Could 2017 Be Stanford's Lucky 7?
To Angela Stanford, representing the USA in the Solheim Cup is better than winning a major. She ought to know. Stanford has played in six Solheim Cups and finds herself in the hunt to earn a seventh berth on Team USA for the 2017 tournament to be held at Des Moines Golf and Country Club August 14-20.
"I grew up playing on teams and I love being a part of the Solheim Cup. To be individuals, and a part of a team that wins, is a feeling like no other," Stanford said.
The Fort Worth, Texas area native has been part of three winning U.S. Solheim Cup teams, 2007, 2009 and 2015. At the 2015 Solheim Cup her victory over Norwegian Suzann Pettersen all but secured a dramatic come from behind win for Team USA. She also participated in Solheim Cups in 2003, 2011 and 2013.
"To be a part of the greatest comeback still gives me the chills," Stanford said in an interview several months after the 2015 victory. "It's the most fun I've ever had on the golf course."
Top 10s Put Stanford in Hunt for Seventh Solheim Cup
The 38-year-old, who was playfully called “Fossil” by her American teammates because she was one of the older players on the squad, has followed up her 2015 Solheim Cup performance with three top-10 finishes in LPGA tournaments this year. Those successes put her in fifth place in the Team USA 2017 Solheim Cup points ranking. She finished seventh in the Evian Championship, tied for fourth in the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and finished tenth in the LPGA Volvik Championship.
Since turning pro in 2001 Stanford has carded five LPGA Tour victories and 86 career top-10 finishes. She also has accumulated more than $9.7 million in career earnings.
Will Stanford represent her country for a seventh time? There's a lot of golf to be played before we know. Until then, get your tickets to the 2017 Solheim Cup and see best women golfers from both sides of the pond.