Hi everyone!
Welcome to my official Solheim Cup Captain’s Blog! I will be writing these from time to time this year to let you know what’s going on with Team USA and the Solheim Cup. It’s hard to believe the event is just six short months away, and I’m excited for the LPGA season to get going this week, especially with triple points at majors.
I’m super excited to represent the United States as its Captain, and my first year as Captain has been amazing. I’m thrilled to see the addition of events to the LPGA schedule and more opportunities for players to earn points.
It’s been a non-stop whirlwind from the get-go as Captain. There was a lot of planning and organizing the first year, as far as working with Antigua and Sunice on the uniforms and rain gear, planning for hotels and how we’ll use the amazing clubhouse at Colorado Golf Club. Having Dottie Pepper on board as my assistant has been a tremendous help, and she has done a great job so far.
Stacy Lewis, our team points leader and reigning Rolex Player of the Year, and I were able to attend the Denver Broncos’ game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 2. It was a ton of fun being recognized on the field, talking to John Elway and seeing the players up close. The Broncos’ organization did a wonderful job and treated us very well, and we had a great time.
I’ve been working on setting up practice sessions and am trying to get my players on the course at Colorado Golf Club as much as possible this spring and summer. I’m excited to see players get going and earn some points, and it will be interesting to see how everything plays out, especially with the Rolex World Rankings now playing a role in who makes the team for the first time ever.
Assistant Captain Dottie Pepper, LPGA Commissioner Mike Whan and I traveled to Denver last week to attend the Denver Golf Expo. We met with the Denver Post, 104.3 The Fan radio, Channel 9, members at Colorado Golf Club and did a Q&A on the stage at the Expo.
We also met with several business leaders from the area and attended the Denver Nuggets’ game against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. It was a great experience meeting Coach George Karl before the game, being recognized on the court during the second quarter and interacting with the Denver sports fans at an autograph session. Denver is a great sports city, and we want to continue to keep its sports fans thinking about golf to make sure they don’t miss out on the most exciting event in women’s golf.
I’m planning on traveling to a handful of LPGA tournaments this year to check in on players as they fight to make the teams and am excited to see how the American players respond. Dottie and I never were Captain’s picks and always played our way on the team, so U.S. players should work hard to make the team and not leave their fate to chance.
It has been a great privilege working with the Solheim staff and all the wonderful sponsors involved with the event. I can’t thank them enough for their tremendous support of this great event.
I hope you all try to make the trip to Parker, Colo., for this year’s Solheim Cup and dress head to toe in red, white and blue! If you can’t make it, tune in to watch it on the Golf Channel.
It’s going to be an amazing year and a wonderful event.
All the best,
Meg Mallon
2013 U.S. Solheim Cup Team Captain
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