Inkster to Captain 2015 U.S. Solheim Cup Team


Juli Inkster has been named captain of the 2015 U.S. Solheim Cup team. The biennial event will be held September 18-20 at St. Leon-Rot Golf Club in Germany.

The 53-year-old member of the World Golf Hall of Fame is America's all-time points' leader 18½ with points in nine Solheim Cup appearances. She also leads in singles victories with seven.

In 2011, Inkster became the oldest player in the history of the Cup at 51 years, two months and 30 days. She was also the first player to both compete in the matches and serve as assistant captain.

Last year the U.S.A. lost at Colorado Golf Club by their largest margin ever, 18-10, marking the first time the Europeans won on American soil.

The plain-speaking Inkster, who won three straight U.S. Women's Amateur titles in the early-1980s, said she plans to keep her approach simple.

"I'm not a huge number-cruncher," Inkster told reporters on Monday. "I'm not going to pick a girl if she has more birdies on a par-3 than somebody I really want on the team.

"It's not rocket science. You just go over there and play some golf, and I think . . . believe me if they just play the way they should play, we're going to have fun, and we're going to win."

Inkster appointed her good friend Pat Hurst as her first assistant captain; she's not sure about adding a second one as permitted in the matches. While Inkster is more emotional and makes gut decisions, Hurst is more pragmatic. Combined, the two should provide excellent leadership.

"She actually went to San Jose State on the Juli Inkster scholarship," Inkster quipped. "I don't think it helped her much, but what the heck."

Both Inkster and Hurst are mothers with considerable experience in overseeing young women. "No one wants to be micromanaged, and I don't micromanage my kids," Inkster said.

"I'm not going to micromanage the team. I have a lot of respect for my kids, and I have a lot of respect for these girls here. They know what they're doing. It's not like (it's) their first rodeo."