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This Brings Back Great Memories of Europe’s First Ever Solheim Victory at Dalmahoy in 1992!

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Mickey Announced as Ping Junior Solheim Cup Captain 2019!

1st May 2018

Mickey Walker OBE, Captain of the European Solheim Cup from 1990 to 1996, is confirmed as Captain of the European Junior team at next year’s PING Junior Solheim Cup at Gleneagles 2019.

 A six-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, Walker remains very active in the world of women’s golf and a familiar figure to sports fans as a regular commentator on Sky Sports. As well as her Solheim Cup captaincy, Walker also captained the GB&I Curtis Cup Team on three occasions in 1994,1996 and 1998, bringing a wealth of experience to the table for the 2019 match as Europe’s young aspiring golf stars take part in one of the biggest events in women’s sport globally.

 Walker, who was awarded the OBE for her services to golf in 1993, elected an Honorary Member of the PGA in 1996 and gained PGA Master Professional status in 2009 is thrilled with the appointment.

She commented, “Having been Captain for the first four editions of the Solheim Cup from 1990 and involved with the matches since then, it would be true to say that The Solheim Cup is part of my DNA. I was fortunate enough to meet and spend time with Karsten and Louse Solheim years before then when, as a player on the LPGA Tour I met Karsten in Phoenix not long after his “PING” putters were causing a stir in the golfing world.”

Walker continued, “Just as Karsten was an engineering visionary within the world of golf manufacturing, he, Louise and their family became visionaries within the game of women’s golf with their support of the players and developing the Solheim Cup. Along the way, the Solheim family’s generous and gracious manner has made everyone associated with their business, the Solheim and PING Junior Solheim Cups and with them as individuals proud to know them and grateful for their involvement in girls and women’s golf. It is a statement of fact that every European and American girl golfer aspires to make the PING Junior Solheim Cup Team as their professional counterparts do the Solheim Cup. Having something to aim for is massively important in any walk of life. I and all of my fellow female golfers will be forever grateful to Karsten, Louise and their family for their initial and ongoing involvement in golf.

I couldn’t be more proud and excited to have been asked by John Solheim to Captain the 2019 edition of the PING Junior Solheim Cup to be played at Gleneagles, which is a venue very dear to me, having first played there as a fifteen year old with a favourite golfing uncle of mine many years ago! I have no doubt that as with previous PING Junior Solheim Cups, many of the 2019 participants will go on to represent their countries at senior level and become stars of the future. Karsten, Louise and John’s vision back in the late 1980s has given the golfing world a great platform to showcase the skills and competitiveness of girls and women’s golf to a global audience. I’m already looking forward to meeting the PING Junior Solheim Cup Teams and can’t wait for September 2019!”

“It’s a tremendous honor to welcome Mickey Walker as the captain of Europe’s PING Junior Solheim Cup team,” said PING Chairman & CEO John A. Solheim. “Her connection to the Solheim Cup as a four-time captain is unmatched. I’ll never forget the passion and excitement her team demonstrated under her leadership in winning the Solheim Cup for the first time at Dalmahoy in 1992. I know she’ll draw on all her experience as a captain to bring out the best in her team at Gleneagles. She’s been a close and beloved friend of our entire family and we’re extremely grateful for her commitment to leading the next PING Junior Solheim Cup team from Europe. The girls who earn the privilege of representing Europe and playing for Mickey will come away with a greater appreciation for what the Solheim Cup means to the game of golf and enjoy an experience they’ll never forget.”

Taking place as part of the Solheim Cup at Gleneagles, 9th –15th September, a dozen of Europe’s brightest young stars aged 12 to 18 years old will look to claim back the trophy won by the American team in 2017 at Des Moines Golf & Country Club in Iowa.

Europe last won when the match took place at Båstad Golf Club, Sweden in 2007 and there is no end of motivation to win back the trophy as juniors across Europe have a firm eye on earning a coveted place at Gleneagles in 2019.

Aileen Campbell, The Scottish Government’s Sports Minister said: “In the Year of Young People in Scotland I am delighted to see such a legendary figure as Mickey Walker being appointed captain of the European Ping Junior Solheim Cup team. I’m sure she will further inspire junior golfers in Scotland and beyond to raise their game in the hope of qualifying for the team at Gleneagles.”

Part of Walker’s role will be to run the rule over prospective European Ping Junior Solheim Cup team members, including a group of six young Scottish girls who have made it their mission to qualify through their self-titled #Project19 initiative. The youngsters, aged between 14-16, were further inspired when they attended The 2017 Solheim Cup in Des Moines and represented Scotland during the closing ceremony.

The Solheim Cup week will begin with the PING Junior Solheim Cup with the participants made to feel an important part of the main event. This under 18 event will be showcased as never before as Scotland seeks to ensure that this is the most family orientated and inclusive Solheim Cup ever staged. The Scottish Government has stated the ambition to ensure the 2019 edition of the Solheim Cup in Perthshire will serve to both grow golf and leave a lasting legacy of increased participation in women’s sport.

The themes of equality, innovation and experience will be thread through all aspects of the event as The 2019 Solheim Cup aims to engage both the traditional golf audience and the wider sports fan, raising the profile of women’s golf both in Scotland and internationally. The Scottish Government and VisitScotland have been long-time supporters of the women’s game having partnered with the Ricoh Women’s British Open and recently significantly enhanced the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open, which took place as a co-sanctioned LET and LPGA event for the first time, last year.  

The 2019 Solheim Cup will not only highlight the stunning assets of Scotland, the Home of Golf, but also build on the legacy of the successful 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. It will underline that Scotland is the perfect stage for major golf events as it seeks to help inspire a new generation of children to take up the game invented in their home country.

The full criteria for the 2019 PING Junior Solheim Cup is outlined below with the leading six players from the PJSC ranking (based on results from the 2019 PJSC q-events) following the Girls British Open Championship 2019 automatically selected along with six Captain’s Picks based on performances at amateur events along with the EGA Ladies European Amateur Ranking.

 European Qualification:

 •  12 participants.

•  Participants must be 12-18 years old (born 2001 or later) and must not have reached their 18th birthday prior to January 2019.

•  Participants must be amateurs and not be members of a competitive collegiate golf program.

•  Participants must be a European citizen (as per IGF National Policy).

•  The leading six players from the PJSC ranking (based on results from the 2019 PJSC q-events) following the Girls British Open Championship 2019 will be automatically picked. In the event of a tie for the qualification positions, the selection would have been decided based on individual standings on the EGA Ladies European Amateur Ranking.

•  Six Captain’s Picks.

•  All amateur events and the EGA Ladies European Amateur Ranking will be taken into consideration when deciding the Captain’s Picks.

The PING Junior Solheim Cup qualifying events and point distribution will be announced by the end of the 2018 season.

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With Sarah Stirk in Sky Studios for the Evian Championship

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The Evian Championship

Just over a week ago I was a studio guest at Sky TV for the women’s fifth and final major Championship of the year - The Evian Championship.

Since The Evian was awarded major status in 2013 it has been surrounded in controversy. This year’s event added to that feeling when for the second time since being a major and being played in September, the Championship once again was reduced to 54 holes. This in itself was controversial as that decision was made in the early afternoon on what should have been the first round of the Championship, when there were at least six hours of daylight left. Yes, the weather was horrendous and unplayable when play was originally halted, but surely the officials should have made every attempt to get as much of round one completed as possible before abandoning play for the day?

After play in round one on what should have been day 2 of the Championship started the golf was closely contested and exciting. When the back nine of the final round arrived, there were at least 8 players who were within a couple of shots of the leader who realistically could win the Championship. With just two holes to play there were still 6 players who could win! In the end after a stunning back nine containing two eagles and a final round of 66, Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist matched America’s Brittany Altomare. who also finished on 9 under par, so a play-off over the difficult par four 18th hole ensued with Anna Nordqvist winning at the first time of asking by virtue of a bogey to Altomare’s double bogey. The atrocious weather that had been predicted arrived just in time for the play-off. The 18th hole was impossible to reach in two - in fact it was difficult to see, let alone swing the rain was coming down so strongly, not to mention the strong winds that also arrived. The 18th green had to be cleared of surface water in order for the players to finish, and I very much doubt that any further play would have been possible had Anna not won at the first time of asking! After Anna’s well documented battle with glandular fever over the previous four months and courageous performance at the Solheim Cup whilst still suffering from it, it was a very popular and well deserved second major victory for the Swedish player! 

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Mickey, Chris and Ray Cole - Head of Media at The Solheim Cup

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Shortly after our visit to “the Home of Golf” Chris and I headed across the Atlantic to Des Moines, Iowa via Chicago for this year’s Solheim Cup. The eagerly awaited biannual competition didn’t disappoint - in fact it was right at the top of my Solheim Cup experiences along with our first win when I was Captain at Dalmahoy in 1992 and in Denver in 2013 when UEurope wn for the first and only time on American soil!

That may sound strange as on paper we suffered a comprehensive defeat, but the atmosphere that the matches were played in was wonderful and Annika’s performance as Captain as well as lots of the golf was inspirational and outstanding.

The people from Des Moines, Iowa embraced the competition like no venue had before. The volunteers, fans, workers and everyone involved were friendly, hospitable, courteous and just so welcoming, it was really a pleasure to be there. The golf from both teams, apart from Europe in the first afternoon’s fourballs, was some of the best golf that I’d ever seen played anywhere, and Annika’s performance as Europe’s Captain a revelation! I came away from the week being inspired and uplifted rather down and slightly depressed as I was after Germany two year’s ago! Roll on Gleneagles in two year’s time!!!

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Guess Where I am?

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Elaine,Sheena, Jane and Chris on The Swilken Burn at St.Andrews

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Ricoh WBO at Kingsbarns

What a fantastic venue for this year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open - Kingsbarns, which is about seven miles from St. Andrews. I was part of Sky’s commentary team for the Championship and along with Chris, Jane Ford and Elaine Cozens, we all stayed in St.Andrews.

If you haven’t ever been to that part of the world, it is a must visit place if you’re a golfer! St.Andrews is so full of history and is such an interestingtown. Of course it is most famous for The Old Course, which Chris, Jane and Elaine got to play on the Monday of our week in Scotland, along with our good friend and former owner of the Dunvegan hotel in St.Andrews with her husband Jack - Sheena Willoughby. The girls teed off at 8.20 am in fine breezy conditions and had a great time. Meanwhile, I was starting my research at Kingsbarns - surely one of the most attractive venues in golf, with every hole have a view of the dramatic coastline. The eventual winner of the Championship was the diminutive Korean golfer In-Kyung Kim, who in 2012 had been a fourteen inch putt away from winner her first major - the then Kraft Nabisco, and missed it, only to lose out in a play-off. Well, fast forward five years and IK as she is often known, made no mistake when her next opportunity to win a major arrived. There was last round excitement as England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff hada best of the week 64 to finish two shots back in second place, closely followed by 21 year old Georgia Hall.

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Elaine with the Robertson Trophy!

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It’s not often that hard work on the part of a pupil and teacher shows immediate results, but recently the Ladies’ Captain at Bishop’s Stortford, Val Harrison and the Ladies’ Secretary Elaine Cozens brought a group of ladies for a days tuition at The Warren. Five days after their visit they played in a 36 hole medal competition - The Robertson Trophy played for annually. The thought of getting round 36 holes in a day when you’re the wrong side of 40 is tough enough, but playing medal for 36 holes is extremely difficult to say the least, however not for Elaine and Val! Elaine won the trophy for the third time but what was most impressive was that she played seven under her handicap in the morning and then six shots below her handicap in the afternoon, getting cut from 12.2 to 8.8 in the process! Val was runner-up to Elaine and under normal circumstance would have probably won with her two sub par rounds getting cut from 24.4 to 21.3. Chris and I aren’t claiming responsibility for Elaine and Val’s success, but there does seem a strong possibility that their stellar play wasn’t a total coincidence! Many congratulations to you both.

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What a fabulous week we all had staying at The Gloria Serenity Hotel in Belek, Turkey. Throughout the official week, we played on the three Gloria courses, The Old, The New - where the men’s Challenge Tour event was played last week, and The nine hole Verde course, as well as The Sultan and The Nobilis. All the course are beautifully manicured and have great greens that we’re only used to enjoying for a few months in the Summer on most courses in the UK. Then there are the practice facilities which are second to none, whatever part of your game you want to focus on.The hotel is fantastic, with everything a golfer or holiday maker could possibly want - large comfortable rooms, lots of good food and choices of restaurants, including Italian, Asian, Greek, French and a wonderful buffet, large indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a spa for everything from massages to ease your aches and pains or maybe refresh your manicure and entertainment. Our operatically inclined friend - Jane reckons that she could make a fortune if she managed the three tenors who performed just before we left, rating them as outstanding!

If you enjoy shopping, or are just partial to a bargain, visiting the weekly market in Belek on a Saturday is a must! Turkey is the country where a lot of the clothes that we buy here in the UK are made. They are masters at producing copies of top brands for a fraction of the price we would pay, so whether watches are what you like, designer clothes, or even underwear, this is the place to shop! 

So, another memorable trip to Turkey and The Gloria Serenity has been and gone. We now have another whole year to wait until we can enjoy one of the best Golf Resorts that Chris and I have ever visited. If you haven’t been there yet we can wholeheartedly recommend it!

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Turkey Class of 2017

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Mickey and Tommy TrueBlue!

Having been a lifelong fan of The Gills, I experienced a first yesterday evening when I met the Gills mascot -Tommy TruBlue before their match against Bolton Wanderers. Sadly, that was the highlight of my evening, as Chris’s team - nicknamed “The Trotters”, thrashed us 4-0 for the second time this season. To be honest, with the gulf in both ability and height, we were fortunate to lose 4-0! Every time a ball was crossed into our penalty area Bolton had such a height and physical advantage that they looked like scoring! Still, just like golf, there’s always the next game to look forward to, which in Gillingham’s case is away to Rochdale next Saturday. Come on you blues!!

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Ruby’s 80th Birthday Celebration!

On 3rd March I was delighted to attend Ruby Austin’s surprise 80th Birthday celebrations at The Lainsborough Hotel - it was a memorable evening, organised by his wife Maureen and sons Xaver and Shiraz. For those of you who haven’t met Ruby, he is one of, if not the loveliest person I know.

I first met Ruby some twenty-three years ago when he was a member of my team at a golf week in Almerimar. As a person who has a great sense of fun, he doesn’t take himself seriously and has that rare ability to joke about his friends without ever causing offence.His unusual golf swing is the butt of many jokes and a source of great amusement among his many golfing buddies! We became firm friends during that week and have shared many a round of golf and meal since our first meeting. I look forward to many more encounters!

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Jane on Her 50th Birthday!

Many of our friends will know that Jane Ford - our colleague and friend since we first met her on our trip to Chile and Mendoza in 2003, turned 50 this year. The occasion was celebrated with the help of Chris on a four day trip to Reykjavik. Despite not seeing the Northern Lights Jane and Chris had a great time and certainly fulfilled any yearning for snow after 52 centimetres of snow fell overnight on the eve of Jane’s Birthday!

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Jenny Chamberlin

During our recent trip to Fuertaventura, one of our group - long standing friend and regular attendee - Jenny Chamberlin, took a break from her duties as Lady Captain at Diss Golf Club in Norfolk to escape the British winter and have her game checked out before the Golf Season starts in earnest.

Jenny is about to retire from being a Norfolk County Counciller for Diss and Roydon, a position that she’s held for the last 12 years. Over that time Jenny has served on or attended meetings covering just about every aspect of work which the County covers from Health to Economic Development and Planning! Apart from golf, Jenny’s interests are very varied from being part of a choir, spending time with her Grandchildren and music. Jenny will still find time to continue her part time job of doing some administration for a piano restoration and hire business, including helping out at their delightful concert venue The Old Granary Studio.

Being Lady Captain at Diss should be easy after her career in business and politics! May the sun shine throughout your year!