The Spirit International Amateur Golf Championship (The Spirit), a premier event which brings together the leading men and women amateur golfers from around the world, returns to Whispering Pines Golf Club in Trinity from Nov. 14-16. Michael Breed, a nationally acclaimed PGA Professional and golf advocate, has been named captain for Team USA in the 2024 championship.
After taking a year off, the biennial event is back and will feature a stellar field of 80 players from 20 countries. Each country is represented by two women and two men amateur golfers who will play 54 holes of four-ball stroke play with three concurrent competition categories: international team, men’s team and women’s team. Gold, Silver and Bronze commemorative medals are awarded to the top three finishers in each category.
“After a hiatus since 2021, we are pleased to once again host what we believe is the best amateur event in the world,” said Spirit Golf Association Chairman Corbin Robertson, Jr. “Some of the greatest names in golf from Lorena Ochoa and Rose Zhang to Scottie Scheffler and Jason Day have participated in the past and we are expecting another world-class field this year. We are also excited to have one of golf’s greatest personalities, Michael Breed, as captain of Team USA.”
Breed succeeds Stacy Lewis as captain of Team USA. Lewis served as captain in 2019 and 2021, leading Team USA to the 2019 Men’s Championship and 2021 Team and Women’s Championships.
“The Spirit is an incredible event and I’m humbled to succeed Stacy as captain of Team USA,” said Breed. “Whispering Pines is one of the greatest venues in the world and I’m looking forward to leading our team in November. It’s going to be a great week of camaraderie and competition.”
Breed, a longtime member of the PGA of America, was the 2012 PGA of America National Teacher of the Year. He is the host of “Course Record with Michael Breed” on CBS and is a CBS Sports HQ contributor, while also hosting “A New Breed of Golf” on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio weekday mornings and a “New Breed of Golf” digital series on Facebook Watch and YouTube. The chief digital instructor for Golf Digest, Breed is focused on innovative golf instruction and oversees the “Best Young Teachers’ program. He has led the way in digital golf instruction and previously hosted the highest-rated golf instruction series for Golf Channel, “The Golf Fix.”
The players for Team USA and other countries will be announced later this summer.
