Inkster goes for experience in Solheim

The Solheim Cup is just three weeks away and Team USA captain, Juli Inkster, used her picks to add some experience to her rookie Solheim Cup line up last night.  This will be Stacy Lewis’ fifth Solheim Cup and Morgan Pressel’s sixth.  On a team which has five rookies and three players that have only competed in the USA her logic seems pretty clear.  After all heading to Gleneagles without some “veteran leadership” as Inkster described it would be a massive risk.

I'm a little teacup...

It appears that Inkster consulted with her team and they all agreed, both with the idea and also the personnel.  "It was kind of unanimous around the board," Inkster said. "That makes it easier for Stacy and Morgan, knowing that the team wanted them."

Lewis has never needed a captain’s pick before as she has always qualified outright.  Indeed, much of the reason she needs Inkster’s nod this time is because she missed several tournaments in 2018 whilst on maternity leave and her 2019 form has been pretty good, with three top-10 finishes.

Death stares and power stance all round ladies!

Pressel likewise has been performing pretty well in 2019, having four top-10 finishes and a very solid fourth place at the Women’s British Open.  She also has something to prove having missed out last time which should provide added motivation.  "It was a tremendous disappointment missing the Solheim Cup two years ago," Pressel said. "It was a realization of where I was with my game.”

The only thing that might have played on Inkster’s mind was that both players missed the cut at the CP Women’s Open over the weekend, a fact that must have made the difficult captain’s job even harder.

No power stance just WHITE jackets and shoes please!

With both teams now complete, here are the final line-up’s for what should be an epic battle:

Team Europe:

Celine Boutier (Rookie)

Carlota Ciganda

Georgia Hall

Caroline Hedwall

Charley Hull

Bronte Law (Rookie)

Caroline Masson

Azahara Munoz

Anna Nordqvist

Suzann Pettersen

Jodi Ewart Shadoff

Anne Van Dam (Rookie)

Captain: Catriona Matthew

Team USA:

Marina Alex (Rookie)

Brittany Altomare (Rookie)

Danielle Kang

Megan Khang (Rookie)

Jessica Korda

Nelly Korda (Rookie)

Stacy Lewis

Annie Park (Rookie)

Morgan Pressel

Lizette Salas

Lexi Thompson

Angel Yin

Captain: Julie Inkster