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The 2013 RICOH Women’s British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, will be the final chance for American and European players to earn points for the 2013 Solheim Cup, as two years of battling for a dream will come true for 24 of the world’s best golfers.
The fourth of five majors in the LPGA’s 2013 season, the RICOH Women’s British Open is slated for August 1-4, and will serve as the cutoff for players to earn Solheim Cup points. U.S. Captain Meg Mallon and European Captain Liselotte Neumann will be on-hand in Scotland to announce their captain’s picks at the conclusion of the 72-hole tournament once the points are finalized.
St. Andrews will be a fitting location for the finalization of both 12-member teams that will converge on Colorado Golf Club Aug. 13-18 for the 13th staging of the Solheim Cup. St. Andrews has a rich British Open Championship history and was the site of LPGA Tour and World Golf Hall of Famer Lorena Ochoa’s first major triumph in 2007.
“It’s one of my favorite places to play on the planet,” Mallon said of St. Andrews. “Seeing the tournament finish there and having the teams finalized there will be very special. It’s going to be an intense hour or so around the finish of the tournament.”
Neumann is equally thrilled to have such a prestigious site to announce her European team. “It is great and very fitting that I will announce the European Solheim Cup Team at St. Andrews, the Home of Golf, after the completion of the Ricoh Women’s British Open,” Neumann said.
Players earn points for top-20 finishes at official LPGA Tour events, and only U.S.-born players are eligible for the U.S. team. U.S. players began earning points for the 2013 Solheim Cup at the 2011 CN Canadian Women’s Open, and all players will earn 1.5 times the points in 2013, with points doubled at majors.
The top eight players in the U.S. Solheim Cup standings will automatically qualify for the team, two more will qualify based on their position in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, and Mallon will select the final two team members. On the European side, points have been available since the 2011 Lacoste Ladies Open de France. Four players will qualify through the European Solheim Cup points, four more through their Rolex ranking and the final four will be captain’s picks.
About the Solheim Cup
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The Solheim Cup combines the tradition and prestige of the game of golf with passion for one’s country. This biennial, trans-Atlantic team match-play competition features the best U.S.-born players from the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour and the best European members from the Ladies European Tour (LET). The Solheim Cup is named in honor of Karsten Solheim, the founder of Karsten Manufacturing Corporation, which makes PING golf equipment. In 1990, the Solheim family, in conjunction with the LPGA and the LET, developed the concept and became the title sponsor for The Solheim Cup, professional golf’s international match-play competition for women. Held every two years, the event has grown into the most prestigious international women’s professional golf team event. The Solheim Cup is the most highlycoveted trophy in women’s professional golf team competition; some of the most memorable moments in the sport have happened during one of The Solheim Cups, and berths on the U.S. and European teams are highly sought after by players from both organizations.
The 2013 Solheim Cup will take place Aug. 13-18 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo. The European Team enters the competition holding the Cup and will need 14 points to retain it, with the U.S. Team needing 14½ points to regain the coveted Waterford Crystal prize. The U.S. squad holds an 8-4 lead in the series, which began in 1990, and is undefeated (6-0) on U.S. soil. Meg Mallon is captain of the U.S. Team, with Sweden’s Liselotte Neumann leading the European squad. In addition to founding sponsor PING, Rolex also serves as a Global Partner of the Solheim Cup.
For more information about The Solheim Cup and updated standings for each team, log on to www.solheimcup.com, www.lpga.com and ladieseuropeantour.com.
