Liselotte Neumann - Captain of European Team

Solheim Cup: Six appearances
Record: 6-10-5

In 12 playings of the biennial Solheim Cup, Team Europe has never successfully defended any of its four titles. Captain Liselotte Neumann will have a chance to change that this week in Colorado.

Neumann, a veteran of six-consecutive Solheim Cups from the inaugural event in 1990 to 2000, leads 12 of Europe’s best golfers to Colorado Golf Club, where they not only will attempt to become the first European squad to defend its title following victory in 2011 at Kileen Castle in Ireland, but also the first to win on American soil.

Neumann has tasted victory before at the Solheim Cup- in 1992 and 2000. She fashioned a 2-0-1 record in the 1992 event at Dalmahoy Country Club in Scotland, winning a singles match against U.S. legend Betsy King down the stretch to help secure an 11 ½ -to-6 ½ European victory, its first ever in the fledging matches.

More recently, however, Neumann has gained valuable experience in captaincy roles. She served as assistant captain in the 2009 Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill., and she captained the 2011 PING European Junior Solheim Cup Team, which tied the American squad at Knightsbrook Hotel Spa & Golf Resort in Trim, County Meath, Ireland.

Behind Neumann’s solid resume at the Solheim Cup lies an outstanding individual career as well, with 13 LPGA Tour victories and 11 titles on the Ladies European Tour. In addition to her victory at the 1994 Women’s British Open (which, at the time was not considered an LPGA major), her most significant triumph came at the 1988 U.S. Women’s Open Championship, when she beat Patty Sheehan by three strokes at Baltimore (Md.) Country Club. The win elevated Neumann to hero status in her native Sweden, inspiring a generation of young Swedish stars, including Helen Alfredsson and Sophie Gustafson.

Two other golfers also counted Neumann as early influences in their careers- Annika Sorenstam and Carin Koch. Both players will be by Neumann’s side this week in Colorado as European vice captains, as the squad looks to accomplish what Europe has never been able to do before- retain the Waterford crystal trophy.

Assistant Captains

Annika Sorenstam

Solheim Cup Teams: 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007
Record: 22-11-4

A 20-year friend of Europe captain and fellow Swede, Liselotte Neumann, Sorenstam served as vice captain at the 2011 Solheim Cup, helping Europe to a 15-to-13 victory over the United States at Kileen Castle. One of the greatest female golfers of all time, Sorenstam competed in eight Solheim Cups from 1994 to 2007. Her 24 total points is second to only Laura Davies in the Solheim Cup record books. Before she retired from competitive golf in 2008, Sorenstam won 10 major championships, eight LPGA Player of the Year awards and six Vare Trophies for lowest scoring average.

Carin Koch

Solheim Cup Teams: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005
Record: 10-3-3

Rounding out an all-Swedish captaincy for the European team, Koch brings a rock-solid record to lean on in her first-ever role as assistant captain at the Solheim Cup. She has played in four editions of the event, compiling a 1-3-3 record and losing nary a match in her first two visits in 2000 and 2002. Koch will forever be linked with one of the great moments in Solheim Cup history, holing the winning putt in the dark for Europe as a rookie in her singles match against Michele Redman in 2000.

Team Members

Suzann Pettersen

European Team Selection: Solheim Cup Points List: 197 points
Solheim Cup Teams: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011
Record: 12-8-5

She has 16 career victories on the LPGA and Ladies European Tours and has been as high as No. 2 in the Rolex World Rankings. She enjoyed a sensational season in 2007, a season in which she won five times. She has been inside the top-10 of the world rankings since 2007 and has finished in the top- 10 at major championship 13 times.

Pettersen has two world-wide victories so far in 2013 at the Mission Hills World Ladies Championship (LET) and the LPGA LOTTE Championship. She will be making her seventh Solheim Cup appearance and ties Catriona Matthew for most appearances made by current European Team members.

Catriona Matthew

European Team Selection: Solheim Cup Points List: 150.75 points
Solheim Cup Teams: 1998, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011
Record: 12-7-6

She has four career wins on the LPGA Tour and five in Europe, including the 2009 RICOH Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. She has 16 career top-10s in major championships, including a runner-up finish in a playoff at this year’s LPGA Championship to Inbee Park, the world’s No. 1 player. Matthew has won her last five Solheim Cup singles matches, tying the record set by Juli Inkster between 2000 and 2007.

The former Scottish and British Women’s Amateur champion was a member of three Great Britain & Ireland Curtis Cup teams (1990, 1992 and 1994). Matthew will be making her seventh Solheim Cup appearance and ties Suzann Pettersen for most appearances made by current European Team members.

Carlota Ciganda

European Team Selection: Solheim Cup Points List: 138 points
Solheim Cup Teams: First appearance

She enjoyed a breakout season in 2012, winning twice and finishing first on the Ladies European Tour’s Order of Merit, which helped secure Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors. Her 2012 victories came at the Deloitte Ladies Open and then a seven-stroke margin at the China Suzhou Taihu Open. Ciganda won earlier this season at the UniCredit Ladies German Open.

As an amateur, she was a finalist at the British Ladies Amateur twice in a three-year span, winning in 2007 and finishing as runner-up in 2009.

Caroline Masson

European Team Selection: Solheim Cup Points List: 125.5 points
Solheim Cup Teams: First appearance

A third-year pro, Masson qualified for her first Solheim Cup by finishing fourth in the European points race. In 2012, she won for the first time on the Ladies European Tour at the South Africa Women’s Open and had an impressive four runner-up showings. She finished second behind Carlota Ciganda on the Order of Merit that year and has continued her fine play into 2013, collecting a third-place showing at the ISPS Handa Ladies European Masters.

A member of the German National Team as an amateur, Masson won the Spanish Ladies Open Amateur Championship in 2008.

Beatriz Recari

European Team Selection: Rolex Rankings No. 20
Solheim Cup Teams: First appearance

Recari had a great amateur career, winning the Spanish (2004) and French (2005) amateurs and finishing runner-up at the 2003 British Girls Amateur. Her first professional win came when she holed out from 176 yards for an eagle on the first hole of a sudden death playoff to the 2009 Finnair Masters.

Recari has three victories on the LPGA Tour including two in 2013, beating I.K. Kim in a playoff at the Kia Classic in March and edging Paula Creamer by a stroke at the Marathon Classic Presented by Owens Corning and O-I at the end of July. She made all 27 cuts during the 2012 season.

Anna Nordqvist

European Team Selection: Rolex Rankings No. 22
Solheim Cup Teams: 2009, 2011
Record: 4-4-0

A two-time All-American at Arizona State University, she turned professional in 2008. In her fifth start, she won the LPGA Championship, and five months after that, she posted a 54-hole score of 13-under-par 203 and won the LPGA Tour Championship. Those two victories were instrumental in helping her win Ladies European Tour Rookie of the Year honors.

Before Nordqvist turned professional, she was Swedish Junior Player of the Year in consecutive years (2004, 2005), Swedish Amateur of the Year (2005) and the British Girls Amateur champion (2005). She will be making her third Solheim Cup appearance this week.

Karine Icher

European Team Selection: Rolex Rankings No. 24
Solheim Cup Teams: 2002
Record: 1-2-0

A seasoned veteran on the Ladies European Tour, Icher is making her second appearance at the Solheim Cup, qualifying via the Rolex Rankings. She played in 2002, going 1-2-0 during Team Europe’s loss to the U.S. at Interlachen Country Club.

As an amateur, Icher was a member of the 1999 European Team champions and the 2000 World Team champions. She has won five times on the LET since turning professional in 2000. Icher had a strong showing heading into the Solheim Cup, finishing tied for 22nd at the RICOH Women’s British Open.

Azahara Munoz

European Team Selection: Rolex Rankings No. 27
Solheim Cup Teams: 2011
Record: 2-1-1

As an amateur, she won the 2009 British Women’s Amateur and captured low individual honors at the 2008 Women’s NCAA Championship while competing for Arizona State University. In her professional debut in 2009, playing in the Ladies European Tour’s Madrid Ladies Masters on a sponsor’s exemption, she closed with a 64 and then won on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

She was the LPGA’s 2010 Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year. Her initial victory came at the 2012 Sybase Match Play Championship, where she defeated Candie Kung in the final match, 2 and 1.

Caroline Hedwall

European Team Selection: Captain’s Pick
Solheim Cup Teams: 2011
Record: 2-1-1

A Captain’s pick for this year’s team, Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall was a member of the victorious European squad as a rookie in the 2011 Solheim Cup and won a crucial half point in the Sunday singles matches that helped secure a 15-13 victory at Kileen Castle in County Meath, Ireland.

The winner of the 2007 and 2008 European Amateur Championship, the 24-year old has made her presence felt already in the professional game, winning five times since 2011. She was the LET’s Rookie of the Year in 2011, collecting four of those victories and finishing third on the Order of Merit.

Jodi Ewart Shadoff

European Team Selection: Captain’s Pick
Solheim Cup Teams: First appearance

A Solheim Cup rookie, Ewart Shadoff has been competing on the LPGA Tour this year, and she has had some strong performances, including a tie for fourth at the U.S. Women’s Open and a tie for seventh at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

The 24-year old had an impressive amateur career, as well, winning the English Amateur Championship in 2008 and 2009 and collecting five collegiate victories at the University of New Mexico, where she was two-time NCAA All-American. In 2012, Ewart Shadoff also won the LET Qualifying School.

Guilia Sergas

European Team Selection: Captain’s Pick
Solheim Cup Teams: First appearance

Making her debut at the Solheim Cup as a Captain’s selection, the Italian has racked up four top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour this year, including a tie for seventh at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and a tie for fourth at the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup.

Winless as a pro, Sergas has had several close calls in majors, including a T11 at the 2009 Women’s British Open and a tie for sixth at the 2008 U.S. Women’s Open. The winner of the 1998 European Amateur Championship, she was the Rookie of the Year two years later on the Ladies European Tour.

Charley Hull

European Team Selection: Captain’s Pick
Solheim Cup Teams: First appearance

At 17 years, 4 months and 15 days of age, Hull became the youngest player in Solheim Cup history when she was selected as a Captain’s pick on August 4th. Competing in her first year as a professional on the Ladies European Tour, she is quickly turning heads- Hull has four runner-up showings in only eight events.

In 2012, she posted a T20 finish at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Hull won a number of prestigious amateur events earlier in her career, as well, including the Welsh Open Stroke Play and the Doherty Championship and the Harder Hall Invitational in Florida.

Solheim Cup: Meet Team Europe

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