Europe captain Koch names Solheim wildcards
LONDON: Europe captain Carin Koch yesterday named Karine Icher, Caroline Hedwall, Caroline Masson and Catriona Matthew as her four wildcard picks for next month’s Solheim Cup against the United States.
Frenchwoman Icher, Swede Hedwall, German Masson and Scot Matthew join Suzann Pettersen, Gwladys Nocera, Charley Hull, Melissa Reid, Anna Nordqvist, Azahara Munoz, Sandra Gal and Carlota Ciganda in Koch’s 12-strong team.
Europe will attempt to win the biennial team event, the women’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup, for the third straight time at the St Leon-Rot Golf Club in Heidelberg, Germany from Sept 18-20.
“We’ve got a great mixture of youth and experience which really excites me as captain,” Swede Koch said in a news release issued yesterday. “Each of our players has a role to play and I have a team of stars.
“Now the team is finalised we can all have full focus for the week in Germany and I can’t wait to see the players together at St Leon-Rot.”
Icher, Hedwall, Masson and Matthew were all involved when Europe scored an 18-10 victory over the US in Colorado two years ago.
Hedwall, who was also a member of the triumphant 2011 team, rewrote the history books in Colorado when she became the first player to win five out of five matches in the event.
She also claimed the 14th point that retained the trophy for Europe.
On Monday, United States captain Juli Inkster opted for both experience and a vocal locker room presence in announcing Paula Creamer and Brittany Lang as her two wildcard picks for this year’s Solheim Cup.
“I’m very pleased with my two captain’s picks,” said Inkster, who announced her selections on Golf Channel.
“They add a lot to the team not just as far as golf but chemistry and experience. They are very competitive players.
“Brittany is a great locker room person. She’s got a great sense of humour, really chilled and laidback. I can put her with anybody and I feel confident that they will mesh together. She’s played great the last part of this year. She was an easy pick.
“Paula has been in a little bit of a funk but I expect her to be out of it and ready to go. She knows the pressure is going to be on her, being a captain’s pick. I feel like she can handle it. She’s a great matchplay player.”
The other American players are Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson, Cristie Kerr, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford, Gerina Piller, Alison Lee, and Lizette Salas.