Solheim Cup 2015: A guide to Juli Inkster's USA side
Wednesday 16 September 2015 11:24, UK
We take a look at who features in Juli Inkster's US team ahead of the 2015 Solheim Cup in Germany.
Juli Inkster – Captain
With nine appearances in the Solheim Cup as a player, winning five times and losing four, Inkster is aiming to lead USA to their first victory on European soil since 2007. The seven-time major winner has a lot of experience and was the first playing co-captain in the history of the Solheim Cup in 2011. She played alongside both Pat Hurst and Wendy Ward in Solheim Cup teams, who she has named as her two vice-captains.
Pat Hurst – Vice Captain
Inkster initially only chose Hurst to be vice captain and was unsure if she would add another. Hurst has experience of playing in five Solheim Cup's, her last appearance being in 2007. She has a record of 10 wins from 20 matches, seven losses and three halved matches .
Wendy Ward – Vice Captain
Ward is a four time LPGA Winner and three time Solheim Cup veteran and will bring valuable experience in her role as an assistant to the American side. She was part of the USA teams who won in 2002 and 2005, and over the three appearances posted 2 ½ points out of her 11 matches, losing the last seven matches she played in 2003 and 2005.
Stacy Lewis
Finishing top of the qualifying standings, the world No 3 will be making her third Solheim Cup appearance, having been part of the last two losing USA sides in 2011 and 2013. She lost three of her four matches in 2013 and has yet to win a singles match with a record of 2 ½ points from eight matches. Lewis goes in to the Solheim Cup in good form with 10 top 10 finishes in 2015, including finishing second in the Ana Inspirational and third in the US Open.
Lexi Thompson
Thompson will be making her second consecutive Solheim Cup appearance and was one of only two US team members to win their singles on the final day two years ago. She beat Catriona Masson 2&1, but lost both her other matches. She has had a very impressive run so far this year, winning the Meijer LPGA Classic presented by Kraft at the end of July and has had eight top 10 finishes.
Christie Kerr
After winning the Kia Classic earlier this year and having six top 10 finishes in 2015 so far, Kerr qualified in third position in the Solheim points list to compete in her eighth Solheim Cup in a row. The 37-year-old former world No 1 has a lot of experience to add to this team, but has only one singles match win to her name, which came against Suzann Pettersen in 2003. Of 30 matches, she has won 12, lost 14 and halved four.
Michelle Wie
Wie has been part of three Solheim Cup teams, including the winning side in 2009 and both losing sides in 2011 and 2013. She was handed a wild card pick in 2013 which drew a lot of criticism, but ended up winning two of her four matches, losing in the singles to Caroline Hedwall 1 down.
She qualified on her own merit this year, but questions have been raised about her fitness. She has suffered with injuries this year to her hip, knee and finger and has struggled in her last two tournaments, failing to make the cut at the Canadian Women's Open and withdrawing from the Ricoh Women's British Open after the first round.
Morgan Pressel
This will be Morgan Pressel's fifth Solheim Cup, playing in every team since 2007. The only singles match she has lost was in 2013 against Carlotta Ciganda 4&2, and has won eight of her 14 matches in total. Pressel helped her team to victory in 2009 when she beat Anna Nordqvist 3&2 in the penultimate match at Rich Harvest Farms. She has made six top 10 finishes in 2015, including 5th at both the US Women's Open and the KPMG Women's PGA Championship.
Angela Stanford
Stanford will be competing in her sixth Solheim Cup, having only missed out on selection in 2005 following her debut in 2003. She lost all four of her matches in 2013, and has only won three of her 11 matches over the past five appearances in the Solheim Cup. The Texan has had two top ten finishes this year, and qualified 7th in the Solheim points list to make the US team.
Brittany Lincicome
Lincicome is the only major winner of 2015 competing in this year's Solheim Cup, after winning the Ana Inspiration in April. This will be the world No 13's fifth Solheim Cup, having played every year since 2007, which was the last time the USA won on European soil. Of her fourteen matches played she has won five, with her last singles win being in 2009 against Sophie Gustafson.
Gerina Piller
After appearing as a Rookie in 2013 as a captain's pick, Piller will be competing in her second Solheim Cup after qualifying in the last spot in the qulaifying standings. In her last Solheim Cup she lost two of her three matches, halving with Catriona Matthew on the last – which secured victory for Europe. Her top result this year was second in the Meijer LPGA Classic Presented by Kraft, and she finished ninth in the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Westchester Country Club.
Lizette Salas
Taking one of the final two qualification spots from the World Rankings, the world No 32 will be playing in her second Solheim Cup after being part of the losing team in Colorado two years ago. She failed to win a single game, halving singles with Suzann Pettersen and halving and losing foresomes.
Alison Lee
The only US rookie on the team will be the only rookie playing in the 2015 Solheim Cup. Turning pro just this year, the 20-year-old qualified in one of the final two spots from the World Rankings after three top 10 finishes in her past four starts lifted her to 29th in the world rankings. While she is new to the team, she has twice played in the Junior Solheim Cup and has had good success, winning both her singles matches in her two appearances.
Paula Creamer
Creamer has only two LPGA Tour Victories in the last five years, but has a lot of Solheim Cup experience. She has played on every USA team since her rookie season in 2005 and has achieved 14 ½ points from 23 matches. She only just finished outside of the automatic USA team picks, lying 12th in the Solheim Cup standings. She has failed to make the last three cut's in tournaments played, but a string of consistent results in 2014/2015 including a win HSBC Women's Championship last year puts her as a strong team member for the USA.
Brittany Lang
Playing in her fourth Solheim Cup, Lang was the next available pick on the Solheim Cup points list before Creamer, lying 11th. She was one of the only members of the 2013 team to beat a European team member in the singles, defeating Azahara Munoz 2&1. Having never lost singles on the final day, she could be a strong player for the USA on the final Sunday. She has had a mixed string of results this year, missing seven cut's in 2015 but has had two top 10s in her last five starts.
