Eight-time Solheim Cup member also served as 2007 assistant captain
DANVILLE, Calif., Oct. 4, 2007 – Beth Daniel, a three-time Rolex Player of the Year with 33 Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) victories to her name, has been named captain of the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team. The announcement makes her the eighth LPGA Tour and World Golf Halls of Famer to captain the U.S. squad. The 2009 Solheim Cup will be played at Rich Harvest Farms, in Sugar Grove, Ill., Aug. 17-23. LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens made the announcement at the Longs Drugs Challenge, where Daniel will commentate for the Golf Channel during this weekend’s telecast.
Daniel accepted her role after being named by the selection committee comprised of Nancy Lopez and Betsy King, 2005 and 2007 U.S. Solheim Cup captains, respectively; Rae Evans, chairwoman of the LPGA Board of Directors; Vicki Goetze-Ackerman, president of the LPGA Executive Committee; and LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens.
"I am honored to have been chosen to captain the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team," Daniel said. "Having played on the team eight times and served as assistant captain to Betsy (King) just last month, The Solheim Cup holds a very special place in my heart. And, as I said after we won in Halmstad, there are a lot of very deserving players in position to captain the U.S. Team. I am thrilled to be chosen at this time and look forward to helping the 2009 team be the best they can be in representing the LPGA and the United States."
As captain, Daniel will lead a team of 12 of the best U.S.-born players from the LPGA in their quest to win The Solheim Cup for the third consecutive match, and to keep the U.S. Team’s U.S.-win streak alive; the U.S. Team has never lost when The Solheim Cup has been played in the United States.
As the assistant captain to King in 2007, Daniel extended her vast Solheim Cup resume as she has participated, in some way, in nine of 10 Solheim Cup competitions (she did not make the team in 1998, but attended as a spectator). Daniel played in the inaugural event in 1990, was a member of the 1996 U.S. Team that became the first to win The Solheim Cup on foreign soil, and has earned 13 ½ points for the U.S. Team
"We are delighted to name Beth the captain for the 2009 U.S. Solheim Cup Team," Bivens said. "Beth’s experience and passion for The Solheim Cup are incredible. She is a true leader and a competitor who will inspire her team. She also will be a great motivator to ensure her players have fun, while remaining focused on retaining The Solheim Cup."
In 1979, Daniel stormed on to the LPGA, recording16 top-10 finishes, which included a win at the Patty Berg Classic, en route to LPGA Rookie of the Year honors. Her one major championship victory came at the 1990 Mazda LPGA Championship, which was one of seven wins that season, for which she was named the 1990 Rolex Player of the Year and Vare Trophy winner.
After nearly 30 years on Tour, Daniel has amassed more than $8.7 million in career earnings, placing her seventh all-time on the LPGA. She played a full schedule through 2006 and works as a golf analyst for LPGA events on the Golf Channel and CBS Sports.
About The Solheim Cup
Sponsored by PING golf equipment, The Solheim Cup is named in honor of the company’s founder, Karsten Solheim, and his family. The Solheim Cup is the most prestigious team event in women’s professional golf. It is a biennial, trans-Atlantic team match-play competition featuring the best U.S.-born players from the LPGA and the best European-born players from the Ladies European Tour (LET). Following a 16 to 12 victory at the 2007 Solheim Cup in Halmstad, Sweden, the U.S. Team leads the competition, 7-3, and has never lost on home soil.
Contact:
Dana Gross-Rhode/Pam Warner, LPGA, 386-274-6200
