PEORIA, ARIZ., January 31, 2017 -The Antigua Group, Inc., one of the nation’s leading designers and marketers of lifestyle and golf apparel under the distinguished Antigua brand, has been named the official apparel licensee for the 2017 U.S. Solheim Cup Team. The 2017 Solheim Cup will be held at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, August 14-20.
“We have had the good fortune to design and develop the Ryder Cup uniforms for the American team back in 1993 and now four times for the LPGA and the Solheim Cup Team in 2011, 2013, 2015 and now in 2017”, said Ron McPherson, president and CEO of the Antigua Group. “These opportunities are a great honor and recognition for our brand and company.” Though the international competition doesn’t take place until August, the process of designing and developing the team uniforms alongside U.S. Team Captain Juli Inkster and her Assistant Captains began in spring of 2016. The designs were finalized in January.
Over the course of the yearlong development process, Antigua, along with the U.S. Solheim Team, created the team uniform concept. This involves choosing fabrics and designs appropriate for the field of play during a particular time of year in a specific seasonal climate. Antigua also developed samples and the fit of each potential team member in advance of the final team selection, a process that involves two separate fitting and alteration sessions at separate LPGA Tour events.
“It’s been great to work with the staff at Antigua, and they have always been a terrific supporter of the LPGA,” U.S. Captain Juli Inkster said. “They’ve been very enthusiastic about clothing the United States Team, and I’m really excited to see our players dressed in their red, white and blue.”
The final uniforms will consist of two separate apparel changes per day for the tournament rounds, as well as additional outfits for each day of the practice rounds. The process of designing the U.S. Solheim Cup Team uniforms from beginning to end took more than a year.
“All of us at Antigua are very proud to have been chosen by the LPGA to design and develop the uniforms for the 2017 U.S. Solheim Cup Team matches,” McPherson said. “This opportunity is a great honor and undertaken with pride for Antigua company-wide as the development and logistics that are involved with each department play a critical part in the final execution of the process. We have had terrific directional meetings with LPGA staff and of course Captain Inkster.”
