The Solheim Cup was announced after the RICOH Women’s British Open Golf Tournament on Aug. 2, 2009. Beth Daniel Captain for American Team and Alison Nicholas Captain for the European team for this year’s event to be held Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois on August 17 to 23rd 2009.

Solheim Cup teams include 12 players who earn their way through the point system for two years. Paula Creamer and Gwladys Nocera were the winning point players for the Unites States and European teams. The first ten players are automatically on the team and the Team Captains are given two or three extra picks from the remaining players. The qualifying points are earned weekly and are graduated from 60 for winning official LPGA tournaments on down to 3 points for 20th place.

The United States team: Paula Creamer. Christie Kerr, Angela Stanford, Kristy McPherson, Nicole Castrale, Christina Kim, Brittany Lang, Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, and Natalie Gulbis had earned their way into this year’s tournament.

The European team: Gwladys Nocera, Tania Elosegyui, Diana Luna, Laura Davies, Sophie Gustafson qualified via the official points system, Suzann Pettersen, Helen Alfredsson, Catriona Matthew, Maria Hjorth qualified from the Rolex rankings.

Each Captain was given extra picks to make up the 12 team roster. Beth Daniel picked Michelle Wie and Julie Inkster. Alison Nichols had three team members to pick and chose Becky Brewerton, Janice Moodie and Anna Nordqvist to make up her 12 person team. Choosing the extra team members was a tough job for the captains as they had to look as type of player’s qualifications plus personalities and help for the team.

The Solheim Cup is much like the Ryder Cup of the men’s tournaments and players illustrate tradition, prestige and passion for their country and love of the game of golf. Players of both teams gain so much for this unique experience of playing as an individual and also as a team. They all feel the honor to represent their countries and the patriotism and excitement of this type of tournament. It is also a great event for the fans when it is held in their country but also for the television audience.

The golf course for the Solheim Cup is Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Il and for any person wishing to attend this event should check out the web site of this course at www.richharvestfarms.com. This web site has a full lay out of the golf course with a map that shows were it is located. The course was the dream of Jerry and Betty Rich by acquiring adjacent land to a 1,821 acre farm and eventually went from a one hole golf hole into three then six then in 1997 became an 18 hole course. He designed the course himself with a construction company that had not done golf courses and it turned into the 2nd Best New Course in the country.

Jerry Rich was not finished when in 2004 he established the Kids Golf Foundation of Illinois and has introduced over 150,000,000 Illinois children to the game of golf. Each golf hole is named with some unusual markers as Number 3 is called “Snead’s Crotch” that has a dogleg or “Devil’s Elbow” on hole 13 this makes this course a very interesting lay out. It will be fun to watch this Solheim Cup being played on this farm setting, award winning course and the Rich Harvest Farm will be features along with all the players. Good Luck to one and all and may the Games Begin.