Denmark’s Emily Pedersen took a big step towards claiming a place in The 2013 European PING Junior Solheim Cup team when she claimed a five shot victory over home hope Karolin Lampert at the Allianz German Girls’ Championship at Golf Club St Leon-Rot.

It was Pedersen’s second victory in the first three PING European Junior Solheim Cup team qualifying events and it gave her a commanding lead over Sweden’s Linnea Ström at the top of the 2013 PING Junior Solheim Cup Ranking.

Lampert’s fine second place finish in front of her home fans saw her jump into third place on the Ranking with France’s Shannon Aubert, Italy’s Virginia Carta and Chloe Williams from Wales currently occupying the other three spots that will earn automatic places on the 2013 European team when the qualification process is completed after the European Ladies’ Team Championship at Fulford on July 9-3.

The top six players on the Ranking after that tournament all earn automatic places in the European team for this year’s PING Junior Solheim Cup match at The Inverness Golf Club in Denver, Colorado, on August 13-14 with the six automatic qualifiers being joined by a further six Captain’s picks.

16 year-old Pedersen started her 2013 qualifying campaign when she defeated 2012 Junior Ryder Cup teammate, Ström, by 5 & 3 in the final of the Spanish International Ladies’ Amateur Championship at Pula Golf. She lost in the second round of French International Lady Junior Amateur Championship at St Cloud but confirmed her pedigree against a strong international field at the Golf Club St Leon-Rot that will host both The Solheim Cup and The Junior Solheim Cup in 2015.

The 2013 European Solheim Cup team captain, Lotta Neumann, gave all the competitors a motivational speech at the players’ welcome dinner and it must have spurred Pedersen into action because she opened with rounds of 67 and 65 before closing with a 70 for a five stroke victory over Lampert on 202. Williams and Carta finished tied third on 209 while Ström and Italy’s Roberta Liti shared fifth place two shots further behind.

Pedersen’s win consolidated her lead at the top of the 2013 European PING Junior Solheim Cup Ranking with 142.50 points. Ström currently has 100 points with three counting events left to go with the next ten places being occupied by Lampert (50.00), France’s Shannon Aubert (40.00), Williams (37.50), Carta (37.50), Spain’s Nuria Itturios (32.50), Germany’s Quirine Eijkenboom (32.50), France’s Anyssia Herbaut (30.00), Sweden’s Jessica Vasilic (30.00), France’s Lauralie Migneaux (30.00) and France’s Mathilda Cappeliez (30.00).

The next PING Junior Solheim Cup European qualifying event is the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship at Machynys Peninsula G & CC (June 11 -15) and it is followed by the European Girls’ Team Championship at Linköping, Sweden (July 9-13) before the qualifying system concludes at the European Ladies’ Team Championship at Fulford GC, England (July 9-13).

Leading golf manufacturing company PING is the founder, owner and title sponsor of the PING Junior Solheim Cup. The contest pits the 12 best European junior girl golfers (born 1995 or later) against the 12 best junior girl golfers from the United States.

This year’s PING Junior Solheim Cup is to be played at The Inverness Golf Club, on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, on August 13-14. It always takes place immediately ahead of The Solheim Cup, which this year will be played on August 16-18, just 20 minutes away from The Inverness Club.

The updated European PING Junior Solheim Cup Ranking, plus more news and event information can be found on www.solheimcupeurope.com.