Irish sisters, Lisa and Leona Maguire, have been paired together for the opening foursomes matches at the 2011 PING Junior Solheim Cup which starts at Knightsbrook Hotel Spa & Golf Resort on Tuesday.
The 16 year-old twins from Slieve Russell go out in the second match at 8.11 am when they will be pitted against a strong American duo comprising Emma Talley from Princeton, Kentucky, and MacKenzie Talbert, who lives in North Augusta, South Carolina, and was the winner of this year’s Sea Pines Junior Heritage tournament at Harbour Town.
The Maguires will be competing in the biennial contest for the second time after making their debuts during the defeat at Aurora Golf Club, Illinois, two years ago. That was the fifth match in a series which stretches back to 2002 and on each occasion to date victory has gone to the home side.
This year the Maguire twins are part of a strong European side that also contains three golfers from France, two from England and one apiece from Belgium, Germany, Spain, Sweden and Wales.
The honour of leading the home team out in the opening foursomes goes to English duo, Charley Hull and Lauren Taylor, who are full English internationals and are both members of Woburn Golf and Country Club, Bedfordshire, where they play a lot of golf together. Hull, the English Ladies’ Stroke Play Champion, and Taylor, the reigning British Amateur Champion, face Mariah Stackhouse and Jay Marie Green, the winner at this year’s South Atlantic Amateur.
Welsh girl, Amy Boulden, is paired with Sweden’s Emma Nilsson and will face Kyung Kim and Summar Roachell in the third match on the course. They are followed by the strong French duo of Manon Gidali and Celine Boutier, who are up against Esther Lee and Gabriella Then.
The third French team member, Emilie Alonso, goes out in the fifth match, partnered by Spain’s Luna Sobron against Lindsey Weaver and Ashlan Ramsey, while German champion, Antonia Scherer and Belgium’s Margaux Vanmol, winner of the recent British Girls’ Championship, bring up the rear against Karen Chung and Alison Lee.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome the Americans and hope they have a great time here at Knightsbrook,” said Liselotte Neumann, the former British and American Women’s Open champion who captain’s this year’s European PING Junior Solheim Cup side.
“We can’t wait to get started,” she added. “Our preparations have gone well and we are confident we can win back the trophy we lost two years ago.”
“It’s great to be here in Ireland and to get this opportunity to captain this talented American side,” commented Meg Mallon, the US Captain, who won four majors, including two US Opens. “We are the holders but we are all aware how tough it will be to retain the trophy over the next two days.
This year’s PING Junior Solheim Match begins with six foursomes matches tomorrow (Tuesday) morning followed by six fourball matches in the afternoon. The match concludes on Wednesday with 12 singles matches, starting at 8.00 am. Both teams will then be special guests at the Solheim Cup, being staged at Killeen Castle from Friday to Sunday.
Round 1 (Foursomes Matches)
08.00 - Lauren Taylor and Charley Hull v Mariah Stackhouse and Jaye Marie Green
08.11 - Lisa Maguire and Leona Maguire v Emma Talley and McKenzie Talbert
08.22 - Amy Boulden and Emma Nilsson v Kyung Kim and Summar Roachell
08.33 - Manon Gidali and Celine Boutier v Esther Lee and Gabriella Then
08.44 - Emilie Alonso and Luna Sobron v Lindsey Weaver and Ashlan Ramsay
08.55 - Antonia Scherer and Margaux Vanmol v Karen Chung and Alison Lee
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