Pat Hurst, who grew up in San Leandro and played at San Jose State, has been named Captain of the United States team for the Solheim Cup for the matches in September of 2021 at the Inverness Club https://invernessclub.com in Toledo, Ohio.
The 50-year-old Hurst has served as an assistant captain to Juli Inkster, another San Jose State alum, in the last three Solheim Cups, two of them won by the Americans—who hold a 10-6 lead in the biennial competition.
Hurst called her time as an assistant captain as “some of the greatest experiences of my professional career.”
“Now that I’ve been blessed with this great honor and awesome responsibility, I’m giving it all I’ve got,” said Hurst, who has won six times on the LPGA Tour, including the 1998 Nabisco Dinah Shore.
“I loved being an assistant captain; loved what I’d learned and seen being around captain Juli Inkster and all those great players on the last three American Solheim Cup teams. I loved being out on the first tee in that amphitheater setting with sound so loud you could feel it.
“ … I think I’ve built a lot of trust with the players.”
Hurst said she probably will stick with the “pod system” utilized by Inkster during her tenure as captain, in which the players are grouped together according to their personalities to create interchangeable and hopefully successful pairings options.
Hurst, who is an assistant coach to Dana Dormann at San Jose State, played on the U.S. Solheim Cup teams in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2007, posting a 10-7-3 record.
Before enrolling at San Jose State, Hurst claimed the 1986 USGA Girls’ National Championship and later won the 1990 United States Women’s Amateur Championship.
As a sophomore, she won the NCAA Individual Championship while helping the Spartans win the team title.
After being a two-time All-American at San Jose State, Hurst turned pro and was selected LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 1995.
Catroina Matthew of Scotland will be Captain of the European Team for the second straight Solheim Cup.
