open Championship, and he talks about his experience at Royal Troon and how he began competing for the English National Team. 
 
Follow the Spirit on X and Instagram, @thespiritgolf.
 
 
--I Need to Start Writing Things Down by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/darkglow/Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Episode 11: Ashton McCulloch, 2024 Team Canada and 2023 Canadian Amateur Champion

Ashton McCulloch is a senior at Michigan State University and will represent Team Canada at the 2024 Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship. McCulloch joined the SGA and discussed growing up as a sportsman in Canada, joining the Canadian National Team, early wins in amateur golf, competing at the U.S. Open and RBC Canadian Open after winning the 2023 Canadian Amateur, playing at Michigan State alongside 2021 #SpiritAlum James Piot, hearing about The Spirit from 2021 #SpiritAlum Johnny Travale, and more!
 
Follow the Spirit on X and Instagram, @thespiritgolf.
 
 
--I Need to Start Writing Things Down by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/darkglow/Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/