Solheim Cup captains pick assistants
In preparation for the 2009 Solheim Cup, U.S. Team Captain Beth Daniel has selected Meg Mallon and Kelly Robbins as her two assistant captains.
The trio will lead the U.S. Team in their quest to maintain a perfect record on home soil Aug. 21-23, 2009, at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.
"I'm thrilled to have these two players as my assistants. Not only are they good friends of mine, but they collectively have 14 years of Solheim Cup experience, which I will lean very heavily on," said Daniel, who adds eight appearances of her own and was assistant captain to Betsy King in 2007. "Since being named captain, this is the most excited I've been about The Solheim Cup. This means things are starting to get rolling; I have my team in place and we're ready to go."
On the European side, captain Alison Nicholas has named Liselotte Neumann of Sweden and England's Joanne Morley as her assistant captains for the matches.
Mallon is an eight-time member of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team, and played in every event from 1992 through 2005. She and Solheim Cup teammate Juli Inkster lead the U.S. Team's all-time list for most points earned with 16 ˆ¨. Mallon also owns a 13-9-7 record.
Robbins owns six consecutive Solheim Cup experiences (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003) and a 10-10-4 record. She was teammates with both Daniel and Mallon in all six competitions.
Neumann is a six-time member of the European Solheim Cup team, and played in every event from 1990-2000. Her 27 worldwide victories include the 1988 US Women's Open and the 1994 Women's British Open.
Morley represented Europe in the 1996 Solheim Cup.
New partnerships added: Ladies Professional Golf Association and Ladies European Tour officials announced that AIB Group and Rolex have committed to join PING, the founding sponsor of The Solheim Cup, as Global Partners at the 2009 and 2011 Solheim Cup competitions.
As Global Partners, AIB Group and Rolex will join PING with top positioning related to the event onsite and in advertising leading up to The Solheim Cup. All three logos will appear onsite at the 2009 Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, and again at the 2011 Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland.
PING had previously announced it extended its support of The Solheim Cup to include the 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 Solheim Cup competitions.
Advance tickets for the 2009 Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms are available at www.solheimcup.com.