At the 2017 Solheim Cup there will be seven rookies, three on Team USA and four on Team Europe, battling it out to aid their team to success.On Team USA you will find the 2017 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship winner Danielle Kang, Austin Ernst and LPGA Tour rookie Angel Yin. The European team features Ladies European Tour Solheim Cup points list leaders Georgia Hall and Florentyna Parker, and LPGA Tour rookies Emily Kristine Pedersen and Madelene Sagstrom.
One thing is for sure, these players will look for guidance from the more experienced members of the team who have battled under the immense pressure of a Solheim Cup before.But, have you ever wondered which rookies have the best record in their debut appearances since the inaugural Solheim Cup 27 years ago? And, more importantly, which team of rookies would come out on top based on these stats?
Wonder no more, as we put together the best Solheim Cup teams for both the USA and Europe based on win percentages from their debut appearances.
Team USA
Team USA features six players from the inaugural event in 1990, however this comes as no surprise after they dominated the match, picking up 11.5 points to Europe’s 4.5.
Beth Daniel (1990)
- Debut Record: 3-0-0
- Win%: 100%
Beth Daniel was the only player in the field who picked up a 100% record over the three formats. Her biggest win came in the singles as she defeated Liselotte Neumann 7&6.
Pat Bradley (1990)
- Debut Record: 2-1-0
- Win%: 66%
Pat Bradley was another player who completely dominated her singles match, defeating Europe’s Trish Johnson 8&7.
Cathy Gerring (1990)
- Debut Record: 2-1-0
- Win%: 66%
Another member of the 1990 U.S. team, Cathy Gerring also picked up wins in two of the three of her matches, including a 6&5 win in the opening day foursomes alongside Dottie Mochrie.
Betsy King (1990)
- Debut Record: 2-0-1
- Win%: 66%
Although Betsy King has the same win percentage record as three others from the 1990 side, King can also boast that she was unbeaten throughout the event as she halved her singles match against Pam Wright.
Nancy Lopez (1990)
- Debut Record: 2-1-0
- Win%: 66%
Another from the class of 1990 to make the list, Nancy Lopez makes this team after her impressive performance in her first and last showing at a Solheim Cup.
Dottie (Mochrie) Pepper (1990)
- Debut Record: 2-1-0
- Win%: 66%
The now golf commentator was another of the 1990 U.S. team to have a win percentage of 66%. A 6&5 victory in the day-one foursomes and a 4&2 singles win are where the American picked up her points.
Pat Hurst (1998)
- Debut Record: 3-1-0
- Win%: 75%
Pat Hurst won all three of her matches when paired alongside a fellow American and it was only Solheim great Laura Davies who stopped her record being 100% after she defeated Hurst 1 up.
Laura Diaz (2002)
- Debut Record: 3-1-0
- Win%: 75%
After losing her opening day foursomes match 2 down alongside 2017 captain Juli Inkster, Diaz went on to win her next three matches including a 5&3 singles win over Paula Marti.
Emilee Klein (2002)
- Debut Record: 3-1-0
- Win%: 75%
Like Laura Diaz, Emilee Klein also had a 75% win percentage after her debut appearance in 2002, which included a 4&3 win alongside Diaz in the day-one fourballs.
Natalie Gulbis (2005)
- Debut Record: 3-1-0
- Win%: 75%
Natalie Gulbis was a key component of the winning 2005 U.S. Solheim Cup team. Despite losing her first match 2&1 alongside Cristie Kerr, Gulbis rallied to win her remaining three matches.
Michelle Wie (2009)
- Debut Record: 3-0-1
- Win%: 75%
Michelle Wie is one of the five players with a debut win percentage of 75%, but she is the only one who was unbeaten in her four matches. The half point came in her first fourball match alongside Morgan Pressel.
Ryan O’Toole (2011)
- Debut Record: 2-0-2
- Win%: 50%
Although a further three players from the 1990 side had a higher win percentage, O’Toole actually picked up more points (3) as she was unbeaten in all four of her matches.
Overall Points Won: 32
Team Europe
Like Team USA, the European’s also had a leading year of rookies, however these come from Europe’s dominant 2013 team that won 18-10 in Colorado.
Laura Davies (1990)
- Debut Record: 2-1-0
- Win%: 66%
Laura Davies’ incredible Solheim Cup record began in 1990 where she won two of her three matches, including being one of only two Europeans to win in the singles when she defeated
Rosie Jones 3&2.
Catrin Nilsmark (1992)
- Debut Record: 1-0-0
- Win%: 100%
Mickey Walker couldn’t have asked more from Catrin Nilsmark as she won her only match at the 1992 Solheim Cup 3&2 against Team USA’s Meg Mallon.
Lora Fairclough (1994)
- Debut Record: 2-1-0
- Points%: 66%
It was Team USA’s Kelly Robbins who came between Lora Fairclough and a 100% record. Despite defeat in the singles, Fairclough did pick up wins in her fourball and foursomes matches.
Carine Koch (2000)
- Debut Record: 3-0-0
- Win%: 100%
Carine Koch is one of three players with a 100% record as she won all three of her matches 17 years ago in 2000. This included an important 2&1 win in the penultimate singles match.
Janice Moodie (2000)
- Debut Record: 3-1-0
- Win%: 75%
Janice Moodie was another key component of Europe’s winning side in 2000, as her 1 up victory against Nancy Scranton in the final singles match saw Europe win the Solheim Cup for
the first time since 1992.
Linda Wessberg (2007)
- Debut Record: 1-0-1
- Win%: 50%
Although her win percentage may not stand out, Wessberg was unbeaten in her two matches. Her only win came against Cristie Kerr, 1 up, in the Sunday singles.
Diana Luna (2009)
- Debut Record: 1-0-1
- Win%: 50%
Diana Luna has an equivalent record to Wessberg, as she was also unbeaten in her two matches and picked up a win in her singles match against Nicole Castrale, 3&2.
Carlota Ciganda (2013)
- Debut Record: 3-0-0
- Win%: 100%
Carlota Ciganda is the final player with a 100% record in her debut appearance at a Solheim Cup. After winning both of her pairs matches 1 up, Ciganda closed out an untouchable week with a 4&2 victory over Morgan Pressel.
Beatriz Recari (2013)
- Debut Record: 3-1-0
- Win%: 75%
Recari was one of three Spaniards in the European team in 2013 and was faultless aside from a 2&1 defeat alongside Suzann Pettersen in the day-two foursomes against Michelle Wie and Brittany Lang.
Jodi Ewart Shadoff (2013)
- Debut Record: 2-1-0
- Win%: 66%
Jodi Ewart Shadoff will be hoping to recreate the form she showed back in 2013 as she features at this year’s Solheim Cup for a second time. Her stand-out victory came alongside Charley Hull as they dispatched of Paula Creamer and Lexi Thompson, 2 up, in the day-two fourballs.
Charley Hull (2013)
- Debut Record: 2-1-0
- Win%: 66%
Charley Hull became the youngest person to ever play in a Solheim Cup at 17-years-old in 2013, with her 5&4 victory over Paula Creamer in the singles her stand-out performance.
Caroline Masson (2013)
- Debut Record: 2-1-1
- Win%: 50%
Caroline Masson picked up 2.5 points for the winning European side in 2013, including two wins alongside Caroline Hedwall in both foursomes and fourball.
Overall Points Won: 26.5
The final score from these outstanding debutants sees Team USA pick up 32.5 points to Europe’s 26, although the 5.5 point margin over 14 events shows the two teams match up quite closely.
This year’s rookies will be looking to both help their teammates secure victory, as well as possibly make their way onto our all-time best Solheim Cup rookie teams.
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