Three Spaniards got up early in this 2024 at the NCAA. In mid-January, Álvaro Mueller-Baumgart, Pablo Ereño (both from UCLA) and Josele Ballester (Arizona State, ASU) competed in the Copper Cup, a competition with four teams where foursomes and individual matches are played, at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa. The first two took silver after losing the final to the University of Arizona while the third won bronze by winning the consolation final against USC (University of Southern California).
In the semi-finals, the UCLA bruins defeated USC by a resounding score of 9-2. Ereño, along with Luke Powell, won their alternate shot match against Sam Lapé and Antonio Safa by 1 up. The Californians won all the foursomes matches and only faltered in the morning individual; in the afternoon they added five victories, including Ereño’s against Safa by 2 and 1, and two draws, including Mueller-Baumgart’s against Shane Ffrench.
In the other clash in search of the final, the sun devils were defeated by their neighbours, the wildcats, by a close 6.5-4.5. ASU took 2.5 points in the morning in the alternate shots, but could not add four more in the afternoon in the individuals and ended up falling. Josele Ballester and Wenyi Ding were able to beat Yannick Malick and Griffin Rhoads, although the Castellón native lost to Rhoads by 2-1 in the evening session.
In the grand final, UCLA came close to victory against the University of Arizona, but it was not to be and they succumbed by 7-5. However, the two Spaniards contributed points to the bruins tally. In the foursomes, Mueller-Baumgart and Alex Papayoanou clearly defeated Zach Pollo and Johnny Walker (4 and 2), while Ereño and Powell beat Rhoads and Malik by 1 up. The Californians led by 2.5-1.5 after the morning, but in the afternoon the wildcats came back. However, Mueller-Baumgart was one of the two from his team who won his match by defeating Rhoads by 1 up. Ereño fell to Walker by 3 and 2.
In the bronze match, Arizona State ran over USC (8-3). Josele Ballester, paired with Michael Mjaaseth, defeated Safa and Nicolás Domínguez by 4 and 2 in the morning; in the afternoon, the Castellón native gave a masterclass to sweep Krando Nishiba by 6 and 5.
