Solheim Cup:Veteran Laura Diaz and rookie Nicole Castrale have been selected as captain's picks by US skipper Betsy King for next month's Solheim Cup against Europe.
Diaz and Castrale round off a 12-strong team that also includes Paula Creamer, Natalie Gulbis, Pat Hurst, Juli Inkster, Cristie Kerr, Brittany Lincicome, Stacy Prammanasudh, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford and Sherri Steinhauer.
The leading 10 players in the Solheim Cup points standings after the Safeway Classic ended in Portland, Oregon, on Sunday automatically qualified for the Ryder Cup-style competition.
"I feel honoured to be captain of this year's team," King told a news conference. "It's a good combination of veterans, such as Juli Inkster, and rookies.
"I know it will be a tough time for us, but hopefully we're up to the challenge.
"There really is no greater experience than playing in the Solheim Cup. I was very fortunate to be on the first five teams and it was truly the highlight of my career."
Diaz, who has played in the last three Solheim Cups, was widely tipped as a captain's pick in a US team that features four rookies in Castrale, Lincicome, Prammanasudh and Pressel.
"I thought that was very important, particularly going over to Sweden, to have someone that had played over there before," King said.
"It's a little bit of a different time when you're over in Europe playing, you're not drawing a lot of people rooting for you.
"You have to be pretty self-motivated, and I took that into consideration with my picks."
The Solheim Cup will be played at Halmstad Golf Club in south-west Sweden from September 14th-16th when holders the US will bid for a seventh victory. The Americans, who won the last edition at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana, in 2005, lead 6-3 in the series.
