The American Junior Golf Association mourns the death of Louise Solheim, who passed away in Phoenix, Arizona, at the age of 99.
Louise, wife of the late PING Founder Karsten Solheim, helped her husband build the company into one of the most successful golf equipment brands in the game, including naming the famous Anser putter. She was also involved in the founding of the Solheim Cup, the biennial women’s team competition between the United States and Europe, set to take place for the 15th time in August.
“Louise Solheim was a tremendous ambassador of women’s golf and of junior golf,” said AJGA Executive Director Stephen Hamblin. “It was a thrill to see her share stories with all the girls at the PING Junior Solheim Cup year after year.”
Louise was an Honorary Chairman of the PING Junior Solheim Cup, a biennial tournament modeled after the Solheim Cup, featuring the 12 best female junior golfers (ages 12-19) from the United States against the 12 best junior girls from Europe. She attended each year from the event’s inception in 2002 through 2013, the last time the Cup was held in the United States.
Among numerous other honors, Louise has been recognized with the LPGA Commissioner’s Award (1994), the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame (2004), and is an honorary member of the LPGA (2005) and Ladies European Tour (2011).