The 2011 Solheim Cup takes place at Killeen Castle in Ireland. While Europe trails the competition, winning three to the Americans' eight victories, all of Europe's wins have come on European soil. Alison Nicholas will reprise her role as European captain in 2011.
Jones' selection is a little surprising. Not because she isn't deserving - she certainly is - but because Meg Mallon, an assistant to Captain Beth Daniel in 2009, had been considered the strong favorite. But Mallon is certain to be a captain, and is younger than Jones so has more time to wait.
So we know the 2011 captains are Rosie Jones and Alison Nicholas. Who will be the Solheim Cup captains over the following decade? Here's a guess:
| U.S. | Europe | |
| 2013 | Juli Inkster | Annika Sorenstam |
| 2015 | Meg Mallon | Trish Johnson |
| 2017 | Sherri Steinhauer | Liselotte Neumann |
| 2019 | Pat Hurst | Iben Tinning |
| 2021 | Laura Diaz | Catriona Matthew |
I've left out two obvious candidates: Dottie Pepper and Laura Davies. Pepper because her broadcast career has put distance between herself and the LPGA players (especially with her "choking dogs" comment at the 2007 Solheim Cup); Davies because she's said she's not interested in captaining. And when Davies says she doesn't want to do something, she usually doesn't do it.
And Inkster gets to jump ahead of Mallon in 2013 because the Solheim Cup is scheduled for Colorado Golf Club, with which Inkster has a loose association: Her instructor, Mike McGetrick, is one of the founders and is a managing partner. Inkster attended the news conference at which CGC's host duties were announced.
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