Team USA Player profiles

Beth Daniel Beth Daniel was born in Charleston, S.C., and currently lives in Delray Beach, Fla. Her amateur career featured many honours, including the U.S. Women’s Amateur title in both 1975 and 1977. She joined the LPGA in 1979 and won her first tournament that same year. She has since collected 31 other LPGA victories, including a major championship win at the 1990 Mazda LPGA Championship. She has received seven LPGA awards: three Vare Trophies; three Rolex Player of the Year awards; and one Rolex Rookie of the Year award. Daniel, who entered the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame in February 1999, crossed the $6 million mark in career earnings in 2000. This season, Daniel has posted four top-10 finishes, including a second place at the McDonald’s LPGA Championship Presented by AIG. As a six-time U.S. Solheim Cup Team member, Daniel matches Meg Mallon as the two players on this year’s U.S. Team with the most Solheim Cup experience.

Solheim Cup Records Years Played: 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000 Total Points Scored 8-1/2

Dorothy Delasin Travelling alternate Dorothy Delasin was born in Lubbock, Texas, and currently lives in Albuquerque, N.M. Her impressive amateur career brought her the California Women’s Championship and the U.S. Junior Girls Championship titles in 1996. She capped off her amateur career with a win at the 1999 U.S. Women’s Amateur. Delasin’s win in 2000 in her LPGA rookie year made her the youngest player since Amy Alcott in 1975 to win an LPGA tournament. She also finished tied for 12th at the U.S. Women’s Open and earned Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year honors. In 2001, Delasin accumulated six top-10 finishes, including two more wins. Delasin’s stellar play has earned her more than $1 million in career earnings in less than three years on Tour. Rookie year: 2000 Total LPGA victories: 3 Majors won: 0

Laura Diaz Laura Diaz was born in Scotia, N.Y., and currently resides in Fernandina, Fla. She had a very successful amateur golf career, winning the 1995 North-South Amateur Championship and 1996 Eastern Championship. Diaz graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business from Wake Forest University, where she played collegiate golf and was the 1995 ACC Champion, a First-Team All-American in 1996 and Female Athlete of the Year in 1997. After turning professional in 1997, Diaz won three times on the Futures Tour and was named 1998 Rookie of the Year on the Women Professional Golfer’s European Tour (WPGET). She joined the LPGA Tour in 1999 and earned her first LPGA victory at the 2002 Welch’s/Circle K Championship and her second at the 2002 LPGA Corning Classic. Diaz’s 20 top-10 finishes in the last two seasons has made her the number-two U.S. Solheim Cup Team points leader and sixth on the LPGA 2002 Money List. This is Diaz’s first Solheim Cup appearance.

Pat Hurst Pat Hurst was born in San Leandro, Calif., and presently lives in Phoenix, Ariz. During her amateur career, she was the 1986 USGA Junior champion, 1989 U.S. Women’s Amateur medallist, 1990 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and a member of the U.S. World Amateur Team. Hurst competed for San Jose State University, where she won the 1989 NCAA individual title and was also a member of the championship team. She joined the LPGA in 1995 and scored her first LPGA career victory at the 1997 Oldsmobile Classic. She gave birth to her first child, Jackson, on June 18, 1999, and daughter, Reilly Ann, on Jan. 15, 2002. Hurst has three career victories, including one major, and crossed the $2 million mark in career earnings in 2000. As one of Patty Sheehan’s two captain’s picks, this is Hurst’s third consecutive Solheim Cup appearance.

Solheim Cup Record Years played: 1998, 2000

Juli Inkster, 42 Juli Inkster was born in Santa Cruz, Calif., and now lives in Los Altos, Calif. She was the first person, male or female, to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles and was a member of the 1982 Curtis Cup Team. Inkster attended San Jose State University prior to joining the LPGA Tour in 1983. She won the 1984 Rolex Rookie of the Year Award after winning three times, including two major championships. Inkster gave birth to her first daughter, Hayley, on Feb. 4, 1990, and her second daughter, Cori, on March 25, 1994. Inkster’s illustrious LPGA career has included 28 career victories, including seven major championships, which have earned her a place in the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame (inducted 2000). She is one of only five women to complete the LPGA Career Grand Slam. Her second U.S. Women’s Open victory this year at Prairie Dunes Country Club came 22 years after her first U.S. Women’s Amateur win at the very same course. Inkster ranks third on the LPGA

Solheim Cup Record Years played: 1992, 1998, 2000

Rosie Jones Rosie Jones was born in Santa Ana, Calif., and now lives in Atlanta, Ga. She enjoyed a successful amateur career while playing for Ohio State University. In 1981, she was an AIAW All-American, the third low amateur at the U.S. Women’s Open and semifinalist at both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and the Trans-National. Jones joined the LPGA in 1982 and captured her first victory at the 1987 Rail Charity Golf Classic. She now owns 12 LPGA tournament titles and more than $6 million in career earnings. Jones’ four top-10 finishes this season have boosted her to third on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team points list. This will be Jones’ fifth Solheim Cup appearance; she was a captain’s pick in 1998.

Solheim Cup Record Years played: 1990, 1996, 1998, 2000

Cristie Kerr Cristie Kerr was born in Miami, Fla., and currently resides in Twenty-nine Palms, Calif. Before joining the LPGA in 1997, she had an extremely successful amateur career, capturing several junior and amateur championships, including the Women’s Western Junior Championship, Women’s Western Amateur Championship and the Florida State Women’s Championship. In 1996, Kerr was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup Team and also won the South Atlantic Women’s Amateur title. She crossed the $1 million mark in LPGA career earnings in 2001 and earned her first LPGA victory in 2002 at the Longs Drugs Challenge. Kerr’s multiple top-10 finishes over the past two seasons have put her fifth in 2002 U.S. Solheim Cup points standings. This is Kerr’s first Solheim Cup competition.

Emilee Klein Emilee Klein was born in Santa Monica, California, and currently lives in Orlando, Florida. Her amateur career featured many accomplishments, including wins at the 1988 California Women’s Amateur Championship and 1991 U.S. Junior Girls Championship. In 1993, she was named Amateur of the Year and was the 1994 NCAA champion, as well as Golfweek’s Collegiate Player of the Year. Klein joined the LPGA in 1995 and won her first two tournaments, back-to-back, in 1996. She crossed the $2 million mark in career earnings in 2001 with her five-stroke win at the Michelob Light Classic. Her 13 top-10 finishes in 2001-02, including a clutch tie-for-fourth performance at the State Farm Classic, have helped her place ninth in the U.S. Solheim Cup points standings for 2002. This is Klein’s first Solheim Cup.

Kelli Kuehne Kelli Kuehne was born in Dallas, Texas, where she currently resides. During her amateur career, she became the only golfer in history to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and the British Women’s Amateur Championship in the same year (1996). She is also one of only two players in USGA history to have won the U.S. Junior Girls Championship (1994) and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship (1995) consecutively. Kuehne turned professional in 1996, joined the LPGA in 1998 and became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the 1999 LPGA Corning Classic. In 2001, she crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings and recorded five top-10 finishes. Thus far in 2002, Kuehne has had six top-10 finishes, securing a spot on the U.S. Team by finishing 10th in the points standings. This will be Kuehne’s first Solheim Cup; she missed qualifying for the 2000 U.S. Team by one point.

Meg Mallon Meg Mallon was born in Natick, Mass., and currently resides in Ocean Ridge, Fla. During her amateur career, she captured the 1983 Michigan Amateur Championship title, earned All-Conference honors in 1984-85 playing for Ohio State University and was the runner-up at the 1985 Big Ten Championship. She joined the LPGA in 1987 and became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the 1991 Oldsmobile LPGA Classic. Mallon has 14 LPGA victories, including three majors. In 2002, she surpassed the $6 million mark in career earnings, and with a win at the Bank of Montreal Canadian Women’s Open, secured a spot on her sixth U.S. Solheim Cup Team. Mallon is tied with Beth Daniel for the most Solheim Cup experience on the 2002 U.S. Team.

Solheim Cup Record Years played: 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000

Michele Redman Michele Redman was born in Zanesville, Ohio, and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minn. She played collegiate golf at Indiana University, where she won four collegiate tournaments, was twice named an All-American and four times earned All-Big Ten Conference honors. Redman graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public finance and management in 1988. She joined the LPGA in 1992, earning her first LPGA victory in 1997 and second in 2000. Redman crossed the $2 million mark in career earnings in 2001, and her multiple top-10 finishes since the 2000 Solheim Cup, including ties for second at this year’s Kellogg-Keebler Classic and Bank of Montreal Canadian Women’s Open, boosted her to a fourth-place position on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team points standings. The local favorite, this is Redman’s second Solheim Cup appearance. Solheim Cup Record Years played: 2000 Total Points Scored 0

Kelly Robbins Kelly Robbins was born in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., and presently resides there. During her amateur career, she was a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1988 and 1990. Throughout her collegiate golf career at the University of Tulsa, she won seven individual titles and was twice named a First-Team All-American. In 1991, she was honored as the NCAA Co-Player of the Year along with Annika Sorenstam. Robbins joined the LPGA in 1992 and became a Rolex First-Time Winner at the 1993 LPGA Corning Classic. Since then, she has accumulated eight more wins, including one major. Robbins crossed the $4 million mark in career earnings and made the cut in all 23 events in which she played in 2001. Dating back to the 2000 season, she has made 42 consecutive cuts, the longest current streak on Tour. The 2002 U.S. Solheim Cup is Robbins’ fifth consecutive appearance as a member of the U.S. Team, this time as one of Patty Sheehan’s two captain’s picks.

Solheim Cup Record Years played: 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000

Wendy Ward Wendy Ward was born in San Antonio, Texas, and just recently moved to Edwall, Wash. Her amateur career brought numerous championships and honors, including the 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship title. She played collegiate golf for Arizona State University, where her team was three-time NCAA Champion (1993-95). After graduating with a degree in business management, Ward joined the LPGA in 1996 and earned her first victory in 1997 at the Fieldcrest Cannon Classic, where she set the LPGA 54- and 72-hole scoring records (which have since been broken). Ward’s second win came at the Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open. In 2002, Ward carded a career-low 62 in the second round of the Wendy’s Championship for Children and won with a record-setting 54-hole winning total (21-under-par). This is Ward’s first Solheim Cup.