Juli Inkster, the World Golf Hall of Famer with seven major titles and a record number of Solheim Cup matches under her belt, is dusting off the clubs to play in the LPGA’s team event.
The Dow Championship announced Thursday that the 65-year-old Inkster would team up with Angel Yin next week when 72 two-player teams compete at Midland (Mich.) Country Club.
Inkster won 31 times on the LPGA Tour between 1983 and 2006. She’s continued to compete on the Legends Tour, the ladies’ version of the PGA Tour Champions, and has worked as a Golf Channel analyst.
She also kept playing in the occasional LPGA event, including last August at the Standard Portland Classic, where she nearly became the oldest woman to make the cut at an LPGA event but missed by just one.
Inkster can bring her expertise in team golf to her pairing with Yin. Inkster has played more matches than any American in Solheim Cup history, and her 18.5 points won stood as the U.S. record until Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr exceeded the total.
Inkster captained the U.S. Solheim Cup team in 2015, 2017 and 2019. In 2017, she made an 18-year-old Yin one of her captain’s picks, and Yin went 1-1-1 to contribute to an American win.
Yin, now 27, had two LPGA wins to her name and has placed top-10 at four of the past five majors entering this week’s U.S. Women’s Open.
Other teams in the field include World No. 1 Nelly Korda with Germany’s Olivia Cowan; New Zealand’s Lydia Ko with Danielle Kang; and two notable sets of sisters, Thailand’s Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn and Japan’s Aki and Chizzy Iwai.
Defending champions Somi Lee and Jin Hee Im of South Korea will try to repeat, and Lexi Thompson and Megan Khang, last year’s runners-up, will have another go.
Teams will play foursomes (alternate shot) Thursday and Saturday and four-ball (best ball) Friday and Sunday with a 36-hole cut in between.
