European Captain Annika Sörenstam has named her 12-woman team for The Solheim Cup, which will take place at Des Moines Golf & Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa, in a fortnight, on Aug. 18-20.
After the final qualification event, the Ricoh Women’s British Open at Kingsbarns Golf Links, Annika named Anna Nordqvist, Caroline Masson, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Madelene Sagstrom as her four selections.
They joined four players who qualified from the Ladies European Tour points list: Georgia Hall, Florentyna Parker, Mel Reid and Jodi Ewart Shadoff; as well as four players who qualified through the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings: Carlota Ciganda, Suzann Pettersen, Charley Hull and Karine Icher.
Sörenstam said: “The past 18 months has been an incredible journey. We have put in a lot of preparation and now that the team is finalised, we can focus on the event. I am excited about our team. We have a nice mix of veterans and fresh young talent and look forward to the challenge ahead and the memories we will build together.
Speaking about the reasons for her picks, she said of Nordqvist, who will make her fifth appearance for the European team: “She is Europe’s highest ranked player, but due to a recent bout with mono, she wasn’t able to play the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open, which she needed in order to have the minimum six events to qualify via the LET Solheim Cup points or Rolex World Rankings. However, with her skills and record, she is a no-brainer pick.
Outlining her reasons for selecting Caroline Masson, who will make a third appearance for Europe, she commented: “She won last year and is coming into good form. She played well the last two weeks and is a two-time Solheim Cup participant and part of Europe’s winning team in Colorado in 2013.”
On Madelene Sagstrom, who will also be a rookie on the European team, she commented: “Another upcoming talent. She had a lot of success on the Symetra Tour last year, earning a battlefield promotion to the LPGA. She has had several top-10 finishes on the LPGA this year. A lot of players want to play with her. She will be a great addition to the team.”
Commenting on Emily Kristine Pedersen, who will be a rookie on the European team, she said: “She is a young upcoming Scandinavian player from Denmark. I know she missed the cut this week, but her recent performances on the LPGA have been impressive. She is an aggressive long hitter, but has also shown a lot of consistency this year. I think she is ready and she will do well on the team.”
The European team has four Solheim Cup rookies (below) and eight returning players who have a combined total of 23 Solheim Cup appearances between them.
The European team:
Georgia Hall – England
Florentyna Parker – England
Mel Reid – England
Jodi Ewart Shadoff – England
Carlota Ciganda – Spain
Suzann Pettersen – Norway
Charley Hull – England
Karine Icher – France
Anna Nordqvist – Sweden
Caroline Masson – Germany
Emily Kristine Pedersen – Denmark
Madelene Sagstrom – Sweden
Player Information:
Georgia Hall
Country: England
Age: 21
Turned Pro: 2014
Tournament Victories: 0
Best finish: 2nd in the 2016 Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi
Rolex Ranking: 85
Solheim Cup Record: Debut
PING Junior Solheim Cup: 2013
Florentyna Parker
Country: England
Age: 28
Turned Pro: 2009
Tournament Victories: 3
Rolex Ranking: 103
Solheim Cup Record: Debut
PING Junior Solheim Cup: 2005, 2007
Melissa Reid
Country: England
Age: 29
Turned Pro: 2007
Tournament Victories: 6
Rolex Ranking: 107
Solheim Cup Record
Years Played: (2) 2011 (winners), 2015
Played 8, Won 4, Lost 3, Halved 1, Points 4 ½ (56.25%)
Series Record
Singles: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 3, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 1
PING Junior Solheim Cup: 2005
Carlota Ciganda
Country: Spain
Age: 27
Turned Pro: 2011
Ladies European Tour (LET) Victories: 3
LPGA Victories: 2
Rolex Ranking: 20
Solheim Cup Record
Years Played: (2) 2013 (winners), 2015
Played 7, Won 4, Lost 1, Halved 2, Points 5 (71.43%)
Series Record
Singles: Played 2, Won 1, Halved 1
Foursomes: Played 1, Won 1
Fourballs: Played 4, Won 2, Lost 1, Halved 1
PING Junior Solheim Cup: 2005, 2007
Suzann Pettersen
Country: Norway
Age: 36
Turned Pro: 2000
Ladies European Tour (LET) Victories: 7
LPGA Victories: 15
Note: the 2013 Evian Championship is sanctioned by both tours
Majors: 2
Rolex Ranking: 23
Solheim Cup Record
Years Played: (8) 2002, 2003 (winners), 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 (winners), 2013 (winners), 2015
Played 33, Won 16, Lost 11, Halved 6, Points 19 (57.58%)
Series Record
Singles: Played 8, Won 1, Lost 4, Halved 3
Foursomes: Played 14, Won 7, Lost 5, Halved 2
Fourballs: Played 11, Won 8, Lost 2, Halved 1
Charley Hull
Country: England
Age: 21
Turned Pro: 2013
Ladies European Tour (LET) Victories: 1
LPGA Victories: 1
Rolex Ranking: 27
Solheim Cup Record
Years Played: (2) 2013 (winners), 2015
Played 8, Won 6, Lost 2, Halved 0, Points 6 (75%)
Series Record
Singles: Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 2, Won 2
Fourballs: Played 4, Won 3, Lost 1, Halved 0
PING Junior Solheim Cup: 2011
Karine Icher
Country: France
Age: 38
Turned Pro: 2000
Ladies European Tour (LET) Victories: 5
Rolex Ranking: 40
Solheim Cup Record
Years Played: (3) 2002 and 2013 (winners), 2015
Played 10, Won 5, Lost 4, Halved 1, Points 5 ½ (55%)
Series Record
Singles: Played 3, Won 1, Lost 1, Halved 1
Foursomes: Played 3, Won 1, Lost 2, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 4, Won 3, Lost 1, Halved 0
Jodi Ewart Shadoff
Country: England
Age: 29
Turned Pro: 2010
Tournament Victories: 0
Best finish: T3rd in the 2013 Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning & O-I
Rolex Ranking: 51
Solheim Cup Record
Years Played: (1) 2013 (winners)
Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Halved 0, Points 2 (66.67%)
Series Record
Singles: Played 1, Won 1, Lost 0, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 1, Won 0, Lost 1, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 1, Won 1, Lost 0, Halved 0
Anna Nordqvist
Country: Sweden
Age: 30
Turned Pro: 2009
Ladies European Tour (LET) Victories: 2
LPGA Victories: 7
Majors: 1
Rolex Ranking: 12
Solheim Cup Record
Years Played: (4): 2009, 2011 (winners), 2013 (winners) and 2015
Played 16, Won 8, Lost 7, Halved 1, Points 8 ½ (53.13%)
Series Record
Singles: Played 4, Won 1, Lost 2, Halved 1
Foursomes: Played 8, Won 4, Lost 4, Halved 0
Fourballs: Played 4, Won 3, Lost 1, Halved 0
PING Junior Solheim Cup: 2005
Caroline Masson
Country: Germany
Age: 28
Turned Pro: 2010
Ladies European Tour (LET) Victories: 1
LPGA Victories: 1
Rolex Ranking: 64
Solheim Cup Record
Years Played: (2) 2013 (winners) and 2015
Played 7, Won 2, Lost 3, Halved 2, Points 2 ½ (42.86%)
Series Record
Singles: Played 2, Won 0, Lost 2, Halved 0
Foursomes: Played 1, Won 0, Lost 0, Halved 1
Fourballs: Played 4, Won 2, Lost 1, Halved 1
PING Junior Solheim Cup: 2005, 2007
Emily Kristine Pedersen
Country: Denmark
Age: 21
Turned Pro: 2015
Ladies European Tour (LET) Victories: 1
Rolex Ranking: 113
Solheim Cup Record: Debut
PING Junior Solheim Cup: 2013
Madelene Sagstrom
Country: Sweden
Age: 24
Turned Pro: 2015
Symetra Tour Victories: 3
Rolex Ranking: 69
Solheim Cup Record: Debut
