Spanish Success Puts Pedersen on Top of 2013 PING Junior Solheim Cup European Ranking

Winner Emily Pedersen from Denmark

Denmark’s Emily Pedersen has taken an early lead at the top of the 2013 PING Junior Solheim Cup European Ranking.

16 year-old Pedersen defeated 2012 Junior Ryder Cup team-mate, Linnea Ström, from Sweden, by 5 & 3 in the final of the recent Spanish International Ladies’ Amateur Championship at Pula Golf to claim a 30 point lead at the top of the European Ranking after the first of this year’s six qualifying events.

The next qualifying event will be the French International Lady Junior Championship, to be played at St Cloud Golf Club on March 28 – April 1. The qualification process then takes in the German Girls’ Open at GC St Leon-Rot (June 7-9), the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship at Machynys Peninsula G & CC (June 11 -15) and the European Girls’ Team Championship at  Linköping, Sweden (July 9-13) before concluding at the European Ladies’ Team Championship at Fulford GC, England (July 9-13) when the leading six players from the official Points Table will earn an automatic place in the European side. The six qualifiers will be joined by a further six Captain’s picks.

Pedersen came into the Spanish event fresh from victory in the Girls’ 16-18 age group title at last December’s Doral Publix Junior Classic, at the Trump National Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Florida, and she reinforced her reputation as one of European’s most promising young players with a superb performance at Pula Golf where she finished fifth in the stroke play qualifier before defeating Spaniards, Irene Rollan and Ha Rang Lee, and French duo, Camille Chevalier and Anyssia Herbaut, on the way to defeating Ström, in the 18-hole final.

Ström was the winner of the 2012 Swedish U-21 Match Play and Stroke Play titles and also the 2012 ANNIKA Invitational Europe.

The 2013 Spanish International Ladies’ Amateur Championship was dominated by players who could qualify for places in the European team at this year’s PING Junior Solheim Cup. France’s Shannon Aubert and Sweden’s Jessica Vasilic, who occupied the top-two places in the 36-hole stroke play qualifier are both eligible for the team as are both the finalists, semi-finalist Herbaut and quarter-finalists Vasilic, her compatriot Emma Svensson and Anne Van Dam from The Netherlands.

The leading eight players on the European Ranking after the Spanish event are: Emily Pedersen (Denmark), Linnea Ström (Sweden), Shannon Aubert (France), Jessica Vasilic (Sweden), Anyssia Herbaut (France), Emma Svensson (Sweden), Anne Van Dam (The Netherlands) and Leonie Harm (Germany).

Leading golf manufacturing company PING is the founder, owner and title sponsor of the PING Junior Solheim Cup. The contest pits the 12 best European junior girl golfers (born 1995 or later) against the 12 best junior girl golfers from the United States.

This year’s PING Junior Solheim Cup is to be played at The Inverness Golf Club, on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, on August 13-14. It always takes place immediately ahead of The Solheim Cup, which this year will be played on August 16-18, just 20 minutes away from The Inverness Club.

Runner-up Linnea Ström, Sweden and Winner Emily Pedersen, Denmark

The updated European PING Junior Solheim Cup Ranking, plus more news and event information can be found on www.solheimcupeurope.com. 

European PING Junior Solheim Cup Ranking

The European Team will be announced following the European Girls Team Championship, Linköping, Sweden July 9-12, 2013.