Junior Solheim Cup qualification system announced

The qualification criteria for the 2013 European Ping Junior Solheim Cup team has been revealed

Ping has announced the qualification system that will be used to determine the make-up of the 2013 European Ping Junior Solheim Cup team.

The Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship is one of six leading European amateur tournaments to be included on the qualification rota, with the top six girls on the official points list automatically qualifying to take on their American counterparts at The Inverness Golf Club in Denver, Colorado, from August 13-14 next year.

The six qualifiers will be supplemented by six captain's picks as the European team bid to win the trophy back from the Americans, who retained the cup after a 12-12 tie in Ireland last year.

The process starts at the Spanish International Ladies' Amateur Championship and finishes - after events in France, Germany, England and Sweden - at the European Ladies' Team Championship in Yorkshire.

All 12 members of the European team must be between 12-18 years of age. Those turning 18 prior to the start of 2013 are ineligible.

"We are very confident the new criteria for the selection of the 2013 European Ping Junior Solheim Cup Team will provide an extremely talented group of young women," said John Solheim, Chairman and CEO of Ping.

The 2013 Ping Junior Solheim Cup will be operated by the American Junior Golf Association, with assistance from the Ladies European Tour and the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

Three-time Solhein Cup player Janice Moodie will captain the European side, while Kathy Whitworth, captain of the first two US Solheim Cup teams, will lead the Americans. Loota Neumann, last year's captain, will lead the senior European Solheim Cup team two days later, 20 minutes down the road at Colorado Country Club.

 

Nick Bonfield
Content Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, commissioning and feature writing. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x