LPGA: The US Solheim Cup Team Has 3 Key Fronts

Yesterday, Rosie Jones announced her two captain picks live on the Golf Channel, with lots of uncertainty and surrounding the 10:36 ET broadcast. About half an hour before Jones' TV appearance, Kristy McPherson gave some pointers through her Twitter account:

"

Well...ill b there for the 2013 Solheim Cup in Colorado I promise!!! GO USA!!!

"

Fans and media were more anxious than ever. McPherson's tweet meant that Jones had already made up her mind. Finally, she announced Vicky Hurst and Ryann O'Toole were her captain picks.

With O'Toole as the team's surprise, Rosie Jones has a strong and diverse squad, with three key fronts.

Experience

Juli Inkster is one of the most successful women golfers in history. She has played on eight Solheim Cups, which include 31 matches and a 15-10-6 record for a total of 18 points won (58 percent). She's been on the LPGA Tour since 1983, has won 31 times and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000.

There's no doubting her experience; that's why Jones picked her as her assistant captain. If there's a US player who inspires youngsters, it's Inkster.

Cristie Kerr will also bring her experience to Killeen Castle. The 33-year-old has played on the last five editions of the Solheim Cup (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009) for a total of 20 matches and a 9-9-2 record, which has given 10 points to the US squad.

Angela Stanford might not be the most successful Solheim Cup player, with only nine matches under her belt and a 3-4-3 record, but 10 years on the LPGA, along with 10 professional wins and at least five top-10 finishes in her last five seasons, gives her the experience and consistency needed in a team like this. 

Youth

If there's a player who takes representing her country at heart, that's Paula Creamer. The Pink Panther has won 71 percent of the points she's played and is undefeated in singles (Suzann Pettersen, Maria Hjorth and Laura Davies). This will be Creamer's fourth Solheim.

Morgan Pressel might only be 23 years old, but she has already won two times on the LPGA, including a major, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. Pressel will play in her third Solheim, where she has had important victories, like her singles match in 2007 where she defeated Annika Sörenstam 2&1. 

In 2009, Michelle Wie got into the US Team as a wildcard; after some controversy, she showed that captain Beth Daniels was more than right to choosing her. Wie went on to win 3.5 points for USA and three months later she became a Rolex first-time winner on the LPGA.

Brittany Lincicome has been part of the US Solheim Cup Team twice. In 2007, she lost two matches and halved of another; nonetheless, in 2009, she grabbed her first win along with Brittany Lang in the four balls format. She won again in singles after defeating Sophie Gustafson 3&2.

This will be the second time Brittany Lang will try to help USA to win the Cup. Lang played three matches in 2009, winning one and halving the other two. Since her rookie season in 2006, she has never finished outside the top five at least twice.

The team wouldn't be complete without Christina Kim. The 27-year-old has proved her flashy and unique personality is a basic ingredient in this sort of competition. As most of the players, Kim brings the best of her game while in Solheim. She has played eight matches for a 5-2-1 record.

Rookies

Three seasons on tour and one major title have put Stacy Lewis on the right track. The Ohio native will play for the first time in a Solheim Cup, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. This season she's had seven top-10 finishes, including her title at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and a runner-up finish at the Evian Masters.

Vicky Hurst has been a member of the LPGA since 2009, but her game has taken a pick since last season. She was runner-up at the Hana Bank Championship and earned $409,655. Her recent results put her in the 11th position of the Solheim standings, so she made it to the team via a wild card.

The surprise of the squad is Ryann O'Toole, an LPGA rookie. Despite winning three times on the Futures Tour in 2010, she got conditional status for the 2011 LPGA season. She went to the tour's Q-School but couldn't improve her status. Nevertheless, she finished tied for ninth at the US Women's Open, which put her on track for a better status. She's played seven times and made six cuts so far; her best finish was at last week's Safeway Classic where she tied for fifth.