NORMAN, Okla. – Jean-Paul Hebert of Texas and Jon Whithaus of Duke will serve as United States assistant coaches while the International assistants will be coached by Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen of Baylor and Norway and Diana Cantú of Maryland and Mexico at the 2021 Arnold Palmer Cup at Rich Harvest Farms. Longtime Arnold Palmer partner Rolex is continuing its more than 50-year relationship through its support of the matches which will be hosted by Rich Harvest Farms on June 11-13, 2021.
The 2020 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award recipient, Hebert is in the midst of his seventh as the assistant men’s golf coach at Texas. Prior to his current role, Hebert served for three-and-a-half years as the team’s volunteer coach. During his time as an assistant coach, he has supported the development of several All-Americans, including Beau Hossler, Scottie Scheffler, Gavin Hall, Doug Ghim, Steven Chevrony and current Longhorns Cole Hammer, Pierceson Coody and Parker Coody. As a team, the Longhorns have won 21 times, had 21 individual medalists and claimed three more Big 12 titles during his tenure. At the NCAA level, Texas has collected top-five finishes in four of the past five Championships, including runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2019. Last year, UT finished No. 4 in a pandemic-shortened season. A distinguished Texas Ex, Hebert played for the Longhorns from 1991-94. During his time as a student-athlete, Texas won four Southwest Conference titles and finished runner-up at NCAAs his senior year. Individually, Hebert earned All-America honors in three straight seasons.
Whithaus, who boasts 21 years of coaching experience, is in his sixth season with the Blue Devil women’s golf program. Since joining the Blue Devils, Duke won its seventh NCAA Championship in 2019, ACC Championships in two of four seasons and advanced to the match play portion of the NCAA Championship three times. Prior to coaching the Blue Devil women, he was associate head coach for the Duke men’s golf program from 2009-12 and the head coach of the Ohio Wesleyan men’s golf program from 1997-2009. He is the only coach in NCAA Division I to lead both a women’s (2016) and men’s (2011) program into the match play semifinals of the NCAA Championship. He has also coached both a women’s and men’s individual to an NCAA Individual Championship. A seven-time North Coast Athletic Conference and five-time Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year, Whithaus guided Ohio Wesleyan to 11 NCAA Division III Championship appearances and seven top eight finishes at the national tournament. He was a two-time All-America Scholar at Ohio Wesleyan and earned three letters. He helped the Bishops to a string of four straight North Coast Athletic Conference titles and three straight top-three finishes in the NCAA Division III championship.
Bjerch-Andresen is in his first season as Baylor’s assistant men’s golf coach and his fifth season as a Division I assistant coach. In just his second tournament with the Bears, he helped lead Baylor to the 2020 Big 12 Match Play Championship. A native of Baerum, Norway, Bjerch-Andresen spent the previous four years as a Division I assistant coach at Texas Tech and Stephen A. Austin. In his three years at Texas Tech, Bjerch-Andresen coached five All-Americans. The Red Raiders achieved the first No. 1 national ranking in program history during the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season, which included tournament titles at The Carmel Cup and Inverness Intercollegiate, in addition to the Big 12 Match Play title. Three different Tech players won individual titles during the season, and the Red Raiders finished the year ranked No. 3 nationally. Bjerch-Andresen was a four-year letter winner for the Bears from 2012 through 2015.
Cantú is in her sixth season as the head coach of the Maryland women’s golf team. Maryland has been ranked as high as No. 14 by Golfstat this season, the best ranking in program history. Individually, 5 of the top 7 season stroke averages in Maryland history are owned by Terrapins playing under Cantu. Under her leadership, the 2018-19 Terps earned their first NCAA Regionals bid in over seven years. In 2019, Virunpat Olankitkunchai become the first Terrapin to advance to the NCAA Championships. Off the course in 2017-18, the Terps had the highest team GPA in program history. Cantú came to College Park after a successful three-year stint as the top assistant at Baylor. As a student-athlete at Tennessee, Cantú earned All-SEC and NCAA East All-Region honors as a senior and was an NCAA Academic All-American. The Monterrey, Mexico, native captured the 2005 Mexican Amateur title and was the runner-up in 2006. Cantú was a member of the Mexican National Team from 2005-2010 and won an individual silver medal to help lead Mexico to team gold at the 2007 University Games. She is an LPGA Class B member and is TPI-certified. Cantú currently serves as the secretary for the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Board of Directors.
About Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation
The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation champions its namesakes' legacy through grantmaking and initiatives that support children’s health, youth character development and nature-focused wellness. Learn more at PalmerFoundation.org.
About Rolex
Rolex is an integrated and independent Swiss watch manufacture. Headquartered in Geneva, the brand is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products – symbols of excellence, elegance, and prestige. The movements of its Oyster Perpetual and Cellini watches are certified by COSC, then tested in-house for their precision, performance, and reliability. The Superlative Chronometer certification, symbolized by the green seal, confirms that each watch has successfully undergone tests conducted by Rolex in its own laboratories according to its own criteria. These are periodically validated by an independent external organization. The word “Perpetual” is inscribed on every Rolex Oyster watch. But more than just a word on a dial, it is a philosophy that embodies the company’s vision and values. Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of the company, instilled a notion of perpetual excellence that would drive the company forward. This led Rolex to pioneer the development of the wristwatch and numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931. In the course of its history, Rolex has registered over 500 patents. At its four sites in Switzerland, the brand designs, develops and produces the majority of its watch components, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Furthermore, the brand is actively involved in supporting the arts and culture, sport, and exploration, as well as those who are devising solutions to preserve the planet.
Rolex and the Arnold Palmer Cup
Through an unwavering commitment to the game of golf for more than 50 years, Rolex has developed one of the broadest and longest-standing relationships between brand and sport. These strong ties date back to 1967 when Rolex partnered with legendary golfer Arnold Palmer. The charismatic American holds a special place in golf history thanks as much to his natural talent and successful playing career as to his pioneering role in the sport. Since that pivotal bond, Rolex has gone on to establish partnerships at every level of the sport, including the governing bodies responsible for advancing the game and the finest players, from The Big Three to the New Guard who are already asserting their authority on golf at the elite level. The decision to partner the Arnold Palmer Cup was thus a natural progression for the Swiss watchmaker, and a tribute to the Arnold Palmer’s inspiring legacy.
About Nike
The exclusive footwear, apparel, headwear, and glove supplier of the Arnold Palmer Cup, our mission is what drives us to do everything possible to expand human potential. We do that by creating groundbreaking sport innovations, by making our products more sustainably, by building a creative and diverse global team and by making a positive impact in communities where we live and work.