TALLAHASSEE – Florida State men’s head golf coach Trey Jones was selected to be the co-head coach for Team USA for the 2026 Arnold Palmer Cup, which will be played July 3-5 at the Tralee Golf Links in West Barrow, Ireland. The announcement was made live on Golf Channel on Tuesday.
Jones, who is the co-head coach along with Laura Ianello of Texas, will lead the Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men’s and women’s university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of international players.
Since its inception, over 250 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours; 46 have represented Europe/International or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup and more than 100 have claimed over 450 victories on the PGA, DP World, LPGA, or Ladies European Tours. The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 15-13-1.
The Arnold Palmer Cup was co-founded by Arnold Palmer and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and began at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla., in 1997.
Jones, who was selected to the 2025 GCAA Hall of Fame class in December of 2025 was an assistant coach for the event in 2025.
In his 23rd season at FSU, Jones serves as the director of golf for FSU’s men’s and women’s golf programs. The Seminoles have played in 19 consecutive NCAA Regionals and have qualified for the NCAA Championship for the past five seasons.
A three-time ACC Coach of the Year, Jones has led the team to 42 victories, 41 All-America selections, 12 GCAA All-America Scholar selections and eight Palmer Cup alumni.
Jones has led the Seminoles this season to a semifinal appearance in ACC match play. As a team, FSU has finished in the top five in six tournaments this season, including a victory at the Seminole Intercollegiate and a runner-up finish at the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial.
Florida State will learn its regional draw on Wednesday at 2 p.m., when the NCAA Regional fields are announced live on the Golf Channel.
