The top golfers from the LPGA Tour meet the best of Europe this week in Des Moines at the Solheim Cup. Both teams got another practice round in today. Juli Inkster returns as the captain of the United States squad after leading the Americans to come from behind win on the final day in Germany in 2015.
“It’s a whole new year and a different team”, said Inkster. “Those are great memories and they are memories I will never forget and memories I am sure my team will never forget but we are focused on this year.”
Record crowds are expected for the event at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club.
“It is an amazing community and a great state”, added Inkster. “I have met a lot of super people and the community here is on point.”
European Captain Annika Sörenstam announced today that Catriona Matthew will replace the injured Suzann Pettersen. Sorenstam chose Matthew as her alternate when she selected her team following the conclusion of the Ricoh Women’s British Open and informed the United States team as required by the captains’ agreement.
Pettersen, an eight-time Solheim Cup participant, qualified to make her ninth appearance for the European team through the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. She arrived in Des Moines on Monday evening after receiving treatment for a recurrent slipped disc injury which occurred in Norway over the weekend. Despite receiving further treatment from the team osteopath on site, she withdrew Wednesday morning due to experiencing persistent pain.
This will be Matthew’s ninth Solheim Cup appearance. She has earned 19 points from 33 matches, played from 1998-2015 and was a member of three winning teams in 2003, 2011 and 2013.
She famously holed the winning putt in The 2003 Solheim Cup at Barsebäck Golf and Country Club in Sweden and secured the half point to win the Cup outright to seal Europe’s first away victory at Colorado Golf Club in 2013.