RANCHO MIRAGE, California, March 28, 2012 (AFP) - Sweden's Liselotte Neumann has been named the captain of the European team for next year's Solheim Cup USA v European women's match play golf tournament in Colorado.
"I am extremely happy and honored to have been selected as the European Solheim Cup Captain in 2013," Neumann said Wednesday at a press conference on the eve of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first women's major of the year.
"This event has always been very special for women's golf and it brings back wonderful memories of my years on the team. I want to thank the selection committee and the players for placing their trust in me and I look forward to the challenge of defending the title on US soil next year."
Next year's Solheim Cup will be held August 16-18 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colorado.
Neumann, 45, represented Europe six times as a Solheim Cup player and was assistant to captain Alison Nicholas in 2009.
She'll try to build on Europe's success in 2011 at Killeen Castle in Ireland by leading Europe to their first victory in the United States.
However, she admitted she didn't initially want the job. She had asked to be removed from consideration for the captaincy before a string of players contacted her encouraging her to reconsider.
"Getting those notes from some of the players really got me thinking again.' Am I going to miss out on this if I don't do this?' I might never get the opportunity again," Neumann said. "I put my name back on the list and I got the OK. I'm very honored, and it feels great to have that support."