Alice Miller and Blair Thompson look to lead Team USA to fifth consecutive victory at Des Moines Golf and Country Club.
BRASELTON, Ga. — The American Junior Golf Association announced Blair Thompson, AJGA tournament director, has been named Assistant Captain for the 2017 U.S. PING Junior Solheim Cup team led by LPGA legend Alice Miller.
Thompson graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She is in her seventh year with the AJGA, and has served in a similar capacity as the Wyndham Cup West Team Assistant Captain from 2014-2017.
“There are so many things I’m looking forward to about the PING Junior Solheim Cup,” Thompson said. “I am most excited about the chance to work with the talented U.S. Team we have assembled to keep the cup on American soil.”
Modeled after the Solheim Cup, the PING Junior Solheim Cup biennially features the 12 best female junior golfers (ages 12-19) from the United States against the 12 best junior girls from Europe. The team match play event includes: foursomes, four-ball and singles matches played over two days and rotates between U.S. and European host sites coinciding with the Solheim Cup.
The United States leads the all-time PING Junior Solheim Cup series 5-2-1. In 2015, the United States was the first team to win on- foreign soil, earning its fifth win in history, 13-11, at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club in Heidelberg, Germany.
The ninth edition of the event will be hosted at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa, August 14-16, 2017.
About the PING Junior Solheim Cup
The PING Junior Solheim Cup is owned by PING and will be operated by the American Junior Golf Association with assistance from the Ladies Professional Golf Association and the Ladies European Tour.
Founded by Karsten and Louise Solheim, the Karsten Manufacturing Corporation is a long-time sponsor of the LPGA and AJGA. As the makers of PING golf equipment, the Solheim family continues to ensure the same superior workmanship today that they built into their original clubs more than 50 years ago. Now under the direction of John Solheim, Karsten and Louise’s youngest son, the company continues in its efforts to manufacture the highest quality golf equipment. The PING name is known world over. Besides its presence in the United States, PING markets custom-fit and custom-built equipment to more than 70 countries.
About PING
The tournament owner and title partner, PING, designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of golf equipment including metal woods, irons, putters and golf bags. The family-owned company was founded in 1959 by the late Karsten Solheim. Solheim is the only person to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a golf club manufacturer. Today, the Phoenix-based company is under the direction of Solheim's youngest son, John A. Solheim. PING game-improvement products can be found in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit ping.com.
About the AJGA
The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. The AJGA provides valuable exposure for college golf scholarships, and has an annual junior membership (boys and girls, ages 12-19) of more than 6,600 members from 50 states and 55 foreign countries. Through initiatives like the Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant, a financial assistance program, and Leadership Links, a service-oriented platform that teaches juniors charitable-giving skills, the AJGA fosters the growth of golf’s next generation.
AJGA alumni have risen to the top of amateur, collegiate and professional golf. Former AJGA juniors have compiled more than 600 victories on the PGA and LPGA Tours. AJGA alumni include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Sergio Garcia, Hunter Mahan, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Zach Johnson, Justin Thomas, Stacy Lewis, Ariya Jutanugarn , Alison Lee, Lexi Thompson, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Cristie Kerr and Morgan Pressel.