AIG Women’s Open: Solheim Cup hopefuls Albane Valenzuela and Esther Henseleit impress at St Andrews Impressive|Golf

When world No. 1 Nelly Korda challenged defending champions Lilia Vu and Charley Hull to the AIG Girls’s Open victory, many beneath the rankings had one other objective in thoughts.

Korda holds a three-shot lead heading into the weekend across the Previous Course at St. Andrews, the ultimate main of the yr and the ultimate qualifying occasion for subsequent month’s Solheim Cup.

Earlier than Suzann Pettersen introduced her 4 captain choices, the highest two within the European Solheim Cup standings robotically certified for the European workforce, in addition to the underside six within the Rolex Girls’s World Rankings – lObserve Sky Sports activities Information – Monday afternoon.

With Europe anticipated to carry on for probably the most half following a dramatic 14-14 attract Spain in opposition to the defending champions, Pettersson will journey to Scotland this weekend to take a better have a look at her potential gamers and resolve who will Ending her recreation.

Esther Hensleit, one of many gamers set to make her Solheim Cup debut, completed second on the ISPS Handa Girls’s Scottish Open after ending runner-up on the Olympics to high the European standings Ranked second.

Henselet was congratulated by Pettersson after making the lower at St. Andrews, then shot a 6-under 66 within the third spherical to maneuver onto the leaderboard and transfer nearer to a Solheim Cup berth.

“Being a member of the Solheim Cup workforce has been a objective of mine for I do not know what number of years,” Henselet stated. “I am actually enthusiastic about it. It has been a enjoyable summer time.

“I have been taking part in nicely all yr, however I really feel prefer it’s getting higher and higher now. It is enjoyable to be on the golf course in the mean time and I am simply making an attempt to get pleasure from it.”

Henselet’s 66 matched Albane Valenzuela, who was born in the US to a Mexican father and a French mom however has had a profession since transferring to Switzerland as a baby. Qualify for Group Europe.

The world quantity 68’s third spherical ended with a bogey-free end, with Pettersson watching from No. 18 and Valenzuela hoping to safe an computerized spot on the Solheim Cup if she fails to take action Captain’s decide.

“She stated ‘good spherical,'” Valenzuela stated of her postgame dialog with Pettersson. “She stated ‘good struggle’. She was so good.

“Solheim is clearly an enormous objective for me, however I am simply outdoors the bubble. I simply wish to play good golf and I simply advised myself in the beginning of the yr that good golf will maintain itself. That is actually who I’m. will be accomplished.

“There are plenty of nice gamers in Europe and the competitors to get into that workforce may be very robust. It has been an enormous objective of mine since I used to be a child and I really feel like I am near successful that spot. It will likely be A fantastic alternative.

Alexandra Forsterling, who’s outdoors the automated lower, dropped three photographs over her closing three holes to shoot 1-under 71, whereas Bronte Bronte Legislation, Gemma Dryburgh, Anna Nordqvist and Emily Pedersen all didn’t advance.

Hull Metropolis lead Henselet on this week’s European standings with Celine Blair, Maia Stark, Lynn Grant, Leona Maguire, Carlotta Siganda and Madeleine ·Sagerstrom entered the qualifying rounds by means of the world rankings.

Who will qualify for the Solheim Cup? Watch the AIG Girls’s Open reside on Sky Sports activities this week. Watch all 4 rounds of this week’s motion reside on Sky Sports activities Golf, with protection beginning at noon daily! Stream women’s professional events and more with NOW.