Davies set to maintain cup record

Europe’s Solheim Cup team will be finalised at the conclusion of the Ladies’ Finnish Masters this Sunday, but England’s Laura Davies is already guaranteed to continue her ever-present record.

Davies, who is playing in the LPGA’s Wendy’s Championship for Children in Ohio this week, is at number two in the European rankings from which the top seven are automatically selected.

Fellow Briton Trish Johnson, who played in the first six Solheims but has missed the last two, jumped to number six in the rankings following her joint second place in the Wales Ladies’ Championship of Europe.

But she could still get overtaken in the final shake-up this weekend.

Going into the Finnish tournament, Annika Sorenstam (Sweden) Davies, Ludivine Kreutz (France), Maria Hjorth (Sweden), Iben Tinning (Denmark), Johnson and Gwladys Nocera (France) fill the top seven places, with Italy’s Veronica Zorzi and Finland’s Minea Blomqvist in the next two spots.

European captain Catrin Nilsmark will complete her line-up to defend the cup at Crooked Stick from September 9-11 with five wild cards.

Leading candidates include Scots Catriona Matthew and Janice Moodie, England’s Karen Stupples, Sweden’s Sophie Gustafson, Carin Koch and Liselotte Neumann and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen.