Victorious Solheim Cup team skipper Alison Nicholas MBE will captain the 2017 European PING Junior Solheim Cup team, appointed by the Ladies European Tour and PING.
Nicholas, who counts the 1997 US Women’s Open amongst her 16 international career titles, including 12 on the Ladies European Tour and four on the LPGA, was a six-time Solheim Cup player and two-time captain, who led the European team to victory at Killeen Castle in Ireland in 2011.
“It was a great phone call and it will be fantastic to be involved with the juniors,” said Nicholas, after receiving the news during the inaugural Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi, where she is commentating on the live international television coverage.
“It was a real honour and privilege to be asked. It will be exciting to see the future of ladies’ golf and work alongside the juniors and I’m honoured to work with the Solheim family again. I went along to the 2013 match and it was fun to see such talent and I think the tournament is an important part of the players’ progress. PING want to help young people progress in the game. The players will build great friendships, have a fantastic experience and learn about being part of a team.
“From my own perspective, it will be great to help the juniors and pass on as much advice as I can. I hope to motivate the girls who will be part of the Ladies European Tour in the future and that’s really exciting. I’ll be able to use anecdotes from The 2011 Solheim Cup in Ireland and talk to the players about enjoying themselves and being positive and concentrating on their match. I’ll be able to give illustrations from other players and how they’ve coped with pressure during the game. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to be involved.”
The Solheim Cup, the most prestigious team event in women’s professional golf is named in honour of the company’s founder, Karsten Solheim, and his family. Played biennially, the teams feature the top European-born players from the Ladies European Tour and the top American-born players from the LPGA.
The 2017 PING Junior Solheim Cup will be hosted at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa, August 15-16, 2017 and is the ninth playing of the event. The United States leads the all-time series 5-2-1.
PING Junior Solheim Cup www.solheimcupeurope.com