FILE PHOTO: Pat Hurst of the U.S. tees off on the 9th hole during round three of the LPGA Golf Championship in Pittsford, New York June 25, 2011. REUTERS/Adam Fenster
(Reuters) – Six-times LPGA Tour winner Pat Hurst has been named captain of the 2021 United States Solheim Cup team to play Europe in Ohio.
Hurst played in five Solheim Cups and was an assistant captain to Juli Inkster on the past three teams in the biennial event that uses the same matchplay format as the men’s Ryder Cup.
“I loved being an assistant captain,” Hurst, 50, wrote in a blog for the LPGA website.
“No cheers in women’s golf match the Solheim Cup. Nothing makes your hair stand up or causes tingles to run down your arms like the drama and intensity of those three days.
“Now that I’ve been blessed with this great honor and awesome responsibility, I’m giving it all I’ve got.”
Next year’s Solheim Cup will be held at the Inverness Club in Toledo from Sept. 4-6.
Europe will be defending champions after a nail-biting 14.5-13.5 victory at Gleneagles in Scotland four months ago.
The U.S. lead Team Europe 10-6 all-time in Solheim Cup competition.
Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina, editing by Ed Osmond