Nate Allen

FAYETTEVILLE - They will play for different teams representing different countries, but men’s golfer Julian Perico and women’s golfer Brooke Matthews still consider themselves as Arkansas Razorbacks playing together at at the Arnold Palmer Cup in June in Sugar Grove, Ill.

UA junior Perico, awaiting the assignment for Coach Brad McMakin’s SEC runner-up Razorbacks at NCAA Men’s Regionals, was announced Tuesday as representing his native Peru on the Palmer Cup International team.
Matthews, the UA junior from Rogers next week leading Coach Shauna Taylor’s Razorbacks in next week’s NCAA Regional in Louisville, was previously announced among those representing the United States on Team USA’s women’s team in the Palmer Cup.

“Yeah, I’m really excited to see that Julian made the Palmer Cup as well,” Matthews said on a Zoom press conference Tuesday. “He’s a good friend of mine and so even though we’re gonna be rivals that week, it’s going to be exciting to see a familiar face and somebody I’m that close to. I feel like we’re just proud that we get to have a Razorback on both sides this year. It’s really cool.”

Taylor, also on the Zoom, said, “ What a great honor and privilege it is for Brooke and Julian to be selected for this amazing opportunity. It just says a lot about them and their great play this year. I’ve been able to a couple of Palmer Cups. It’s an awesome week.”

A week that Perico, on a later Tuesday Zoom conference, said he has long aimed to achieve.
“I have two goals this year,” Perico said. “One was to be an All-American and one was to make the Palmer Cup team. It’s been my goal the last two years.”

A goal all the better knowing he shares it with a fellow Razorback.
“I texted Brookie once I got the good news and she was super stoked” Perico said. “She’s like a sister to me, one of my best friends so I’m really stoked to be able to share that week with her. We’re going to be playing against each other but it’s going to be a blast.”