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.
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.
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