The Solheim Cup will move back to even years starting in 2024 to avoid a clash with the Ryder Cup.
The Solheim Cup will move back to even years starting in 2024 to avoid a clash with the Ryder Cup. With the Ryder Cup moving to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers had previously announced that the men’s match-play event would permanently remain on odd years going forward.
The Solheim Cup Committee announced on Monday a plan to move to even years, as a result.
“With the world sporting schedule changing so much due to current difficulties, we felt it was in the best interest of the Solheim Cup to return to an off-year rotation with the Ryder Cup,” said Dennis Baggett, Executive Director of the Solheim Cup. “When the competition returns to the United States in 2024, I have no doubt fans will have an incredible opportunity to celebrate the best women golfers from the United States and Europe as they represent their home countries.”
The Solheim was first played in 1990 and remained on an even-year rotation until 2003. That move came about because the Ryder Cup switched to even years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks postponed the 2001 competition to 2002.
While future dates will be spread apart, the next two stagings of the biennial competition offer a unique opportunity. In 2021, the Solheim Cup will take place Sept. 4-6 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, three weeks ahead of the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straights in Wisconsin.
In 2023, the Solheim Cup heads to Spain for the first time from Sept. 22-24, one week ahead of the Ryder Cup’s debut in Rome.
The dates and venue for the 2024 Solheim Cup will be announced at a later date.
While the dates haven’t been set, the Solheim Cup is headed to Spain for the time in 2023.
The Solheim Cup is headed to Spain for the time in 2023, the Ladies European Tour announced. While the dates haven’t been set, the event will be held at Finca Cortesin, Andalucía. Spain also hosted the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama Golf Club.
With the 2020 Ryder Cup pushed back to next year, the next two Solheim and Ryder Cups will take place in the same year on the same side of the world.
The 2021 Solheim Cup will be held at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, next September, three weeks ahead of the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. The 2023 Ryder Cup will be held Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, just 10 miles outside of Rome.
Spain becomes the sixth European country to host the Solheim Cup, joining Scotland, Wales, Sweden, Ireland and Germany. The Finca Cortesin previously staged three Volvo World Match Play Championships and underwent an upgrade of all putting surfaces in 2017.
Spain’s Carlota Ciganda finished in the top 3 of last week’s KPGM Women’s PGA Championship and has participated in the last four consecutive Solheims. Compatriot Azahara Munoz also has four Solheim appearances since 2011.
The Solheim Cup was first staged in Florida in 1990 and named after club manufacturer Karsten Solheim, who was the driving force behind its inception. Europe won the last staging at Gleneagles in spectacular fashion, with Suzann Pettersen holing the winning putt and promptly announcing her retirement.
Renee Powell is set to lead Team USA at the Junior Solheim Cup against Annika Sorenstam and Team Europe.
Two legends of the game will square off against each other as captains of next year’s Ping Junior Solheim Cup. Renee Powell will captain the 12-player U.S. team at Sylvania Country Club in Toledo, Ohio, the AJGA announced on Monday. The LET previously announced that Annika Sorenstam will lead the Europeans.
“I can’t wait to see the growth from when I first meet each player to when the last ball is picked up from the last hole in the PING Junior Solheim Cup,” Powell said. “I’m excited to be able to see the excitement on [the girls’] faces when they are doing what the love and representing the United States. I am proud that my state of Ohio is the host state for both the PING Junior Solheim Cup and the Solheim Cup.”
Powell, 74, learned the game at Clearview Golf Club in East Canton, Ohio, a course her father built with his own hands after he returned from World War II and found it difficult to find a place that would allow him to play.
Powell forged her own trail as well, captaining both the Ohio and Ohio State University golf teams. She fought through racial prejudice, even death threats, as the second Black player to compete on the LPGA.
After retiring from the tour, Powell continued to grow the game as an ambassador, traveling to Africa more than two dozen times.
She returned to Clearview to continue her father’s legacy, running the only golf course in America that was designed, constructed and owned by a Black man. Her focus as head professional places an emphasis on growing the game among veterans, women and juniors. She was the first woman of color elected to membership in the PGA of America and was later named the first At-Large Director of its Board. In 2002, she was named the PGA’s First Lady of Golf.
Earlier this year, Powell was awarded the Golf Writers Association of America’s Charlie Bartlett Award, given to a playing professional for their unselfish contributions for the betterment of society. Last month she received the Donald Ross Award from the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
In 2015, Powell was one of two American women bestowed honorary membership into the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.
“We’re honored Renee has accepted our offer to captain the U.S. PING Junior Solheim Cup team in 2021,” said John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO. “She’s a true pioneer in the game of golf whose accomplishments speak for themselves and contributions to the sport around the world are long and ever-lasting. Her support of girl’s golf throughout her hall-of-fame career makes her the perfect choice for the captain’s role.”
Previous American Junior Solheim Cup players who have gone on to compete in the main event include Brittany Lang, Paula Creamer, Alison Lee, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Angel Yin and Lexi Thompson. Those from Team Europe include Carlota Ciganda, Georgia Hall, Caroline Hedwall, Charley Hull, Caroline Masson, Azahara Munoz, Anna Nordqvist, Florentyna Parker, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Beatriz Recari and Melissa Reid.
Team USA’s Pat Hurst has lobbied for more Solheim Cup captain’s picks amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With the COVID-19 pandemic shrinking the number of playing opportunities on the LPGA, Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst thought changing the qualifying criteria for Team USA might be in order. She first inquired about changing the points system, but when that didn’t get far, suggested increasing the number of picks.
“I think four would be great,” said Hurst in a media round table. “I don’t know if we’ll get that.”
Currently eight players will qualify off of Solheim Cup points, two get in off the Rolex Rankings and two are captain’s picks.
The Solheim committee that makes such decisions includes LPGA commissioner Mike Whan, the chair of the board, the player president and the three previous U.S. Solheim Cup captains. The committee is expected to meet later in the year.
European Solheim Cup captain Catriona Matthew said her side has already made the change to two players from LET points, four off the Rolex Rankings and six picks. (Europe previously had four picks.)
“We just felt with the players not playing as much and kind of all the schedules being up in the air,” said Matthew, “that it was just nice to do that and give you a bit more options and what you might do going forward next year.”
Earlier this year the PGA of America announced that U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker’s picks would jump from four to six after the event was postponed one year. The men’s European Team has three wild card picks.
The 2021 Solheim Cup will be contested Sept. 4-6 in 2021 at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, three weeks ahead of the Ryder Cup and about six hours away from Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.
Annika Sorenstam was named the 2021 Junior Solheim Cup captain.
Annika Sorenstam has been named captain of the 2021 European Ping Junior Solheim Cup team, the LET announced.
Team Europe will take on the United States at the Inverness Club immediately prior to the main event, set for Sept. 4-6 in Toledo, Ohio.
Sorenstam represented Europe in eight Solheim Cups and a served as captain in 2017 at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa. Since retiring from the tour in 2008, the LPGA and World Golf Hall of Famer has placed a significant focus on her foundation, which hosts seven global events for junior girls annually, including the ANNIKA Invitational Europe. At the recent AIG Women’s British Open, 45 players in the field had competed in Sorenstam’s junior events.
“I am really excited to captain the Europeans in next year’s PING Junior Solheim Cup,” said Sorenstam. “In the last decade, more than 90 percent of the players on the U.S. and European Solheim Cup teams have played in at least one of our seven global junior events. I already know most of the girls who will be aiming to qualify for next year’s European team and I look forward to working with them in Toledo.”
Of the 12 players who represented Europe in the 2019 contest at Glenagles, 10 had previously played on a Junior Solheim Cup team. Recent AIG winner Sophia Popov of Germany competed in 2009 against a U.S. team that included Lexi Thompson and Jessica Korda.
“We are delighted that Annika has accepted the PING Junior Solheim Cup captaincy,” said Alexandra Armas, CEO of the LET. “The young competitors are going to have an amazing opportunity to spend time and learn from undoubtedly, one of the best minds in the game.”
To be eligible for the 12-person team, juniors must not have turned 18 prior to Jan. 1, 2021 or be enrolled in a college program.
This week at the LPGA Drive on Championship, players and television viewers are seeing Inverness in its purest form.
TOLEDO, Ohio – Can you picture it? A massive u-shaped structure that seats 3,000 rowdy Solheim Cup fans situated around one teeing area at Inverness Club, serving both the 1st and 10th holes. Rather than a tunnel, Solheim Cup players will walk across a bridge from the practice putting green, over the road and through the crowd, likely high-fiving their way down the stairs and onto the tee box, music blaring.
In Dennis Baggett’s mind, the crowds at Inverness are going from zero to 150,000 in 13 months’ time.
This week at the LPGA Drive on Championship, players and television viewers are seeing Inverness in its purest form. No fans. No leaderboards. No grandstands. No hospitality suites. Maybe two ropes.
The build-out around the first tee next year will extend into where players are parking their cars this week. The ninth and 18th holes will be switched for Solheim so that players can make the short walk to the 10th tee and back into the rockin’ grandstand. On Sunday, players making the turn in their singles matches will have to wait on players who are just beginning the round. The action there will be nonstop.
Quick video explaining what this teeing area will look like at next year’s Solheim Cup (just pretend there are 3,000 people cheering). pic.twitter.com/MlfqTdK4uC
Exactly the kind of environment that Danielle Kang thrives in. As a Solheim rookie in Des Moines, Iowa, Kang revved up the gallery on the first tee, encouraging them to scream and shout right through her swing.
Apparently Kang doesn’t mind the quiet either, as she’s tied for the lead here at Inverness with European Solheim Cup players Celine Boutier and Jodi Ewart Shadoff. With so many Asian players opting to skip the two events in Ohio, past and potential Solheim Cuppers are peppering the board.
Mel Reid, a three-time European Solheim Cup player who served as vice captain last year at Gleneages, said Inverness is one of the toughest courses she’s ever played on the LPGA, a fact that she loves.
“Kind of the running joke between players and caddies this week,” said Reid, “is it’s a major for $1 million.”
The LPGA lost one of its five majors to COVID-19 this season when the Evian Championship was canceled. Inverness, a course that has hosted four U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships, has certainly given the women an unexpected treat. It was only seven weeks ago that the LPGA approached Inverness about hosting the last-minute event and five weeks ago that the club agreed.
While the first round played firm and fast, the second offered a completely different challenge as rain ruled the day. There was a 45-minute delay Saturday afternoon for maintenance crews to squeegee water off the greens. Kang marveled at the way Inverness changed like a chameleon.
There likely hasn’t been a more fan-friendly course than this Donald Ross design. Baggett has walked the course this week like he would as a fan, anticipating crowd flow issues and fairway crosswalks.
“I remember standing in the clubhouse one time and I could see 13 flags,” said Baggett.
Fans can purchase upgraded tickets to the Solheim Pavilion, a structure that offers fans views of the greens on Nos. 4, 11 and 14, the 15th tee and the entirety of Nos. 5 and 12.
Community support is terrific, too. Before the pandemic hit, 84 partners signed up for next year. The good news is that not a single one has pulled out. The bad news is that it’s a tough time to add more.
The Toledo market is faithful to the LPGA. Next week the Marathon Classic will be held less than 10 miles away for the 35th time. When Drive On organizers spotted a concerning pothole on Dorr Street earlier this week, right at the entrance of Inverness, a phone call was placed to the mayor and the hole was fixed the next day.
There are 19 of 24 Solheim Cup players from last year in the field this week as well as 2021 assistant captain Angela Stanford. Captains Pat Hurst and Catriona Matthew aren’t here now, but they’ll be on property soon enough.
“Honestly, this is going to be a spectacle,” said Reid.
At last, a course that is as spectacular as the contest itself.
Suzann Pettersen details what it was like to be a Solheim Cup heroine, the player who intimidated her most and much more.
Few in sport have enjoyed a more spectacular walk-off moment than Suzann Pettersen. That winning putt at the 2019 Solheim Cup, after a 20-month break from competition, instantly changed her from villainess of the match-play spectacle to beloved heroine.
The legendary moment prompted longtime sponsor Dow to put together a documentary entitled “Her Final Putt – Suzann Pettersen’s Story.” The 30-minute program aired on CBS earlier this month.
The 39-year-old Norwegian won 15 times on the LPGA, including two majors, and compiled a 18-12-6 record in nine Solheim Cup appearances.
Golfweek recently caught up with Pettersen to talk about retirement, scaling the cliffs of Norway, that magical putt and raising Herman.
Here are excerpts from that conversation:
I always find it hard to talk about myself believe it or not. I‘ve never been a person who kind of reflected too much about what I’ve done. I’ve always kind of looked ahead, chasing the next goal. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect back over the last six, seven months. When they did put (my story) into a TV program, it was almost a nice way to kind of go over your career as well.
At the time when it came about, I felt like it had already been so much focus about the last putt and like the mic drop and everything. I thought, have they not had enough of me?
Team Europe celebrate as Suzann Pettersen putts to win her match and the Solheim Cup at Gleneagles on September 15, 2019. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
They obviously wanted to put a different touch to the story. It was kind of good to kind of let the guard down and let people really know what I had on my heart. I had a to go a few rounds with myself to get comfortable, but as we got started, I don’t think they needed to ask too many questions.
I know Carlota (Ciganda), when she first met me was scared to death to talk to me, and she has obviously turned out to be one of my best friends from the LPGA. Thankfully that perspective has changed (laughs).
I haven’t been too emotional, but when I see other people getting emotional about me not playing anymore and seeing almost Anna (Nordqvist) having a tear in her eye talking about how she’s going to miss having us around … it makes me a little bit emotional.
I’ve always been scared to death of Webby (Karrie Webb). The last person you want to piss off is Webby. You don’t want to try and reach a par 5 in two and she’s on the green in the group ahead of you. You know you’re in trouble, but more in a fun way. Not really intimidated.
I always looked up to the generation above us. Annika was like half a generation older than me. I feel like when I look back, I was very fortunate to compete against Rosie Jones, Michele Redman, Juli Inkster, Meg Mallon, Beth Daniel. Now it’s a different group of girls on tour, and I’ve kind of been a part of a few changes in generations that have played on the LPGA lately.
What drives me now? I’m involved with a lot of different projects. I only do things that I feel like are really challenging and fun. But I haven’t really been in a position where I felt that adrenaline, the way you feel on the first tee. I don’t know if I’m going to find something that will give me the same kind of drive.
Europe’s Suzann Pettersen celebrates after Europe beat the U.S to win the Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle in Dunsany near Dublin, on September 25, 2011. Europe won the tournament 15-13.
I did go on a hike last week, climbing. I have to say I haven’t been that focused since that last putt. I was so mentally tired after climbing because I’m scared of heights and I had to work so hard on myself mentally. I couldn’t look down once. I was just looking up and ahead. I was so drained finishing that climb. I like to challenge myself. I like to break new barriers or new things that I’m not too comfortable doing and try to become better. I still have that drive.
We went from sea level and climbed to 1,200 meters. For the first part you walk about 500 meters, but it’s like literally walking up a ski slope. Most people stop before they start climbing because they get so physically tired from the walk. And then climbing, you are self-secured. We were recommended that it would take us four to five hours and we got up in two hours and 40 minutes. Obviously, I was trying to push it … I still have the competitive edge in me.
It happened to be that one putt that defined the entire Solheim in 2019. It could’ve easily been Bronte’s match behind me or Anna’s being the last of the single. It happened to be the 10th match between Marina (Alex) and myself. I was just happy to be right in the mix of it. But at the same time when I walked up to the 18th, I just remember telling myself you’re getting too old for this.
My first win at Kingsmill in 2007 was big for me. I’d just come off of Kraft Nabisco where I kind of was leading, I don’t know three shots with three holes to play, and I kind of fumbled coming down the stretch. I learned so much from that. I did such a good job analyzing and learning from the mistakes I made and within a few tournaments I was in the same situation and I managed to pull off the win.
Suzann Pettersen won the LPGA Lotte Championship presented by J Golf at the Ko Olina Golf Club in Kapolei, Hawaii.
I remember winning in Thailand when I went head-to-head with Laura Davies. Coming up 18, I eagled, and she birdied. I just remember that double fist-pump right in her face. Every time I see her she keeps reminding me of that double fist-pump right in her face.
I don’t know if I had too many regrets. I’ve obviously done my mistakes, but I feel like I’ve owned them, and I’ve learned from it and I think that’s the most important think you can take from doing what we do for a living. You’re not going to make perfect decisions or the perfect step every single day of your life. As long as you can kind of own whatever you decide to do and then learn from it … that’s what I’ve kind of come to peace with.
Lorena was a feisty competitor. When she was in the hunt, she most of the time got it done.
She was one of those players that when she stopped playing, I really missed having her around. As much as she was a great competitor, she was also a fun friend. She was probably a bit more relaxed than me tournament days, but early in the week we had a lot of fun. A lot of jokes back and forth. When we were paired together, we usually had bets going. We made it a more relaxed atmosphere.
I remember going head-to-head with her in Mexico one year. I think I was like 24 under par and she ended up being 26 under par, something like that. We were miles ahead of the next (person). We just got the best out of each other.
There’s a few things I‘ve come to realize. I really do miss the structure in my daily life. Because I was so determined and focused and I always knew what to do at what time. Obviously, my life is not quite like that anymore. I miss maybe the feel of the adrenaline, getting ready, getting geared up to play tournaments.
I don’t miss the hard work, the frustrating work, the hours where you feel like, oh god can I just jump this phase and get straight into where I really feel comfortable?
It’s been nice to not have to wake up with a guilty feeling of have you done enough? Are you not ready?
I miss the girls. I miss the caddies, the chit chat on the range, being in the mix of everything that’s going on. That part I miss. … I think once a competitor, always a competitor. I feel like I’ve grinded enough over my years.
Just thinking about (playing again) makes me nervous right now. It’s all about preparation. If you feel like your game is up for it, but that takes a lot of work and a lot of decision. As of now I’m not quite there. Who knows, I might play a pro-am or two, but if I’m going to turn up in a competition, not on my radar as of now.
I feel like I was a tough but fair competitor. Feisty. It’s kind of hard to say, but I probably opened a few doors to make younger girls, guys realize that it’s possible to be really good. It’s been fun to kind of see the generation growing and the new talents that are coming up. Ever since I kind of retired, Viktor Hovland has kind of taken over. I think Norway is really good hands when it comes to the interest in golf.
What is Herman up to? Everything and nothing. He’s literally nonstop 24/7, running around. I tried to get him to on the golf course, but he’s likes to kick the ball more than hit or swing. So far, he’s a very active little boy. Hard to pick what his actual interests are going to be but something with a ball I think.
He has my temperament, unfortunately. (laughs) No, he’s a very easy boy, a very easy child.
My ego is gone. It’s not like I walk around and think about it, but my priority is not on myself anymore. I think that’s quite natural when you have a child. It kind of feels good as well. I feel like I’ve been enough self-driven over the years that it’s very nice to now take care of your family, be a wife and be a mom. It’s been a blessing to be honest.
Now he’s turning 2 at the beginning of August. It’s starting to get really fun.
New mom Michelle Wie West has been named an assistant captain for the 2021 U.S. Solheim Cup team.
Michelle Wie West didn’t sit around waiting for a call. When she heard that Pat Hurst was going to be the 2021 Solheim Cup captain, Wie West texted her “Pod Mom” saying that she’d love to be an assistant captain.
Hurst didn’t give the nod right away, but Wie West got her wish.
“All the players love her,” said Hurst. “They respect her, and that’s what I need.”
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that Wie West was a mystery to most. When she competed on her first Solheim Cup team in 2009, it marked the first time players got to know the former phenom away from an entourage. They discovered that the “kid” could hang. And her passion shone through in a rousing 3-0-1 Cup debut.
Juli Inkster was so impressed that she predicted a Wie West victory on the LPGA before the year was out. Wie West proved her correct in November at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
Morgan Pressel (left) and Michelle Wie share a laugh during a team photo shoot prior to the 2013 Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club.
“I won my first LPGA tournament after I played in the Solheim,” said Wie West on a media conference call, “and I don’t know if I hadn’t had that experience if that was going to happen that year.”
Wie West, 30, gave birth to daughter Makenna on June 19 and has posted several pictures with her on the range in recent weeks. The five-time LPGA winner confirmed that she still wants to continue playing on the LPGA, even in 2020 if possible, but her return mostly comes down to safety.
“It just depends really on the state of the world more than the state of my game at this point, unfortunately,” she said.
A silver lining to the pandemic break is that husband Jonnie West, an executive with the Golden State Warriors, will be mostly be her side through the end of the year.
“One positive thing that happened, there was a scenario where if (the Warriors) went to Orlando in the bubble and I was home by myself,” said Wie West, “I was quarantined, my parents couldn’t come, I could have been a single mother for a couple months all by myself, and that was a scary thought.”
Her parents, Bo and B.J., are in town now and Wie West took full advantage, recently playing 18 holes for the first time in a long time.
“I had to pump after nine holes,” she said, laughing.
Practice time on the range looks a bit different too these days. Wie West said she hits two balls and then goes over to check on McKenna before returning to hit two more.
The dream of hoisting hoisting a trophy on the 18th along with Makenna fuels Wie West to keep competing. She wants what Tiger Woods enjoyed at Augusta National last year.
That being said, she’s now more impressed than ever by what LPGA moms who have come before her have accomplished, notably Suzann Pettersen at last year’s Solheim Cup in Scotland and Catriona Matthew winning the Women’s British Open 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daughter. Wie West marveled at the idea, noting that she’s barely hitting driver 220 yards now.
For two Solheim Cups, Wie West was in Hurst’s player pod and greatly benefited from her nurturing approach. Wie West hopes that she can help other players feel comfortable too, given that she’s likely experienced every emotion there is in her five Solheim Cup appearances.
Wie West joins Angela Stanford as an assistant on Hurst’s squad. The 2021 Solheim Cup will be contested Sept. 4-6 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Next week the LPGA restarts its season at Inverness at the new Drive On Championship where prominent Americans Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda and Stanford are among those in the field. Hurst won’t be onsite for the competition, however, as it’s closed to spectators.
LPGA star Angela Stanford was named assistant captain for the 2021 Solheim Cup by captain Pat Hurst.
Angela Stanford was hitting balls in her new at-home hitting bay when Pat Hurst called on April 21. Stanford went back and looked up the date recently because keeping a secret for that long isn’t easy to do.
At last, she can tell the world that she’ll be by Hurst’s side in the role of assistant captain at next year’s Solheim Cup.
“I told (Hurst) it was kind of between tears and total excitement,” Stanford told a group of reporters, “and it was so hard because when you’re in quarantine, I was bouncing off the walls the rest of the night and there was nobody there to enjoy that with me.”
Assistant captains play a more visible role in the pod system, which three-time captain Juli Inkster put in place for the 2015 campaign and Hurst will continue. Each assistant is assigned a pod of players based on personality, and back then, Stanford was actually in Hurst’s pod. Stanford played a vital role in Team USA’s memorable comeback that year, earning the winning point against Suzann Pettersen in Germany.
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“That morning when I walked out on the putting green,” said Stanford, “I remember looking at my caddie and saying, ‘Hey, this is my turn. This is it. Let’s go.’ It felt so good from start to finish, one of the best rounds I’ve ever played in my life … it’s a memory that’s hard to put into words. I kind of get chills just thinking about it.”
A member of six Solheim Cup teams, the 42-year-old Stanford has six career LPGA victories, including the 2018 Evian Championship. Hurst and Stanford paired together in the 2007 Solheim Cup, defeating Iben Tinning and Bettina Hauert, 4 and 2, in foursomes. Stanford said Hurst took her under her wing early on in her LPGA career.
“Angela and I are pretty similar in a lot of ways,” said Hurst. “We both have a passion for the game. We love the red, white and blue, playing for our country. Angela, even playing for TCU, she’s just the biggest supporter of them, and she’s that way with representing the United States. That’s the way I am and that’s the way she is. … She’s level – she’s determined. I wouldn’t say level-headed; let me rephrase that.
“She wants to win. That’s … I see that in me.”
When asked about being a playing assistant at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, next September, Stanford said she’s at peace with whatever happens.
“I’m still a professional golfer and I’m still going tee it up and try to win golf tournaments,” she said, “and whatever that means in 2021, that’s what that means.”
Pat Hurst represented the U.S. in five Solheim Cups (1998, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2007) and compiled a 10-7-3 record.
After three stints as assistant captain, Pat Hurst will step into the role of U.S. Solheim Cup captain for the 2021 contest at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, following in the footsteps of close friend Juli Inkster.
Hurst, a six-time winner on the LPGA, including the 1998 Nabisco Dinah Shore Invitational, competed on tour from 1995 to 2015. The mother of two currently works as an assistant coach at her alma mater, San Jose State.
In a letter posted on LPGA.com, the 50-year-old Hurst explained that she was in the car, waiting to a few errands with her husband, Jeff, when LPGA commissioner Mike Whan called and offered the job. Hurst said she might have stopped breathing for a bit while Whan talked.
“Deep down I hoped for that same opportunity,” said Hurst “A chance to take what I’d learned from Juli and put my personal touch on it.”
Hurst represented the U.S. in five Solheim Cups (1998, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2007) and compiled a 10-7-3 record.
She plans to continue using the pod system that Inkster adapted from Paul Azinger’s 2008 Ryder Cup stint.
Pat Hurst, Wendy Ward, Julie Inkster and Nancy Lopez at the start of the Opening Ceremony for the 2017 Solheim Cup at Des Moines Golf and Country Club. Photo by Thomas J. Russo/USA TODAY Sports
Hurst wrote that Inkster was the first person she called after getting off the phone with Whan. Inkster captained the U.S. to victories in 2015 and 2017 and came up short in a nail-biter last September in Scotland. Hurst told Golf Channel that Inkster would not be an assistant captain, wanting to give Hurst the chance to do it her own way.
“We’re two different people,” said Hurst, “but we’re also great friends who love and respect each other. I want to bring the best of what Juli brought and do it with my own personality. I think I’ve built a lot of trust with the players. I’ll have my own assistant captains and we will make sure players know that we’re there for them. We’ll take care of the details. We want them to go out, play, have fun and make birdies.”
On the European side, Catriona Matthew will return as captain after her triumphant run back home at Gleneagles.
