Anna Nordqvist will now rely on a wildcard pick from Annika Sorenstam if she is to make Europe’s 2017 Solheim Cup team as she will not have played in the minimum number of required Ranking LET events.
This comes after Nordqvist withdrew from the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open last week, meaning she has only played in four events during the LET’s qualifying period with just one more event left in this period.
The Ladies European Tour 2017 Solheim Cup eligibility criteria states that: “To be eligible for selection to be a member of the 2017 European Team, a player must: (b) have played in 6 (six) Ranking Events (excluding the Excluded Championships) during the Qualifying Period as a member of the LET.”
Although ranked 12th in the Rolex Rankings, failing to meet this criteria means the Swede has been removed from both qualifying methods and will rely on a captain’s pick.
However, the world No.12’s health will be of major concern to Sorenstam as it has been reported that Nordqvist told the Expressen – a Swedish newspaper – that she has been suffering from gout fever and may miss this week’s British Open.
“I've been very sick since the week before the US Open, but chose to play that competition unaware of what hit me,” Nordqvist told Expressen. “It may take months before I get completely restored and feel better. I'm still not well and have not been able to swing my golf clubs since the US Open, but I will try to play the British Open next week.”
The illness can take months to recover from and with the Solheim Cup just over two weeks away, Europe could find themselves without their only player inside the world’s top-20.
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