
Lang named U.S. assistant captain for Solheim Cup
The 39-year-old Lang, who counts the 2016 U.S. Women's Open among her two titles on the LPGA Tour, will join Stanford and fellow assistants Kristy McPherson and Paula Creamer in leading a group of the top 12 American female golfers against Europe in the biennial team event.
"This is probably one of the highest honors I've had in my career. I'm excited to learn, to help and to experience the atmosphere as an assistant captain," Lang said.
Lang represented the United States on the 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 U.S. Solheim Cup teams and her four-ball partnership with Brittany Lincicome is the most successful for either side in the event's history, going a perfect 4-0-0.
"The traits that have always impressed me the most about Brittany are her confidence and her demeanor," said Stanford. "If Lang has ever been rattled, you would never know."
The United States reclaimed the Solheim Cup in September in Gainesville, Virginia to stop Europe from winning the trophy for an unprecedented fourth consecutive time.
The Solheim Cup will be held September 11-13, 2026 when the U.S. will bid for their first road win since 2015.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
a minute ago
- The Independent
What to know about the Michigan sign-stealing scheme and NCAA punishments
The NCAA imposed a multimillion-dollar fine on Michigan and suspended football coach Sherrone Moore for a third game on Friday for a sign-stealing scandal that has overshadowed college football's most successful program for nearly two years. Here's what you need to know: What is the scandal about? Reports surfaced in 2023 of a scheme run by now-former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions. The scheme involved a network of Stalions' associates — dubbed the 'KGB' — attending games and recording opposing team sidelines to capture play-calling signals. The NCAA said it found '56 instances of off-campus, in-person scouting of 13 future regular-season opponents' over 52 games over three seasons (2021-23). The NCAA prohibits in-person scouting of same-season future opponents and using electronic equipment to record another team's signals. What did Connor Stalions do? The NCAA said Stalions spearheaded the sign-stealing operation. The former Marine was accused of assembling a team of scouts which he'd send to games of upcoming opponents. Stalions' network of scouts would provide him with film of signal callers on future opponents' sidelines. The NCAA said he would then decipher the signals, giving Michigan a competitive advantage. The NCAA said the extent of the operation is not fully known as Stalions and others involved have destroyed and withheld evidence. Stalions, a Navy graduate, was suspended by the school and later resigned. He recently said he knew almost every signal opponents used in seven games over two seasons. What is a show-cause order? A show-cause order effectively bans an individual from college athletics. In order to be hired for a college sports job by a school that is an NCAA member during a show-cause order, the prospective employer would have to make a strong case, or show cause, in front of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions. Former coach Jim Harbaugh, former assistant director of player personnel Denard Robinson and Stalions will be prohibited from athletic-related activities for years. Harbaugh was given the longest show-cause order, spanning 10 years after the conclusion of his current four-year order on Aug. 7, 2028. Robinson is banned for three years, and Stalions for eight years. Harbaugh, a former Michigan star quarterback, is heading into his second year as head coach of the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers. Is the fine significant? Michigan faces financial penalties surpassing $20 million, including a $50,000 fine, a 10% fine on the football program's budget, a 10% fine on Michigan's 2025-2026 scholarships and a fine matching the projected loss of postseason revenue for 2025 and 2026. Will that hurt a school with Michigan's resources? All top programs are sharing up to $20.5 million this school year directly with their athletes and under the House decision scholarships are unlimited, though there are roster caps. That has forced schools to look for revenue sources from different places. In June, Michigan said revenues and expenses for its next fiscal year were expected to be $266.3 million. What about coach Moore? Moore had previously been issued a self-imposed two-game suspension by Michigan, which will be served this season. The NCAA levied an additional one-game suspension, which Moore will serve during next season's opener. Moore received a two-year show-cause order but unlike Stalions and Harbaugh he will be allowed to fulfill coaching commitments and other related activities. ___


The Independent
a minute ago
- The Independent
Some workers would be excluded from student loan forgiveness program for 'illegal' activity
Teachers, social workers, nurses and other public workers would be cut off from a popular student loan cancellation program if the Trump administration finds their employer engaged in activities with a 'substantial illegal purpose,' under a new federal proposal released on Friday. The Education Department took aim at nonprofits or government bodies that work with immigrants and transgender youth, releasing plans to overhaul the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Opponents fear the new policy would turn the loan forgiveness benefit into a tool of political retribution. The proposal would give the education secretary the final say in deciding whether a group or government entity should be excluded from the program, which was created by Congress in 2007 to encourage more college graduates to enter lower-paying public service fields. The proposal says illegal activity includes the trafficking or 'chemical castration' of children, illegal immigration and supporting foreign terrorist organizations. 'Chemical castration' is defined as using hormone therapy or drugs that delay puberty — gender-affirming care common for transgender children or teens. President Donald Trump ordered the changes in March, saying the loan forgiveness program was steering taxpayer money to 'activist organizations' that pose a threat to national security and do not serve the public. The public will be given 30 days to weigh in on the proposal before it can be finalized. Any changes would take effect in July 2026. Under current rules, government employees and many nonprofit workers can get their federal student loans canceled after they've made 10 years of payments. The program is open to government workers, including teachers, firefighters and employees of public hospitals, along with nonprofits that focus on certain areas. The new proposal would exclude employees of any organization tied to an activity deemed illegal. The Education Department predicts that fewer than 10 organizations would be deemed ineligible per year. It doesn't expect a 'significant reduction' in the percentage of borrowers who would be granted forgiveness under the program, according to the proposal. Yet the agency acknowledges that not all industries would be affected evenly. Schools, universities, health care providers, social workers and legal services organizations are among those most likely to have their eligibility jeopardized, the department wrote. It did not give more specifics about what 'illegal' actions those groups were taking that could bar them from the program. But the proposal suggests that performing gender-affirming care in the 27 states that outlaw it would be enough. If a state or federal court rules against an employer, that could lead to its expulsion from the program, or if the employer is involved in a legal settlement that includes an admission of wrongdoing. Even without a legal finding, however, the education secretary could determine independently that an organization should be ejected. The secretary could judge whether an organization participated in illegal activity by using a legal standard known as the 'preponderance of the evidence' — meaning it's more likely than not that an accusation is true. Once an organization is barred from the program, its workers' future loan payments would no longer count toward cancellation. They would have to find work at another eligible employer to keep making progress toward forgiveness. A ban from the Education Department would last 10 years or until the employer completed a 'corrective action plan' approved by the secretary. Critics blasted the proposal as an illegal attempt to weaponize student loan cancellation. Kristin McGuire, CEO of the nonprofit Young Invincibles, which advocates for loan forgiveness, called it a political stunt designed to confuse borrowers. 'By using a distorted and overly broad definition of 'illegal activities,' the Trump administration is exploiting the student loan system to attack political opponents,' McGuire said in a statement. The Education Department sketched out its plans for the overhaul during a federal rulemaking process that began in June. The agency gathered a panel of experts to help hash out the details — a process known as negotiated rulemaking. But the panel failed to reach a consensus, which freed the department to move forward with a proposal of its own design. The proposal released on Friday included some changes meant to ease concerns raised by the expert panel. Some had worried the department would ban organizations merely for supporting transgender rights, even if they have no direct involvement in gender-affirming care. The new proposal clarifies that the secretary would not expel organizations for exercising their First Amendment rights. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at


The Guardian
2 minutes ago
- The Guardian
New Mexico Republican political candidate gets 80 years for shootings at Democrats' homes
A failed political candidate in New Mexico has been sentenced to 80 years in federal prison for his convictions in a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in the aftermath of the 2020 election. A jury convicted former Republican candidate Solomon Peña in March of conspiracy, weapons and other charges in the shootings in December 2022 and January 2023 on the homes of four Democratic officials in Albuquerque, including the current state house speaker. Prosecutors, who had sought a 90-year sentence, said Peña has shown no remorse and had hoped to cause political change by terrorizing people who held contrary views to him into being too afraid to take part in political life. Peña's lawyers had sought a 60-year sentence, saying their client maintains that he is innocent of the charges. They have said Peña was not involved in the shootings and that prosecutors were relying on the testimony of two men who bear responsibility and accepted plea agreements in exchange for leniency. 'Today was a necessary step toward Mr Peña's continued fight to prove his innocence,' said Nicholas Hart, one of Peña's attorneys, after Wednesday's sentence. 'He looks forward to the opportunity to appeal, where serious issues about the propriety of this prosecution will be addressed.' The attacks took place as threats and acts of intimidation against election workers and public officials surged across the country after Donald Trump and his allies called into question the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors said Peña resorted to violence in the belief that a 'rigged' election had robbed him of victory in his bid to serve in the state legislature. The shootings targeted the homes of officials including two county commissioners after their certification of the 2022 election, in which Peña lost by nearly 50 percentage points. No one was injured, but in one case bullets passed through the bedroom of a state senator's 10-year-old daughter. Two other men who had acknowledged helping Peña with the attacks had previously pleaded guilty to federal charges and received years-long prison sentences.