Inkster, Steinhauer named as US Solheim Cup assistants

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE LPGA
LPGA players Juli Inkster and Sherri Steinhauer have been selected as assistant captains for the 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup team by captain Rosie Jones.
Inkster, a 31-time LPGA Tour winner and member of the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame, has competed in eight Solheim Cup competitions, while eight-time LPGA Tour winner Steinhauer has competed in four.
The 2011 Solheim Cup will be played at Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland from Sept. 23-25.
Jones made the announcement today at the Bell Micro LPGA Classic in Mobile, Alabama, where both Inkster and Steinhauer will compete this week.
“Part of my job as captain of the (United States) 2011 Solheim Cup Team is to build and surround myself with the strongest team to pursue a win in Ireland,” Jones said. “By picking Juli Inkster and Sherri Steinhauer, I am confident that I have selected the best possible assistant captains to help get that job done.
"Juli, Sherri and I have been long-time friends and competitors on the LPGA as well as teammates on several Solheim Cups played over a 20-year period. Our trio of leadership of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team will include the same passion, dedication and competitiveness that we displayed as players. It will be our job to share that wealth of experience with our 2011 U.S. players while leading them to victory.”
The 2011 Solheim Cup will be the 12th staging of the biennial, trans-Atlantic team match-play competition featuring the best 12 U.S.-born players from the LPGA and the best 12 European-born players representing the Ladies European Tour (LET). The U.S. leads the series 8-3, but faces a challenge in Ireland, however, as the European team's three Solheim Cup victories have all been achieved on European soil.