Nicholas named as 2011 captain

Alison Nicholas will captain Europe's Solheim Cup team for a second term at Killeen Castle in Meath Ireland in 2011.

Nicholas was selected following a unanimous decision by the European Solheim Cup committee, comprising of the Ladies European Tour representatives, players' council and past captains.

The committee felt that the experience Nicholas gained at Rich Harvest Farms in Illinois three months ago was invaluable and that she deserved to be re-appointed.

'I'm absolutely delighted,' said Nicholas at a press conference at Killeen Castle on Tuesday morning.

'It's a great honour and privilege to be a captain at home.'

The winner of the US Open in 1997, Nicholas made six straight Solheim Cup appearances as a player and was on the European team when it triumphed in Scotland in 1992 and 2000. She retired from tournament play in 2004, but was involved in the competition as Catrin Nilsmark's assistant captain in 2003 and in 2005.

On her debut as captain at Rich Harvest Farms in 2009, the Americans kept their untarnished home record intact with a 16-12 final score against the Europeans and now lead the competition 8-3.

However, Nicholas, from Birmingham, feels confident that Europe can stage a comeback at Killeen Castle.

'I'm confident, because I think we gave them a run for their money at Rich Harvest Farms and the difference between the two teams is very close, as we proved.

'We've got two years to go and there are some good young players on the European Tour. I think they will come into their own over the next two years and we'll have some youngsters to fight those young American players. We've a lot of very, very good players. They just need to believe in themselves a bit more.'

In a move to make the European team more competitive, there will be new selection criteria in place for the 2011 match. The European team will comprise of the top four players from the Ladies European Tour's Solheim Cup standings, the next four highest ranked eligible players from the Rolex rankings, and four captain's selections, meaning one more wildcard pick.

At the press conference, the Ladies European Tour also announced that players will have the opportunity to play the Solheim Cup course next year, as the AIB Ladies Irish Open supported by Failte Ireland is scheduled to be played at Killeen Castle from 6-8 August.