Meet the 2009 European Solheim Cup Team

European Captain Alison Nicholas
Solheim Cup Record: 7-8-3
Alison Nicholas is no stranger to The Solheim Cup, having participated as a player on six consecutive occasions beginning with the inaugural event in 1990. She was involved in all three of Europe's victories: as a player in 1992 and 2000 and as assistant captain in 2003. She was also assistant captain in 2005 before becoming Captain of the 2009 European Team. As a player, Nicholas owns a 7-8-3 record, scoring 8.5 points in Solheim Cup play. A life member of the Ladies European Tour (LET), Nicholas amassed 18 victories around the world including 12 wins on the LET and four wins on the LPGA. Her proudest moment came in 1997, when she won the U.S. Women's Open, where she held off Nancy Lopez to win her first career major. That year, Nicholas also won the European Order of Merit and was awarded the MBE for services to golf by Her Majesty the Queen. After a glittering 20-year career, Nicholas retired from competitive play in 2004. She now concentrates on teaching at The Alison Nicholas Golf Academy in Birmingham, England.

Assistant Captain Liselotte Neumann
Solheim Cup Record: 6-10-5
Sweden's Liselotte Neumann came to the LPGA in 1988 and won the U.S. Women's Open that same year, when she was also the LPGA Rookie of the Year. In doing so, she inspired a new generation of Swedish golfers including the likes of Helen Alfredsson, Annika Sorenstam, Carin Koch, Maria Hjorth and Sophie Gustafson. Neumann is a six-time European Solheim Cup Team member. She scored 8.5 points during her Solheim Cup career, including 2.5 points in Europe's one-point triumph over the United States in 1992. She will serve as a first-time assistant captain under Alison Nicholas. A Life Member of the Ladies European Tour (LET), Neumann's 27 worldwide victories include 11 on the LET and 13 on the LPGA. In 2000, she was recognized as one of the LPGA's top 50 players and teachers.

Assistant Captain Joanne Morley
Solheim Cup Record: 0-2-0
Joanne Morley serves as a first-time assistant captain under Alison Nicholas, with whom she was a Solheim Cup teammate in 1996. Her experience as a European Team helper for several years, including assisting Nicholas when she was an assistant captain, will also aid Morley in her newest role. Over a 15-year career, Morley has competed on both sides of the Atlantic on the Ladies European Tour (LET) and LPGA Tour. She finished second during her LET debut in 1994 and won two titles at the 1996 and 2000 German Opens. She joined the LPGA in 1997, where her career- best finish was third at the 2000 Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open. A native of Sale in Cheshire, England, Morley enjoys reading, music and crown green bowling, along with many other sports.

Helen Alfredsson
Solheim Cup Record: 10-12-2
Helen Alfredsson brings a wealth of experience to the European Solheim Cup Team, having made seven successive appearances in the event as a competitor from 1990-2002 and as the 2007 Solheim Cup Captain at Halmstad in her native Sweden. As a player, she owns a 10-12-2 record, having scored 11 points for Europe with 10 wins and two halves from 24 matches. The 44-year-old from Gothenburg was a popular captain of the 2007 Solheim Cup and of the 2003 European PING Junior Solheim Cup Team. This will be her eighth appearance as a competitor and her first for seven years. Alfredsson qualified for the team thanks to a wonderful resurgence in her career after overcoming a back injury. In 2008, she won her first two tournaments since 2003: the Evian Masters, where she defeated Angela Park and Na Yeon Choi in a threehole, sudden-death playoff; and the Grand China Air LPGA, where she crossed the $5 million mark in career earnings. She previously crossed the $4 million mark in career earnings with her runner-up finish at the U.S. Women's Open. She also tied for second at the Safeway Classic Presented by Pepsi with Sophie Gustafson after losing a one-hole, sudden-death playoff to Cristie Kerr. Alfredsson now lives in Orlando, with her husband Kent Nilsson, a former NHL ice hockey player.

Becky Brewerton
Solheim Cup Record: 1-1-1
Wales native Becky Brewerton is making her second consecutive appearance on the European Solheim Cup Team, having last appeared in the biennial competition in 2007, when she was the first Welsh player to qualify for the team. Brewerton's start on the Ladies European Tour (LET) in 2004 followed an exemplary amateur career, where she won a number of international tournaments and represented Great Britain and Ireland as a member of the 2000 Curtis Cup team, as well as at the 2001 and 2003 Vagliano Trophy against the Continent of Europe. She also finished second at the 2003 Tenerife Ladies Open and the Wales WPGA Championship of Europe as an amateur. In her fourth season on Tour, she became a first time professional winner at the 2007 Ladies English Open. She followed up with her second LET victory at the 2009 Open de Espana Femenino in July, which she won by six strokes, having led wire-to-wire. During her debut appearance at The Solheim Cup, Brewerton went 1- 1-1, earning 1.5 points for the European Team. She won her four-ball match playing alongside Solheim Cup European veteran Laura Davies, and halved her singles match against U.S. Team veteran Sherri Steinhauer.

Laura Davies
Solheim Cup Record: 21-16-4
Laura Davies' name is synonymous with The Solheim Cup. She is the only person - from both the European and U.S. Teams - to have played in every Solheim Cup since its inception in 1990. She has amassed the second largest points total in the history of The Solheim Cup with 23, just one point behind Sweden's Annika Sorenstam. She has also played the most matches: 41 of 43. In her last Solheim Cup appearance in 2007, Davies won 1.5 points and was successfully paired for the four-balls with Becky Brewerton. Laura Jane Davies, CBE, is considered the most accomplished English female golfer of modern times. A born entertainer, she has often delighted the galleries with her charismatic style and powerful play. To date, her staggering career has included 72 tournament victories, including four major championships. Her most recent victory came at the 2009 Women's Australian Open. Her early career was dominated by a memorable victory at the 1987 U.S. Women's Open and for six days "LD" was the holder of both the U.S. and British Open titles. In 1994, she was the first golfer, man or woman, to win on five different tours in a calendar year. She has topped the Ladies European Tour's money list a record seven times, most recently in 2006. She currently resides in Surrey, England.

Tania Elosegui
Solheim Cup Record: N/A
Spanish native Tania Elosegui qualified for the 2009 European Solheim Cup Team for the first time in her career after enjoying a breakout year on the Ladies European Tour (LET). After turning professional in 2006, she made her presence known in her first three years on Tour, recording six top-10s in 20 starts in 2008, followed by a further four top-10 finishes so far in 2009. She claimed her maiden win at the 2009 ABN AMRO Ladies Open in the Netherlands, overcoming a two-stroke deficit to deny Italian Diana Luna by a stroke at Eindhovensche Golf in Eindhoven. The richly deserved victory was the first of the 27-year-old Spaniard's fouryear career and followed five runner-up finishes, including her most recent to England's Laura Davies at the Women's Australian Open. Elosegui is part of a wave of fresh new talent hitting the Ladies European Tour winner's circle this year and she is fast becoming one of the Tour's dominant players. She can often be spotted on Tour with her Spanish coach: the veteran LPGA and former LET professional Marta Figueras Dotti. Elosegui, who resides in the town of San Sebastian, also has a notable amateur career and was a two-time gold medalist at the European Team Championships.

Sophie Gustafson
Solheim Cup Record: 8-9-6
A six-time European Solheim Cup Team veteran (1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007), Sophie Gustafson is making her seventh consecutive appearance in the biennial match-play event. Since her Cup debut, the Swede has amassed 11 points for her team - the highlight of which was a three-point contribution to Europe's victorious 2003 campaign.
In her six Solheim Cup appearances, Gustafson has posted an 8-9-6 record, most recently finishing 0-2-2 in 2007. She is a Life Member of the Ladies European Tour and won the Tour's Money List for the third time in 2007. Over a glittering 15-year career Gustafson has earned 22 career victories, most recently winning the 2007 De Vere Ladies Scottish Open. Her most prolific season came in 2003 when she was victorious at the Ladies Irish Open, the BT Northern Ireland Open and the HP Open in Sweden, as well as the Samsung World Championship and the Catalonia World Matchplay Championship. The 35-year-old now resides in Florida with husband Ty Votaw.

Maria Hjorth
Solheim Cup Record: 3-6-3
Maria Hjorth makes her fourth appearance as a member of the European Solheim Cup Team. She made her Cup debut in 2002, earning her way onto the side at the last minute with a second-place finish at the Wales WPGA Championship of Europe. That year, she won one point alongside Iben Tinning in the Saturday four-ball match. She returned to The Solheim Cup in 2005 to score another point, this time partnering Laura Davies in their foursomes victory over Cristie Kerr and Natalie Gulbis. In 2007, she scored 2.5 points, with a 3&2 Friday foursomes victory over Natalie Gulbis and Morgan Pressel, partnering with Gwladys Nocera. She has enjoyed success on the Ladies European Tour, where she won back-to-back victories at the Ladies English Open in 2004 and 2005, as well as on the LPGA Tour, where she recorded her third career LPGA victory at the 2007 Navistar LPGA Classic. In 2008, Hjorth recorded a season-best runner-up finish at the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, where she lost a four-hole, sudden death playoff to Yani Tseng. Hjorth, originally from Falun, Sweden, resides in Orlando, Fla., with her husband Shaun McBride and daughter Emily, born in February this year.

Diana Luna
Solheim Cup Record: N/A
Diana Luna is making history as the first Italian player on the European Solheim Cup Team. The seven-year Ladies European Tour player is making her first appearance after a break-out season, during which she won two tournaments back-to-back. Despite a five-year wait after winning her first tournament, the 2004 Tenerife Ladies Open, Luna managed to win two tournaments over a magical seven-day period this July. At the AIB Ladies Irish Open supported by Failte Ireland, she defeated a trio of players at Portmarnock Links near Dublin, claiming her second Ladies European Tour victory. She secured her third Tour title at the SAS Ladies Masters in Norway, just six days later (thanks to an unusual Saturday finish). Luna has racked up an additional six top-10 finishes over the 2008 and 2009 seasons, including a second place at the 2009 ABN AMRO Ladies Open in the Netherlands, which earned valuable Solheim Cup points. Luna, who was born in Rome, resides in Cannes, France, with her husband Orlandini del Beccuto, an Italian of noble descent. She enjoys many hobbies including fashion, tennis, cooking and dancing, reading, fitness and traveling.

Catriona Matthew
Solheim Cup Record: 9-6-2
Scottish star Catriona Matthew makes her fifth Solheim Cup appearance following her recent major championship victory at the RICOH Women's British Open. Matthew made her Cup debut in 1998 but had to wait a full five years until making her second appearance in 2003, when she was selected as one of five captain's picks by Catrin Nilsmark. At Barsebäck, Matthew was a rock, earning Europe 3.5 points, the most important of which came during the singles when she defeated Rosie Jones 3&1 to reclaim The Solheim Cup for Europe. In 2005, Matthew earned 2.5 points followed by another 2.5 in 2007, taking her points total to 10. Matthew has been particularly strong in singles competition, with a 3-1-0 record. She has only lost once in the singles, to Sherri Steinhauer in 1998. The North Berwick, Scotland, resident became a mother for the second time in May to second daughter Sophie Lauren, who joined two-year-old Katie. Matthew was back on Tour for the first time since the birth at the Evian Masters in July. She then won the RICOH Women's British Open the following week. Matthew owns two additional LPGA victories: the 2004 Wendy's Championship for Children, where she defeated Hee-Won Han on the first hole of a suddendeath playoff. She owns a further three international titles, including the 2007 Scandinavian TPC Hosted by Annika on the Ladies European Tour. Matthew is married to Graeme, who also serves as her caddie.

Janice Moodie
Solheim Cup Record: 6-1-1
Janice Moodie was selected as a captain's pick by European Captain Alison Nicholas and will make her third appearance on the European Team, following the 2000 and 2003 editions. She has a formidable Solheim Cup record, having won 81.25 percent of her matches — more than any other player in Solheim Cup history from both the U.S. and European Teams. She has won 6.5 points in Solheim Cup competition and owns a 6-1-1 record. Moodie is undefeated in singles, having won both of her matches. In fact, she has only lost one of the eight matches in which she has played. Having turned professional in 1997, Moodie has earned two LPGA victories in her 12 year career: the 2000 ShopRite LPGA Classic and the 2002 Asahi Ryokuken International Championship at Mount Vintage. She started playing golf at the age of 11 and although a proud Scot, has based herself in America for a number of years. She married Tim Carnevale in 2002. They have one son, Craig.

Gwladys Nocera
Solheim Cup Record: 2-3-1
In her seven-year career, Frenchwoman Gwladys Nocera has established herself as one of the most well-respected players on the Ladies European Tour (LET). She qualified for her third European Solheim Cup Team appearance as the leading points' scorer this year after a wonderful 2008 season, where she recorded five victories in Scotland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Spain. En route to winning the 2008 Goteborg Masters in Sweden, she returned the best 72-hole score in the LET's 30- year history, 29-under-par 259, which broke Laura Davies' 13-year-old previous record in relation to par. The 34-year-old from Moulins has scored 2.5 points and holds a 2-3-1 overall record in Solheim Cup competition. In her first-ever Solheim Cup in 2005, she defeated Cristie Kerr 2&1 in the singles to help keep European hopes of a first away victory alive. Nocera's first LET triumph came at the 2006 Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open and she quickly followed up with two further wins in 2006. She added two more titles in 2007 and has accumulated 10 LET trophies over a three-year period in eight different countries. At New Mexico University, Las Cruces, Nocera earned a degree in international business. Away from the course, she enjoys working out and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland.

Anna Nordqvist
Solheim Cup Record: N/A
Swedish native Anna Nordqvist is making her debut appearance on the 2009 European Solheim Cup Team, as a rookie. The 22-year-old was selected by European Captain Alison Nicholas. Her win at the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, which is a major championship, helped her to earn a spot on the 2009 European Team. For Nordqvist, earning a place on the team is one of many dreams to come true this season. Having turned professional on Jan. 1, she started the year by winning the Ladies European Tour's qualifying school tournament in Spain by three strokes, after also gaining limited playing status on the LPGA Tour. Winning her first tournament so quickly changed that and, in addition to earning the $300,000 winner's check and major champion title, Nordqvist no longer had to go through sectional qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open. She had played with the composure of a veteran over the Bulle Rock Golf Course and attributed her win to strong putting, which of course is all important in match play. Even prior to her victory she had shown her enthusiasm for making the 2009 European Solheim Cup Team by practicing at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois with fellow Swede Louise Stahle. Nordqvist, who hails from Eskilstuna, attended Arizona State University and now resides in Arizona. She had a wonderful amateur career, during which she represented Europe on the PING Junior Solheim Cup Team in 2005.

Suzann Pettersen
Solheim Cup Record: 8-3-5
No stranger to the European Solheim Cup Team, Suzann Pettersen is making her fifth successive appearance in the event. The 28-year-old Norwegian has scored 10.5 points since her Cup debut in 2002 and has amassed an 8- 3-5 overall record. Suzann Pettersen's name will always be associated with Europe's Solheim Cup victory at Barsebäck. The Norwegian holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the final hole of Saturday's four-ball matches allowing her and partner Annika Sorenstam to defeat Kelly Robbins and Laura Diaz, 1 up, giving Europe a three-point lead heading into the singles matches. After a back injury, she was selected as a pick for 2005 and did not disappoint, earning three points out of four at Crooked Stick. In 2007 at Halmstad, Pettersen won two points in total, claiming a full point in the four-balls partnering Annika Sorenstam. Pettersen has earned four Ladies European Tour victories, including the 2008 Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open and the AIB Ladies Irish Open. On the LPGA, she won five titles in 2007: the Michelob ULTRA Open at Kingsmill, the McDonald's LPGA Championship Presented by Coca-Cola, where she crossed the $1 million mark in season earnings; the Longs Drugs Challenge, where she defeated Lorena Ochoa on the second hole of a sudden death playoff; and, in consecutive weeks, went wire-to-wire to win both the Hana Bank • KOLON Championship and Honda LPGA Thailand.