Both sides set for PING Junior Solheim Cup

Now that both teams have been finalized, the Americans and Europeans are ready to compete in the 2011 PING Junior Solheim Cup, which is set for Sept. 20-21 at Knightsbrook Hotel Spa & Golf Resort in Trim, Co. Meath, Ireland.

 

Modeled after the LPGA’s Solheim Cup, this two-day match play event pits the top 12 female juniors from the U.S. against their 12 European counterparts. The U.S. leads the series 3-2-0, and the team hosting the event has won the PING Junior Solheim Cup in all five instances.

 

Leona and Lisa Maguire, 16-year-old twins from Ireland, were two of the six automatic qualifiers for Team Europe and return to the roster after competing in the 2009 PING Junior Solheim Cup. Céline Boutier also secured an automatic bid with a resume that includes a win at the AJGA’s ANNIKA Invitational in January.

 

Also earning automatic invitations were Manon Gidali, Emilie Alonso and Margaux Vanmol, who most recently won the Girls’ British Amateur.

 

Among the 12 members of the 2011 U.S. Team, Alison Lee is the sole returnee from the winning squad at the 2009 event staged at Aurora Country Club in Aurora, Ill.

 

Also highlighting the American roster is Karen Chung, who was the victor at the 2011 Thunderbird International Junior and is a three-time Wyndham Cup participant. Making their first appearances will be Jaye Marie Green, the reigning Polo Golf Junior Classic champion, and Gabriella Then, who is the latest victor at the Rolex Tournament of Champions.

 

Past PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team members include Paula Creamer (nine-time LPGA Tour champion and winner of the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open), Brittany Lincicome (champion at the 2007 Ginn OPEN and 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship) and Morgan Pressel (champion of the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship). Creamer was the first player to make the move from the PING Junior Solheim Cup to The Solheim Cup Team when she helped lead the U.S. to victory in 2005 with a 3-1-1 record.