Mo Martin doesn't get many headlines. But she is among a select few American LPGA Tour players to win a major. Now she has set her sights on winning match play competition and finds herself in the hunt to represent the USA at the 2017 Solheim Cup.
Martin, who learned to play golf by hitting balls into a net her father erected in her Altadena, California driveway and landed a spot on the UCLA Golf Team as a walk-on, labored for six years on the Epson Tour, the Road to the LPGA, before earning her LPGA Tour status in 2012. Since joining the tour the 33-year-old has carded eight top 10 finishes, including three in 2016. Her best finish this season came in a second-place tie at the RICOH British Open., a major tournament she won in 2014. Martin’s other 2016 top 10s came at the LOTTE Championship and the Canadian Pacific Women's Open.
Martin's 2014 British Open win catapulted her into contention for a berth on Team USA for the 2015 Solheim Cup. Martin was invited by Captain Juli Inkster to join 15 other Solheim Cup hopefuls at CordeValle Golf Club near San Francisco. However a thumb injury later sidelined her for two months and forced her to change her grip. Her game faltered afterward.
While she came up short in her quest to join Team USA in Germany, Martin, now healthy, is currently ranked eighth on the 2017 Solheim Cup points rankings. She says she’s looking forward to the opportunity to represent her country in match play. In fact, in an interview with Golf.com Martin said she wishes there were regularly scheduled match play tournaments on the LPGA Tour.
"They’re very exciting, and it would be great preparation for the Solheim Cup.... It would be fun for us too," Martin said.
Will Martin's dream of match play in the 2017 Solheim Cup come true? Time and scores will tell. Get your tickets now so you can cheer on Team USA at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, August 14-20.
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