Dame Laura Davies named European captain for The Queens
Tuesday 10 November 2015 22:41, UK
Dame Laura Davies has been confirmed as playing captain for the Ladies European Tour team in The Queens event in early December.
Davies leads a nine-player side that includes four members of Europe's Solheim Cup team for the inaugural competition at the Miyoshi Golf and Country Club in Aichi, Japan.
The tournament also features teams from the LPGA of Japan, Korean LPGA Tour (KLPGA) and Australian Ladies Professional Golf Inc.
Karine Icher, Catriona Matthew, Gwladys Nocera and Melissa Reid, who all featured in the devastating defeat to the USA in September's Solheim Cup, will accompany Davies along with rising stars Hannah Burke, Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Marianne Skarpnord.
Davies, a winner of 79 worldwide titles including four majors, said: "I'm extremely pleased to have a tremendously talented group of players on our team, with a combined total of 117 tournament victories and 29 Solheim Cup appearances for Europe between us.
"The Queens presents a very good opportunity for us all to play in a top level international team match play competition, which will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world and we are determined to give a fantastic performance."
LET chief executive officer Ivan Peter Khodabakhsh added: "Everyone at the Ladies European Tour is extremely excited about The Queens which will be a unique and exciting match play tournament. There is nothing more exciting or compelling than match play, especially when counties and continents compete against each other as teams.
"Interest in women's professional golf is stronger than ever, especially with the Olympic Games just around the corner and this is a fantastic opportunity to connect and collaborate with our fellow tours. Together, I am confident that we will create an unprecedented showcase of world class sporting entertainment and help to grow the game worldwide."
Ladies European Tour team:
Laura Davies (Captain), Hannah Burke, Karine Icher, Nanna Madsen, Catriona Matthew, Gwladys Nocera, Emily Kristine Pedersen, Melissa Reid, Marianne Skarpnord
LPGA of Japan team:
Momoko Ueda (Captain), Erika Kikuchi , Ayaka Watanabe, Misuzu Narita, Akane Iijima, Shiho Oyama, Erina Hara, Miki Sakai, Ritsuko Ryu
Korean LPGA team:
In Gee Chun, Sung Hyun Park, Jung Min Lee, Yoon Ji Cho, Jin Young Ko, Seon Woo Bae, Min Sun Kim, Sei Young Kim, Bo-Mee Lee
Australian Ladies Professional Golf team:
Rachel Hetherington (Captain), Nikki Campbell, Nikki Garrett, Whitney Hillier, Sarah Kemp, Katherine Kirk, Stephanie Na, Sarah Jane Smith, Lindsey Wright
A total of 34 matches will be played over three days: eight fourball matches on day one, eight foursomes matches on day two and 18 singles matches on day three. Scoring will be through a points system with up to 102 total points available.
Each match is worth 3 points to the winning side. If a match ends all square after 18 holes, 1 point will be awarded to each side. The inaugural tournament will take place from 4-6 December at Miyoshi Country Club in Aichi, Japan.
