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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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.”

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)

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.

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

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

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

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/