Jodi gets Solheim Cup call

NORTH Yorkshire’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff will line up for Europe in this month’s Solheim Cup at Gleneagles after being named as one of four captain’s picks for the match against the USA.

European captain Catriona Matthew also chose France’s Celine Boutier, English star Bronte Law and Norway’s Suzann Pettersen for the biennial contest, which will be played from September 13-15.

Middleham-born Ewart Shadoff has played in two Solheim Cups, 2013 and 2017, and has had four top-ten finishes this season.

Scotland’s Matthew, who has played in nine Solheim Cups, explained the reasoning behind her four selections, said: “Bronte’s and Celine’s excellent recent form speaks for itself in terms of why I selected them, and I think they are both going to have fantastic Solheim Cup debuts.

“I chose Jodi and Suzann for their vast experience, their recent good form and because I know exactly what they bring to the European team room.”

Three of the captain’s picks were in the room at Gleneagles on August 14 when Matthew announced her final line-up, but Ewart Shadoff was not able to attend after having had a minor procedure the week before.

Ewart Shadoff said: “I am really excited to be part of Catriona’s team. I think the team looks incredibly strong, probably the strongest team I’ve been a part of, and I’m honoured to have been chose by the captain to be part of it. This will be my first Solheim Cup in Europe and just to experience the home crowd will be amazing and a big advantage for us.”

She revealed back in February that her main target for this season was to make the Solheim Cup team and decided to play more events in Europe rather than continue to compete on the LPGA Tour from her base in Florida.

She said: “Being on Team Europe for The Solheim Cup is my number one goal. I haven’t won yet, on the LPGA or LET, but I feel ready.”

Her family still live in Middleham where dad Harvey, a former jockey, is now a groom-rider for one of the country’s leading trainers Mark Johnston.

Horse racing is very much a part of the family as mum Zoe is a former yard manager for the Scot, who has sent out more winners than any other trainer in Great Britain.

But Jodi was never interested in horses. “We put her on a pony when she was about five and when it started to walk, she started crying. I don’t think she ever went near a horse after that, “recalled Zoe.