Epalinges, Switzerland: The European Golf Association (EGA) has confirmed the first nine players of the European Patsy Hankins Trophy team that will take on Asia-Pacific at La Manga Resort, Spain from August 3-5.
The Patsy Hankins Trophy is a three-day match between the best female amateur players from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. The contest, which parallels the Solheim Cup format, will take place for the first time in five years after the previous edition was cancelled due to Covid restrictions.
Selection for the team recognises the players’ outstanding achievements in the amateur game. The nine players will be joined by three further selections following this week’s European Team Championships.
Spain’s Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, currently third in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), will be the highest ranked player on the team. The European side will also feature six other players ranked inside the WAGR top-50.
Germany’s Helen Briem, Belgian Savannah De Bock, Spaniards Fernandez and Rocio Tejedo and Sweden’s Meja Örtengren all recently represented the Continent of Europe in the Vagliano Trophy match. Ireland’s Beth Coulter and English duo Lottie Woad and Charlotte Heath also competed in the match for Great Britain & Ireland.
All nine players will be making their first appearance at the Patsy Hankins Trophy and will have the task of bringing Europe its first victory in the match. The Asia-Pacific team has won both editions played so far since the inauguration of the match in 2016.
The Patsy Hankins Trophy is a biennial match between 12-player female teams from Europe and Asia-Pacific. The EGA selects the European team, while the Asia-Pacific side is fielded by the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC).
The contest and trophy are named in memory of Patsy Hankins, a former golf administrator from New Zealand. Her legacy as a trail-blazer in golf administration grew due to her long list of achievements and kind and gentle approach. From fostering the development of the women’s game to playing a key role in the merging of men’s and women’s golf, Hankins was incredibly influential and will leave a long-lasting legacy in the game not only in New Zealand but around the world.
The Patsy Hankins Trophy takes place over three days. Five foursomes matches in the morning and five fourball matches in the afternoon are played on both of the first two days. On the final day, all 12 players complete singles matches. With 32 total points on offer (one for a win, 0.5 for a half and 0 for a loss), 16.5 points are needed to secure victory. The format mirrors the Solheim Cup, except for one additional match in each of the four sessions over the first two days.
This year’s match will be the third edition between the two sides since the event was inaugurated in 2016. In the last match, at Doha Golf Club in Qatar, the Asia-Pacific side dominated against a European team missing several highly ranked players.
The contest is played in parallel with the equivalent match for men, the Bonallack Trophy.
EGA Team: Helen Briem (Germany); Beth Coulter (Ireland); Savannah De Bock (Belgium); Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (Spain); Francesca Fiorellini (Italy); Charlotte Heath (England); Meja Örtengren (Sweden); Rocio Tejedo (Spain); Lottie Woad (England).
Asia-Pacific Team: Mizuki Hashimoto (Japan); Maddison Hinson-Tolchard (Australia); Huang Ting-hsuan (Chinese Taipei); Nanako Inagaki (Japan); Kim Min-sol (Korea); Park Ye-ji (Korea); Caitlin Peirce (Australia); Avani Prashanth (India); Shannon Tan (Singapore); Rina Tatematsu (Thailand); Elaine Widjaja (Indonesia); Fiona Xu (New Zealand).