The Solheim Cup stands as the ultimate pinnacle in women’s golf and a team spot is sought after by every female professional golfer from both Europe and the USA. Yet, let’s not underestimate the significance of the PING Junior Solheim Cup, which serves as a crucial pathway for many players to attain this coveted accolade on their career journey. History tells us that the junior girls competing for this cup will be the future number one golf players, Major winners and Solheim Cup players.
The idea of organising this prestigious transatlantic girls’ competition, mirroring The Solheim Cup format with six fourball and six foursomes matches on the first day, and twelve singles matches on the second day, was initially proposed by John Solheim, the current Chairman and CEO of PING and a passionate advocate for women and girls’ golf. Established in 2002, the event is designed for girls aged 12 to 18 and provides them with the opportunity to gain valuable international match play experience and, equally importantly, to mingle with, learn from, and be inspired by the professional players taking part in the Solheim Cup.
Look no further than this year’s Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin, where you’ll find an impressive roster: 10 out of the 12 European players and 6 US players have previously competed in the PING Junior Solheim Cup. They were budding talents back then, and today, they’ve evolved into global golf superstars, scripting the history of the Solheim Cup and taking the spotlight.
One of those players is Ireland’s Leona Maguire, who participated in two PING Junior Solheim Cups alongside her sister Lisa at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois in 2009 and Killeen Castle in Ireland in 2011. Maguire recalls in a recent interview for Golf Monthly, “One of the wonderful things about the Junior Solheim Cup is that you get to stay on and support the team. It feels like just yesterday when I dressed up with full face paint and carried flags, so it’s special to be on the other side now receiving that kind of support.”
Spain’s Carlota Ciganda also starred…
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