Top junior golfers from the United States to face off against European counterparts on American soil

BRASELTON, Ga. – Twelve junior golfers have been named members of the 2013 PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team, the American Junior Golf Association announced Monday.

The PING Junior Solheim Cup, patterned after the Solheim Cup, features the top 12 girls from the United States against those from Europe. A PING event, the 2013 tournament will be played at The Inverness Golf Club in Englewood, Colo., Aug. 12-14, in the days leading up to the Solheim Cup. The Solheim Cup will be played Aug. 16-18, at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo.

The first 10 players named to the U.S. Team were selected based on a combination of the AJGA’s Polo Golf Rankings and the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Girls Rankings as of July 15. The final two spots on the U.S. Team are reserved for captain’s picks. LPGA Hall of Famer Kathy Whitworth will lead the U.S. team as captain. As a player, Whitworth won at least one LPGA tournament every year from 1962 to 1978, which is the longest streak in LPGA history, and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year in 1965 and 1966.

Representing the United States

Earning entry through the AJGA’s Polo Golf Rankings are Karen Chung of Livingston, N.J., Amy Lee of Brea, Calif., Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, Calif., Samantha Wagner of Windermere, Fla., and Bethany Wu of Diamond Bar, Calif.

The following players earned positions through the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Casie Cathrea of Livermore, Calif., Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wis., Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., Nicole Morales of South Salem, N.Y., and Ashlan Ramsey of Milledgeville, Ga.

Team USA Captain Kathy Whitworth chose Alexandra Kaui of Las Vegas, and Krystal Quihuis of Tucson, Ariz., as captain’s picks.

Past PING Junior Solheim Cup Team USA members include Paula Creamer (nine-time LPGA Tour champion and winner of the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open), Brittany Lincicome (champion at the 2007 Ginn Open and 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship) and Morgan Pressel (champion of the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship).

Creamer was the first player to make the move from the PING Junior Solheim Cup to the Solheim Cup Team when she helped lead the U.S. to victory in 2005 with a 3-1-1 record.

The United States and Europe head into the 2013 competition with the U.S. leading the series 3-2-1. The 2011 matchup marked the first time in six meetings a team captured the Cup on foreign soil, as Team USA retained the title with a 12-12 tie at Knightsbrook Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort in Trim, County Meath, Ireland.

Meet Team USA

Currently No. 1 in the Polo Golf Rankings and Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif., has earned three AJGA wins in 2013 at the Rolex Tournament of Champions, Rolex Girls Junior Championship and ClubCorp Mission Hills Desert Junior. The five-time first-team Rolex Junior All-American tied the AJGA Girls’ record for lowest 18-hole score with a 9-under-par 63 at the 2013 ClubCorp Mission Hills Desert Junior. Lee will compete on Team USA for the third time before joining the UCLA squad in the fall.

2013 AJGA Player Representative Nicole Morales of South Salem, N.Y., most recently came off a victory at the Thunderbird International Junior in May. Morales has three AJGA wins in her career, as well as eight top-10 finishes in AJGA competition. The 2014 grad sits at No. 3 in the Polo Golf Rankings and No. 2 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings.

Milledgeville, Ga., native Ashlan Ramsey has two AJGA victories under her belt and 11 top-three AJGA finishes. The Clemson commit is a two-time first-team Rolex Junior All-American and is No. 4 in the Polo Golf Rankings and Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. She will compete in her second PING Junior Solheim Cup after helping Team USA to victory in 2011.

Bethany Wu of Diamond Bar, Calif., earned her first AJGA Invitational win at the 2013 ANNIKA Invitational to add to her two previous top finishes at the 2012 AJGA Junior at Centennial and the 2009 Preseason Junior at Oak Valley. Wu, a 2012 second-team Rolex Junior All-American, has nine top-three AJGA finishes in her career. The 2015 grad has given a verbal commitment to UCLA and is currently No. 5 in the Polo Golf Rankings.

Five-time AJGA champion Karen Chung of Livingston, N.J., most recently picked up a win at the 2013 Goodman Networks Junior at Traditions. The three-time first-team Rolex Junior All-American has had 16 top-three finishes in her career. The 2013 grad is committed to play at the University of Southern California in the fall. Chung is currently the No. 6 player in the Polo Golf Rankings and will compete in her second PING Junior Solheim Cup.

Brea, Calif., native Amy Lee currently holds the No. 7 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings. Lee has nine top-five AJGA finishes and two victories. Her accolades with the AJGA have made her a two-time Rolex Junior All-American. The rising high school junior has made a verbal commitment to play for University of Southern California.
Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, Calif., is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and will represent the West Team at the Wyndham Cup for the second year. She posted a 3-1-0 record in 2012. Lee sits at No. 8 in the Polo Golf Rankings and has earned 11 top-five finishes in national competition.

Casey Danielson of Osceola, Wis., is the No. 5 player on the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. The 2011 W. Duncan MacMillan Classic at Rush Creek champion has collected six top-five AJGA finishes, helping her earn Rolex Junior All-America honors twice. Danielson will play for Stanford University this fall.

Rising high school junior, Samantha Wagner of Windermere, Fla., has collected six top-five AJGA finishes and two wins en route to her No. 11 spot in the Polo Golf Rankings. The three-time Rolex Junior All-American has given her verbal commitment to the University of Florida.

Casie Cathrea of Livermore, Calif., is the No. 3 player on the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. She has two top-five finishes in AJGA events, including a T4 showing at the 2012 The PING Invitational. At the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open, Cathrea earned low-amateur honors with a final-round, 2-under-par 70 at Sebonack Golf Club. Cathrea closed the week at 9-over-par 297.This fall, Cathrea will take her talents to the Oklahoma State University women’s golf team.

At No. 14 in the Polo Golf Rankings, Alexandra Kaui of Las Vegas, is a two-time Rolex Junior All-American and claimed two AJGA victories in 2011 at the Genesis Junior Championship and the Las Vegas Junior Open. The Oklahoma University commit has collected nine top-five AJGA finishes and will compete in her first Wyndham Cup this year representing the West Team.

Tucson, Ariz., native Krystal Quihuis will compete in her first Wyndham Cup as a member of the West Team in 2013. Quihuis currently sits at No. 15 in the Polo Golf Rankings behind the strength of five top-10 AJGA finishes including a win at the 2013 Winn Grips Heather Farr Classic hosted by Longbow Golf Club.

About the PING Junior Solheim Cup

The PING Junior Solheim Cup is owned and hosted by PING and will be operated by the American Junior Golf Association with assistance from the Ladies Professional Golf Association and the Ladies European Tour.

Founded by Karsten and Louise Solheim, the Karsten Manufacturing Corporation is a long-time sponsor of the LPGA and AJGA. As the makers of PING golf equipment, the Solheim family continues to ensure the same superior workmanship today that they built into their original clubs more than 46 years ago. Now under the direction of John Solheim, Karsten and Louise’s youngest son, the company continues in its efforts to manufacture the highest quality golf equipment. The PING name is known world over. Besides its presence in the United States, PING markets custom-fit and custom-built equipment to more than 70 countries.

For more information on the PING Junior Solheim Cup, please visit the tournament website and priority list. If you have photo or player information requests, please do not hesitate to contact Abby Liebenthal, AJGA Manager of Communications at aliebenthal@ajga.org and (419) 367-9774.

Twelve named to PING Junior Solheim Cup United States Team

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