The Solheim Cup begins this week in Des Moines, Iowa and there are nine players in the event that have ties to the Epson Tour – six from Team USA and three on Team Europe.
The six that have ties to the Epson Tour from Team USA are Cristie Kerr, Stacy Lewis, Gerina Piller, Brittany Lang, Brittany Lincicome and Lizette Salas. The three from Team Europe are Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Madelene Sagstrom and Emily Pedersen.
The two “graduates” of the Epson Tour are Sagstrom (2016) and Piller (2010). Sagstrom was the Epson Player of the Year last year with 12 top 10’s and three wins while Piller finished fifth on the money list in 2010 and had 13 career top 10’s on the Epson Tour.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff also had a successful two seasons on the Epson Tour with nine top 10’s between 2010 and 2011. Lizette Salas made seven starts in 2011 after graduating from USC and recorded a pair of top 10 finishes.
Cristie Kerr won as an amateur on the Epson Tour in 1995 and had seven top 10 finishes in 1996. Stacy Lewis played in a pair of events in 2008 and finished in the top 10 in both.
This year, Emily Pedersen played in a pair of events on the Epson Tour before starting to play well on the LPGA Tour.
Let the Solheim Cup begin!