Captain Meg Mallon will lead the United States against Europe in the 13th edition of the Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo. Below is a breakdown of the 12 U.S. members, in alphabetical order. Click here for a U.S. team photo gallery and click here for the European team capsules.
Paula Creamer
Age: 27
Record: 11-3-5 (Singles: 3-1)
World ranking: No. 11
Victories: 9 LPGA titles (1 major)
The lowdown: In four Solheim Cup appearances, Creamer has scored 13½ points. Only Juli Inkster, Meg Mallon and Dottie Pepper have scored more on the American side in cup history. Creamer is 3-1 in singles, but her last memory of the competition is a sour one. Catriona Matthew routed Creamer, 6 and 5, in the opening match of the Sunday singles games to set up Europe’s upset of the Americans two years ago in Ireland.
Cristie Kerr
Age: 35
Record: 11-12-3 (Singles: 1-4-1)
World ranking: No. 12
Victories: 16 LPGA titles (2 majors)
The lowdown: Kerr is playing in her seventh Solheim Cup. Only Juli Inkster, Beth Daniel and Meg Mallon have competed in more. A gifted putter makes Kerr a dangerous match play opponent, but her singles record is surprisingly lacking. She has won just one of the six singles matches she has played. The one loss that has to aggravate Kerr more than any other was her concession to Karen Stupples in the anchor match of the 2011 matches, when Kerr couldn’t play because of a painful wrist injury. The Americans came up one victory short of retaining the cup in Ireland.
Jessica Korda
Age: 20
Record: Rookie
World ranking: No. 28
Victories: 1 LPGA title
The lowdown: On a team stacked with big hitters, Korda is one of them, ranking as the sixth longest hitter on tour. She broke through to win the Women’s Australian Open last year for her first LPGA title. While she hasn’t won this year, she has given herself chances with five finishes of T-7 or better. Korda hits a lot of greens and makes a lot of birdies and eagles.
Brittany Lang
Age: 27
Record: 2-3-2 (Singles: 1-0-1)
World ranking: No. 50
Victories: 1 LPGA title
The lowdown: Lang broke through to win her first LPGA title last year. She is yet another long hitter in the American lineup, ranking 20th on tour in driving distance. She has been running warm and cold this year with two missed cuts in her last three starts but three finishes of T-13 or better in her last five LPGA starts.
Stacy Lewis
Age: 28
Record: 1-3 (0-1 Singles)
World ranking: No. 2
Victories: 8 LPGA titles (2 majors)
The lowdown: Fresh off her Ricoh Women’s British Open victory, Lewis has terrific momentum, as well as terrific motivation. Lewis was frustrated by her Solheim Cup experience in the American loss in Ireland. She was 1-3, including a loss to Sophie Gustafson in the second match off in Sunday singles. She was the leading American in the 2013 Solheim Cup points standings.
Brittany Lincicome
Age: 27
Record: 4-6-1 (Singles: 1-2)
World ranking: No. 38
Victories: 5 LPGA titles (1 major)
The lowdown: “Bam Bam” is the LPGA’s third longest hitter, the second longest American on this Solheim Cup team. She can intimidate with her length, but she hasn’t found her best form so far this year, missing more cuts than usual as she has struggled to hit greens and score.
Gerina Piller
Age: 28
Record: Rookie
World ranking: No. 57
Victories: None
The lowdown: If her putting catches up to her ball striking, look out. Piller, a captain’s pick, is the fourth longest hitter on tour. She hits a ton of greens in regulation, but she ranks just 134th in putting average. Still, she’s 23rd on tour in scoring and has five top-10 finishes this season.
Morgan Pressel
Age: 25
Record: 7-2-2 (Singles: 3-0)
World ranking: No. 41
Victories: 2 LPGA titles (1 major)
The lowdown: Pressel’s form is returning after an injury-plagued year. She showed that with her runs into contention at the Wegmans LPGA Championship and Ricoh Women’s British Open this summer. She’s a formidable match-play competitor, having won the U.S. Women’s Amateur and nearly the LPGA’s HSBC Women’s Match Play (3rd) in ’12. She was 4-0 for the U.S. Solheim Cup team in Ireland two years ago.
Lizette Salas
Age: 23
Record: Rookie
World ranking: No. 19
Victories: None
The lowdown: While Salas has never played in a Solheim Cup, or even a Curtis Cup, she showed something on big stages this year, her second season on tour. She finished sixth at the Ricoh Women’s British Open, tied for 20th at the U.S. Women’s Open and played in the final Sunday pairing with Inbee Park at the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She’s a very good putter who isn’t long off the tee but hits a lot of greens and makes a lot of birdies.
Angela Stanford
Age: 35
Record: 3-7-3 (Singles: 2-2)
World ranking: No. 16
Victories: 5 LPGA titles
The lowdown: While she hasn’t won this year, Stanford has been close, playing steady and strong. She takes good form to Denver with five finishes of T-5 or better this year. She hits lots of fairways and greens and she’s seventh in putts per GIR this season. Stanford also should be motivated to rebound from a rough Solheim in Ireland, where she couldn’t find her game while going 0-3.
Lexi Thompson
Age: 18
Record: Rookie
World ranking: No. 26
Victories: 1 LPGA title
The lowdown: The youngest American to compete in Solheim Cup history, Thompson is a power player. She’s the longest hitter on the U.S. roster. Thompson hits a lot of greens but putting hasn’t been her strength. She ranks 109th on tour in putting average.
Michelle Wie
Age: 23
Record: 4-3-1 (Singles: 1-1)
World ranking: No. 82
Victories: 2 LPGA titles
The lowdown: Mallon showed how much faith she has in Wie, making Wie one of her two captain’s picks. Mallon chose Wie over Jennifer Johnson, one of just three Americans who have won this year. Wie is long, and capable of hitting shots few LPGA pros can hit. Her putting, with the unorthodox stance, is coming around, but she has been a non-factor in so many LPGA events the last year, rarely getting herself into contention.
