DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – USA Solheim Cup Captain Juli Inkster announced today that six-time USA Solheim Cup veteran Paula Creamer will replace the injured Jessica Korda at the 2017 Solheim Cup, being conducted next week in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Inkster chose Creamer as her alternate when she selected her team on Sunday night and informed the European team as required by the captain’s agreement. However, she did not publicly reveal her choice until after Korda withdrew on Monday due to a forearm injury.
“The reason why I put Paula in the hat was she’d be there,” said Inkster on a conference call just moments ago. “She knows what’s going on. She has the experience. She’s playing well.”
Korda had been battling the injury for several weeks and withdrew from the Ricoh Women’s British Open after the first round last Thursday to seek treatment. She finished fifth in the USA points list to earn an automatic spot on the 12-person team.
“Sadly the injury to my forearm is not going to heal in time for the Solheim Cup,” Korda wrote in a social media post on Monday. “I cannot put the team at risk of me not being 100 percent so unfortunately I have had to make the difficult decision of relinquishing my spot on the team.”
This will be Creamer’s seventh Solheim Cup appearance. She has a 14-8-5 playing record, and her 16.5 points are more than any American player in Solheim Cup history except Inkster (18.5 in nine appearances), fellow 2017 teammate Cristie Kerr (17 in eight appearances) and Meg Mallon (16.5 in eight appearances).
“I’m very honored. I’m ready to wear red, white and blue for the seventh time,” said Creamer. “It’s pretty crazy and I’m excited, but it’s sad under these circumstances.”
Inkster has selected a second alternate and informed the European team, as done with the initial team selection.
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