JUNIOR SOLHEIM CUP QUALIFYING STARTS IN SPAIN THIS WEEK

NEWS RELEASE FROM LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
New captain, Janice Moodie (pictured above) has urged Europe’s leading girl golfers to set their sights on winning a place in the European team for the 2013 PING Junior Solheim Cup match, to be staged at The Inverness Golf Club, in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday August 13 and Wednesday August 14.
Speaking ahead of the first qualifying event, the Spanish International Ladies’ Amateur Championship, to be played at Pula Golf, Mallorca, on February 27 to March 3, the Glasgow-born LPGA Tour player said: “We are fortunate there are a lot of very good young girl golfers around Europe at the moment and I’d like them all to be targeting a place in this year’s PING Junior Cup team.
“It won’t be easy because there are only a limited number of places available but it is an attainable goal and will give the successful girls an experience they never forget no matter what they go on to achieve in the future.
My mother used to say ‘let your clubs do the talking and the rest will take care of itself’ and that’s good advice for anyone who wants to get on in this game,” the three-time Solheim Cup player added.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all the girls the best of luck this season. I can’t wait to meet my team and getting down to the serious business of winning the trophy back from the Americans.
Europe goes into the 2013 PING Junior Solheim Cup seeking revenge after the Americans retained the trophy by halving the 2011 match at Knightsbrook Hotel Spa and Golf Resort, Co. Meath, Ireland.
The first step in that process comes when a strong international field competes in Spain in what is the first of six events in which PING Junior Solheim Cup qualification points are up for grabs. It continues with the French International Lady Junior Championship at St Cloud Golf Club (March 28 – April 1), the German Girls’ Open at GC St Leon-Rot (June 7-9), the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship at Machynys Peninsula G and CC (June 11 -15), the European Girls’ Team Championship at  Linköping, Sweden (July 9-13) before concluding at the European Ladies’ Team Championship at Fulford GC, England (July 9-13) when the leading six players from the official Points Table will earn an automatic place in the European side.
 The six qualifiers will be joined by a further six Captain’s picks.
The field at this year’s Spanish International Ladies’ Championship includes Spaniard, Clara Baena Sanchez, the 17 year-old who won the recent Portuguese International Ladies’ Amateur Championship and her compatriot Ha Rang Lee, winner of the 2012 Spanish International Ladies Amateur Stroke Play Championship and finalist at the final of the 2012 British Girls’ Championship at Tenby.
Other leading competitors include German international, Quirine Eijkenboom, currently ranked No. 8 in Europe and fourth behind Sanchez in Portugal, and Denmark’s Emily Pedersen and Swede, Linnea Ström, 2^nd and 5^th respectively at this year’s Annika Invitational in Florida.
The British contingent is headed by English international Amber Ratcliffe, her compatriot Gabby Cowley, who won last year’s Scottish Under-16s Stroke Play title, Ireland’s Chloe Ryan and Scots, Lauren Whyte and Clara Young. Whyte is the reigning Scottish Under-18s champion.
Club. Moodie, this year’s European PING Junior Solheim Cup captain, replaces Lotta Neumann, the captain two years ago in Ireland, who will be captain of Europe’s Solheim Cup team bidding to retain the trophy at Colorado Golf Club.
Kathy Whitworth, Captain of the first two US Solheim Cup teams and an LPGA Hall of Famer, will lead the 2013 United States PING Junior Solheim Cup team.
For more information about both the PING Junior Solheim Cup and The Solheim Cup please visit www.solheimcupeurope.com and www.ladieseuropeantour.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Players who are selected for the Europe Junior Solheim Cup team will have to miss the British girls' open amateur championship which will be played at Fairhaven Golf Club, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire from August 12 to 16 - the same week as the match at Inverness GC, Denver, Colorado.

Constructive suggestion from
 reader Dominic Hewson
If the Junior Solheim Cup tournament wants the strongest players, why on earth choose qualifying events that take place in the middle of school term time. 
By definition the majority of eligible players will be taking GCSE or A-Levels and will be forced to choose golf or school.  
Why not select over the last 12 months, allowing everyone a fair chance and not to have to sacrifice their exams preparation.
I do believe a rethink in selection criteria is needed if this competition is to thrive

Dominic Hewson