Gwladys Nocera, named european captain for the 2023 PING Junior Solheim Cup

The French player will lead the twelve best European junior golfers, who will face as many American players from September 18th to 19th in La Zagaleta, with the target of defending the title won in 2021.

Gwladys Nocera will captain the European team for the PING Junior Solheim Cup 2023, which will take place from September 18th-19th in La Zagaleta, Benahavis, as a prelude to the Solheim Cup 2023.

Gwladys Nocera turned professional at the age of 27 and attended the 2002 Ladies European Tour Qualifying School, where she finished in ninth position.

The French golfer has had a great sporting career, both at amateur and professional level, being part of the French team that won the European Ladies’ Team Championship in 1999 and leading France to the Espirito Santo Trophy in 2000.

In 2005, the French player finished fourth in the LET Order of Merit, which allowed her to play her first Solheim Cup.

The following year she achieved her first victory on the Ladies European Tour by winning the Swiss Ladies Open and after adding two more victories that same season in the BMW Ladies Italian Open and the Catalonia Ladies Masters, she was elected Player of the Year.

In total, Gwladys Nocera has won 14 titles on the LET, five of them in the 2008 season, in which she also won the LET Order of Merit and was again named Player of the Year.

The French golfer’s last LET victory came at the 2015 Lalla Meryem Cup and she still holds the record for the best 72-hole score in LET history with a total of 259 strokes (-29) at the 2008 Göteborg Masters, where she won by 11 strokes.

Gwladys Nocera is no stranger to the Solheim Cup either, having represented Europe four times, specifically in the 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2015 editions, with a total of 12 matches played and a record of six wins, four losses and two draws.

Since ending her professional career, the 48-year-old has been working with the French Golf Federation and coaching the French national team, with which she has reaped important triumphs such as the 2022 European Women’s Team Championship.

“It is a great honor to be asked to be the next captain of the PING Junior Solheim Cup and a great pride to have the opportunity to lead the European team,” said Nocera.

“I will do my best to make the week on the Costa del Sol an unforgettable one for the players. I know perfectly well what this event means, not only for them, but also for coaches, parents, fans and, in short, for all the people who love our sport,” she continued.

“I will do my best to make that week on the Costa del Sol unforgettable for the players. I know perfectly well what this event means, not only for them, but also for coaches, parents, fans and, in short, for all the people who love our sport,” she said.

“Finally, I want to thank the Solheim family for making this event one of the best experiences you can have in junior golf. Vamos, girls, Allez!” she concluded.

John Solheim, President and CEO of PING, said of the appointment of the new captain: “We are delighted that Gwladys Nocera has accepted the position of captain of the PING Junior Solheim Cup 2023 European team. She has a great affinity with Team Europe, having played in four Solheim Cups, and above all, she has a real passion for golf. She also has worked with juniors for the past five years and we are convinced that he will do a great job. We wish her the best of luck at the helm of Europe and in her goal of defending the title”.

Alexandra Armas, CEO of the LET, said: “We are delighted that Gwladys has accepted the position of European captain for the PING Junior Solheim Cup 2023. She has a great passion for junior golf and knows the importance of this tournament in developing the next generation of European players. Gwladys had a brilliant career on the LET and knows what it takes to win, so I am confident that she will lead the team skillfully for Europe to defend the the title she won in the United States in 2021. We wish her all the best.”

It should be remembered that twelve of Europe’s brightest young women golfers, aged between 12 and 18, will battle against the U.S. team on the Old Course at La Zagaleta and will be looking to revalidate the title they won in Ohio in 2021. The European team that will meet in Andalusia will be formed by the top six players of the PING Junior Solheim Cup ranking who will be automatically selected, while six other golfers will be chosen directly by the captain based on their performances in the main amateur events and in the European Women’s Amateur Ranking.

About the PING Junior Solheim Cup
The PING Junior Solheim Cup is owned by PING and organized in its 2023 edition by the Ladies European Tour and Deporte and Business.

This event, a prelude to the Solheim Cup since 2002, has had 21 Spanish players among the European ranks, among others, Carlota Ciganda -in the 2005 and 2007 editions-, Azahara Muñoz -2002, 2003 and 2005- and Beatriz Recari -2005-, who have also been part of the European team of the Solheim Cup.

About PING
Tournament owner and principal partner, PING, designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of golf equipment including metal woods, irons, putters and golf bags. The family-owned company was founded in 1959 by the late Karsten Solheim. Solheim is the only person to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a golf club manufacturer. Today, the company based in
Phoenix is under the direction of Solheim’s youngest son, John A. Solheim. PING’s game-improvement products can be found in more than 70 countries. For more information, visit ping.com.

About La Zagaleta
Established in 1991, La Zagaleta is a family-controlled company that gives its name to one of the most luxurious and secure private developments in Europe. Located in a privileged environment of 900 hectares in the mountains of Marbella, there are currently more than 250 homes built with a total surface area of between 3,000 and 10,000 m2, with prices ranging from 2.5 million euros to 20 million euros, with the range of 8 million euros being the widest range of homes on offer. The initial plan was to build 3,000 homes, but the ideologist of the operation, Enrique Pérez Flores (until his death in 2020, Honorary President of the company), proposed only 420. With this figure, a low construction density was guaranteed, thanks to which today the houses are surrounded by abundant and well-kept vegetation, with views of the Mediterranean, Africa, Gibraltar, lakes and the two 18-hole golf courses.

More information in the PING Junior Solheim Cup section of www.solheimcup2023.eu and
on the Instagram account @jrsolheimcupeurope.