University of North Carolina Athletics
Sheils Donegan Reps International Team In Palmer Cup
July 1, 2026 | Men's Golf
Carolina's Niall Sheils Donegan, a rising senior, represents the International Team in the 2026 Palmer Cup, which begins Friday at Tralee Golf Links in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland.
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Sheils Donegan is one of 24 men's and women's players that make up the international squad, which will compete against a United States team in a Ryder Cup-style competition Friday through Sunday, July 3-5.
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The teams will play mixed fourballs on Friday, two sessions of foursomes and mixed foursomes on Saturday and singles on Sunday.
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Tune in to the Golf Channel's mobile app and GolfChannel.com to view the matches. The viewing schedule is Friday from 7 to 11 a.m., Saturday from 5 to 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Sunday from 5 to 9 a.m. (all times Eastern).
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The internationals won the 2025 Palmer Cup, 35-25, in Ridgeland, S.C., while the United States leads the competition 15-13-1.
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Sheils Donegan is the sixth Tar Heel to play in the Palmer Cup since the event began in 1997. Max Harris also played for the internationals (1998, 1999 and 2000) and Dustin Bray (2003), David Ford (2023 and 2024), Austin Greaser (2023) and Maxwell Ford (2024) played for Team USA. Dylan Menante also competed when he was playing at Pepperdine.
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Sheils Donegan was born in Scotland before moving to the San Francisco area. Last year, he played for Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup and for Scotland in the World Amateur Team Championship.
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He earned All-ACC and second-team All-America honors for the Tar Heels in 2025-26. His scoring average of 69.91 led the team and was the fourth-best in UNC single-season history. He shot a combined 48 strokes below par, the second-best ever by a Tar Heel.
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He won the Tar Heel Intercollegiate, finished third in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational and fifth in the Williams Cup and helped lead UNC to a ninth-place finish in the NCAA Championship.
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Sheils Donegan is one of 24 men's and women's players that make up the international squad, which will compete against a United States team in a Ryder Cup-style competition Friday through Sunday, July 3-5.
Â
The teams will play mixed fourballs on Friday, two sessions of foursomes and mixed foursomes on Saturday and singles on Sunday.
Â
Tune in to the Golf Channel's mobile app and GolfChannel.com to view the matches. The viewing schedule is Friday from 7 to 11 a.m., Saturday from 5 to 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Sunday from 5 to 9 a.m. (all times Eastern).
Â
The internationals won the 2025 Palmer Cup, 35-25, in Ridgeland, S.C., while the United States leads the competition 15-13-1.
Â
Sheils Donegan is the sixth Tar Heel to play in the Palmer Cup since the event began in 1997. Max Harris also played for the internationals (1998, 1999 and 2000) and Dustin Bray (2003), David Ford (2023 and 2024), Austin Greaser (2023) and Maxwell Ford (2024) played for Team USA. Dylan Menante also competed when he was playing at Pepperdine.
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Sheils Donegan was born in Scotland before moving to the San Francisco area. Last year, he played for Great Britain & Ireland in the Walker Cup and for Scotland in the World Amateur Team Championship.
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He earned All-ACC and second-team All-America honors for the Tar Heels in 2025-26. His scoring average of 69.91 led the team and was the fourth-best in UNC single-season history. He shot a combined 48 strokes below par, the second-best ever by a Tar Heel.
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He won the Tar Heel Intercollegiate, finished third in the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational and fifth in the Williams Cup and helped lead UNC to a ninth-place finish in the NCAA Championship.
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Players Mentioned
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