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INSIDE THE ROPES DAY 5

Final Team Practice Day  - Thursday

Today was the final practice day before all the talking stops and its game on. Another 7.30 a.m. start saw the team warming up on the practice area and putting green and all ready to go for their final 9 hole practice session when a massive black cloud rolled over the golf course and emptied right on us. Needless to say we took cover in the team room for around 30 minutes to allow it to pass.

Once the coast was clear the team headed for the course and played 9 holes with Captain Alison Nicholas and her helpers keeping a very close eye on the stats as they prepared to announce their pairings for Friday morning’s fourballs.

It must have been an extremely difficult decision for Alison and her Vice Captains to make as only 8 of the 12 woman team can play Friday morning 4 players were going to be disappointed about not playing. The four players not playing are Gwladys Nocera, Janice Moodie, Dianna Luna and Anna Nordqvist. This left the following players in these matches

Match 1

Suzann Peterson and Sophie Gustafson V Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr

Match 2

Helen Alfredsson and Tania Elosegui V Angela Stanford and Juli Inkster

Match 3

Laura Davies and BECKY BREWERTON V Brittany Lang and Brittany Lincicome

Match 4

Catriona Matthew and Maria Hjorth V Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel

So that’s it it's now official the practice is over and its game on. A couple of the matches look very exciting with Europe looking very good.

Opening Ceremony

And finally came the opening ceremony, a fantastic event and spectacle. With all of the players being announced to the gathered audience and national anthems played as well as inspirational speeches from each Captain.

Tomorrows first game is an 8.05 a.m. tee off so an even earlier start for the poor coaches.

This time tomorrow we will be right into the meat of the event!!!!!!!!!!! Come on Europe 

First tee Friday morning

Today was the first day of the tournament and what a day it was with four ball better ball in the morning and then foursomes in the afternoon. Team USA took the lead with 2.5 points to Europe’s 1.5 after the morning four-ball matches at The Solheim Cup. Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang posted the first point on the board for the United States with a 5&4 victory over Laura Davies and Becky Brewerton. Suzann Pettersen and Sophie Gustafson were defeated 1 up by Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr. Helen Alfredsson and Tania Elosegui finished 1 up against Angela Stanford and Juli Inkster. Catriona Matthew and Maria Hjorth halved their match against Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie.

Afternoon foursomes

Match 5: 2:25 p.m Suzann Pettersen & Sophie Gustafson vs. Natalie Gulbis and Christina Kim
Match 6: 2:45 p.m. Becky Brewerton and Gwladys Nocera vs. Angela Stanford and Nicole Castrale
Match 7: 3:15 p.m. Maria Hjorth and Anna Nordqvist vs. Kristy McPherson and Brittany Lincicome
Match 8: 3:25 p.m. Catriona Matthew and Janice Moodie vs. Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster

(Rich Harvest Farms, Sugar Grove, Illinois – Friday 21st August 2009) – Team USA took a one point lead over Europe after the opening day of The Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms in suburban Chicago.

The seven time champions of the event and winners of the last two Solheim Cups, Team USA took a 4.5-3.5 lead into the second day of match play, with the same score line as at Halmstad in Sweden two years previously.

On a keenly contested first day, Team Europe trailed by a point after the morning four-balls, but shared the afternoon foursomes in the 11th staging of the biennial contest.

Europe needs 14 ½ of the 28 available points to regain The Cup, having last won at Barsebäck in Sweden and having never won on American soil. The US team needs only 14 points to retain the title.

Team USA took the lead with 2.5 points to Europe’s 1.5 after the morning four-ball matches. Brittany Lincicome and Brittany Lang posted the first point on the board for the United States with a 5&4 victory over Laura Davies and Becky Brewerton.

Maria Hjorth and Anna Nordquist

Suzann Pettersen and Sophie Gustafson were defeated 1 up by Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr. Helen Alfredsson and Tania Elosegui finished 1 up against Angela Stanford and Juli Inkster. It was a big day for European team rookie Tania Elosegui of Spain, who won on her debut.

Despite admitting to a touch of first tee nerves Elosegui said: “I think the Europeans were feeling less nervous than the Americans because we don't have anything to lose.”

Playing with Maria Hjorth, Catriona Matthew birdied 18 from eight feet and halved her match against Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie, building the momentum for the afternoon session.

The visitors were 2 up after five holes but the US fought back on the 12th and 13th, when Wie birdied from three feet to square the match. Pressel then birdied from four feet on 14 and the US went 1 up.

“It was huge for us to get that half, I think,” said Hjorth. “We really knew we had to make a birdie on the last to be able to get that half point. So Catriona's putt there on the last was really, really important.”

US Captain Beth Daniel played all 12 Americans on her team on Friday, while European Captain Alison Nicholas kept just one player back, Diana Luna, who will make her debut alongside Matthew on Saturday. United States team rookie Wie, the youngest player on either team aged 19, shone on her debut and was well supported by the packed gallery and her fellow team mates.

There was reason for European Captain Alison Nicholas to be pleased.

In the afternoon foursomes, Becky Brewerton and Gwladys Nocera combined for a 3&1 victory over Angela Stanford and Nicole Castrale.

Tania Elosegui and Helen Alfredsson

European rookie Anna Nordqvist and Maria Hjorth defeated Kristy McPherson and Brittany Lincicome 3&2. Nordqvist chipped in for birdie on the tough 13th hole and received a message of support from Annika Sorenstam on Twitter. “I've been looking forward to doing this for a very long time, just having a good time with Mimi, and I felt very comfortable on the course today,” said Nordqvist, who is now 1-0-0 in Solheim Cup play. The weekend begins with another round of four-ball matches on Saturday, followed by another set of foursomes and singles on Sunday.

So all in all a good day for Becky with a flawless display this afternoon in the foursomes and we move on to the weekend.

Bring it on !!!!!!!!!