Donna Andrews to Captain PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team
International team match play event will be held in Båstad, Sweden, Sept. 10-12, 2007

Donna Andrews, a six-time winner on the LPGA Tour and two-time U.S. Solheim Cup Team member, was selected by PING and the American Junior Golf Association to captain the 2007 PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team.

The PING Junior Solheim Cup, which biennially features the 12 best female junior golfers (ages 12-18) from the United States against the top 12 junior girls from Europe, will be held Sept. 10-12, 2007, at Båstad Golfklubb in Sweden. The event immediately precedes The Solheim Cup at nearby Halmstad Golfklubb Sept. 14-16, 2007.

Donna Andrews won six times on the LPGA Tour.

“I would like to thank the Solheim family for its dedication and support of women’s golf,” Andrews said. “I am very honored to have been selected as the United States team captain, and even though winning is our ultimate goal, I look forward to the opportunity to share my knowledge with the team and teach them more important lessons that can be learned through their golf experiences.”

Andrews, who began her LPGA career in 1990, had her breakout season in 1994 when she claimed three titles. Her victories at the PING Welch’s Championship, ShopRite LPGA Classic and the Nabisco Dinah Shore, her first LPGA major championship, helped land her on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team, which was victorious at The Greenbrier with the help of Andrews’ 2-1-0 record.

She made her way onto the U.S. Solheim Cup Team for the second time in 1998 after winning the Longs Drugs Challenge and finishing runner-up in four consecutive events. She helped the United States win its third consecutive Solheim Cup by posting a 2-2-0 record at Muirfield Village.

“The Solheim Family is very excited to announce its choice of Donna Andrews as the Captain for the 2007 PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team,” said John Solheim, chairman and CEO of PING. “She has had a wonderful career on the LPGA Tour and, as a two-time Solheim Cup competitor, she should be able to bring a lot of excitement to the young U.S. players.”

In her career, she’s finished in the top 10 of the money list three times (1993, 1994, 1998), and along with her six victories, has finished in the top 10 in 77 events.

While a junior golfer, Andrews won the 1983 and 1984 Virginia State Junior Championship and was victorious at five consecutive Virginia State Women’s Amateur Championships (1985-89). She played collegiately at the University of North Carolina and earned second-team All-America honors in 1989.

“We are thrilled that Donna has been named captain of the 2007 PING Junior Solheim Cup Team,” said LPGA Commissioner Carolyn F. Bivens. “She has a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for the game and shares in the spirit of team competition having competed on two U.S. Solheim Cup Teams. I am confident that Donna’s leadership will result in a great experience for her team.”

As the PING Junior Solheim Cup U.S. Team Captain, Andrews will face a European squad led by Catrin Nilsmark, the Swede who captained the European Solheim Cup Team to victory at Barsebäck G&CC in Sweden in 2003 and led the team in the 2005 matches at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Indianapolis.

Next year’s event will mark the fourth PING Junior Solheim Cup, with the United States leading the all-time series 2-1-0. The team hosting the event has won the PING Junior Solheim Cup in all three instances.

Despite a short history, the PING Junior Solheim Cup already has a reputation for showcasing the world’s up-and-coming female junior golfers. Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, Louise Stahle and Minea Blomqvist all participated before turning professional. Paula Creamer, who was 4-2-0 in two PING Junior Solheim Cup appearances, was the first to go on to play on a Solheim Cup Team, helping the United States win at Crooked Stick in 2005 with a 3-1-1 record.

The Solheim Cup, the most prestigious team event in women’s professional golf and sponsored by PING golf equipment, is named in honor of the company’s founder, Karsten Solheim, and his family. It is a biennial, trans-Atlantic team match-play competition featuring the best American-born players from the LPGA and the best European-born players from the Ladies European Tour.

The U.S. Team leads the competition 6-3 and has never lost on home soil. The European Team has won three of the four events held overseas and will be looking to regain the Cup in 2007.

The 2007 Solheim Cup will be played Sept. 14-16 at Halmstad Golfklubb in Halmstad, Sweden, while the 2009 Solheim Cup will return to the United States and be played at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. For more information, log on to www.SolheimCup.com.