And the USA’s next Solheim Cup captain is…
Pat Hurst will lead Team USA in the 2021 Solheim Cup as they look to regain possession on home turf.
The 50-year-old has plenty of experience around the Solheim Cup and has been an integral part of Juli Inkster’s back room staff for the previous three stagings.
Furthermore, she represented her country in the competition on five occasions between 1998 and 2007 and was one of the team’s leading players in this period.
Catriona Matthew will be returning as the European captain as she bids to become the first to lead a European side to back-to-back victories.
So excited to lead Team USA in 2021!! pic.twitter.com/ibsy285OAo
— Pat Hurst (@Pathurst23) January 9, 2020
Who is USA Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst?
After turning professional in 1991 she struggled to break onto the LPGA Tour failing at Q School on her first two attempts. She then worked as a professional at La Quinta Country Club and briefly gave up the game completely.
By 1994 she had returned to the game and decided to take another shot at LPGA Q School and this time was successful. A tied 20th was enough to earn her full exemption for the 1995 season.
She appeared to have turned her golfing fortunes around and after a smart debut season she won the Rookie of the Year award.
Between 1997 and 2009 she won six LPGA events including one major championship, the Nabisco Dinah Shore (now the ANA Inspiration), in 1998.
In her five Solheim Cup appearances as a player she had a record of 10-7-3 and was on the winning side four times.
What she said…
Hurst wrote a blog post for the LPGA Tour website in which she goes into detail about her appointment. Here’s a few of the best bits.
“I loved being an assistant captain… I loved being out on the first tee in that amphitheater setting with sound so loud you could feel it…. Nothing makes your hair stand up or causes tingles to run down your arms like the drama and intensity of those three days.”
“I also loved the strategy and detail, the planning, motivating and relationship building.”
“I tried to put the Solheim Cup out of my mind. Then, as I was waiting alone in my car as my husband, Jeff, ran a few errands, my phone rang. It was LPGA Tour commissioner Mike Whan. I’ve never been so nervous answering the phone. And when I did, my heart sank. Mike said: “I’m sorry to have to tell you this but I wanted to tell you first.” I think my breathing stopped until he said, “the job is there if you want it.”
To read the full blog post, click here.
Joe Hughes
Tour editor covering men's golf, women's golf and anything else that involves the word golf, really. The talk is far better than the game, but the work has begun to change that.
