The Ladies' European Tour (LET) together with Ping, have announced changes to the selection process for the European PING Junior Solheim Cup team. The match, between 12 junior players from the USA and Europe, will take place at Sylvania Golf & Country Club, Ohio on 1-2 September later this year ahead of the Solheim Cup.
It was announced in November that six players would be selected automatically following a ranking from selected international events this season including the European Ladies' Amateur Championship and European Ladies' and Girls' Team Championships.
In order to not place any pressure on eligible players to travel internationally to qualifying events in other countries with the current circumstances related to Covid-19 in Europe, the LET and PING have announced that no players will be selected automatically through a ranking this season.
Instead, the team will be selected based on a combination of the following:
- Performances at the original PJSC qualifying tournaments that are played
- Performances at other national and international tournaments that are played
- Input from national coaches
- Input from our Captain, Annika Sorenstam
In a statement, the LET announced: "We want to make sure that the health and well-being of players is at the forefront of our thoughts. Each country has its own policies regarding current inter-country and cross-border travel and we must all respect and adhere to these policies in full. This option will give all players the opportunity to excel in the events in which they are able to compete, while recognising the anticipated impact on international travel within Europe."
The full eligibilty criteria:
- 12 participants
- Participants must be girls and 12-18 years old (born 2003 or later) and must not have reached their 18th birthday prior to 1st January, 2021
- Participants must be amateurs and must not be members of a competitive collegiate golf program
- Participants must be a European citizen (as per IGF National Policy)
- Performances at the original PJSC qualifying tournaments that are played, performances at other national and international tournaments as well as input from national coaches and Captain Annika Sörenstam will be taken into consideration when selecting the team
- The European PING Junior Solheim Cup team will be decided no later than 26th July
First played in 2002, the PING Junior Solheim Cup follows a similar format to the Solheim Cup, featuring 12 European junior amateurs (born 2003 and later) vs their American counterparts and has featured some of the world’s leading players, including European stars Georgia Hall, Charley Hull and Carlota Ciganda, as well as American talents, Lexi Thompson, Paula Creamer and the Korda sisters, Jessica and Nelly.
More information on the event can be found here.