One of the most significant figures in the history of golf will be in charge of the U.S. team at the 2005 Solheim Cup matches. Nancy Lopez will be the U.S. Captain when the Americans try to regain the Cup from the European team at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind.

Lopez was the unanimous choice for the captaincy by a five-member committee comprised of members of the LPGA Board of Directors.

She commented on her selection at a teleconference on Jan. 27, this excerpt was provided by the LPGA.

"I’m thrilled to be there in 2005," Lopez said "and the players on the U.S. team I’m just proud to represent them as their captain.

"I watched The Solheim Cup this past year when they were over in Sweden and of course my heart died for them as they did not bring the cup back. It’s an honor for me because I think when you’re playing a professional anything and to be able to be able to lead a team as their captain, it’s an unbelievable feeling. I know it’s going to take a lot of my time and I’m going to spend a lot of my time doing whatever I have to do. And I know when I played in 1990 it was nothing like it is now compared to what it was then. We had very few people really watching us and it was brand new, of course. And I think even then it was so exciting. But when I went to the Solheim Cup a couple years ago in Minneapolis, it was a major undertaking.

Everybody was there, the crowds were tremendous, the feelings and the pride that I was feeling there just to be watching them was unbelievable. And like I said last year, when they didn’t win the Cup, I was really devastated for them... the thing I remember the most was Rosie Jones winning the last point in Minnesota and then her losing the last point in Sweden. And the disappointment that I saw on her face brought tears to my eyes. Because I know those disappointments and I have felt them. And being able to watch that and now being able to be a part of it, I just can’t wait.

The Solheim Cup matches pit 12-player teams from the United States and Europe against each other. Normally the matches are played biennially, but the series as contested in both 2002 and 2003 to avoid conflict with the Ryder Cup. The European team won the 2003 matches in Sweden, but the Americans still lead the series 5-3.

The top 10 Americans will earn slots on the team based on a system taht rewards top-20 finishes (as opposed to top 10 in years past) from the tail end of the 2003 season through 2005 up to the Solheim Cup. Lopez will select the final two players.