U.S. captain Beth Daniel is not about to save her best for last. Anything but.
Daniel will pair Paula Creamer with Cristie Kerr in the first four-ball match of the Solheim Cup.
“The first match out of the box,” Daniel said, “is the top two Americans.”
They will take on the European tandem of Suzann Pettersen and Sophie Gustafson.
Next up: Angela Stanford and veteran Juli Inkster vs. Helen Alfredsson and Tania Elosegui.
Batting third: The Brittanys, Lang and Lincicome, against 11-time (that’s all of them) Solheim Cupper Laura Davies and Becky Brewerton.
And in the final morning match: Michelle Wie and Morgan Pressel take on 2009 Women’s British Open champ Catriona Matthew and Maria Hjorth.
Left off the first wave of matches for the Americans: Nicole Castrale, Natalie Gulbis, Kristy McPherson and Christina Kim. No big surprise, although Kim is the fieriest member of the team.
Asked recently what kind of celebrations or histrionics she had in mind for the Solheim Cup, Kim replied: “It’s going to be ridic. All I can say is everyone’s going to have to wait and see. I’m not going to divulge any secrets.”
Daniel said she made her selections based on which players get along and which ones can deliver.
“We tried to get the players that make the most birdies on our team, and that’s what we did,” she said.
If you’re late to catch Solheim Cup fever, here’s some info that might get your blood pumping.
The schedule: Friday and Saturday are identical. The gates open at 7 a.m., and the first four-ball match begins at 8. The first foursomes match is scheduled for 1:15p.m. On Sunday, the gates open at 9a.m. and the first singles match tees off at 10.
The format: A four-ball match is the formal name for best ball. All four players complete the hole, and the lowest score is recorded for each team. A foursomes match is akin to alternate shot, with players using the same ball. There will be a total of eight four-ball matches, eight foursomes matches and 12 singles matches. The singles format is match play.
The course: Owner Jerry Rich couldn’t wait for a possible invitation to join Augusta National, so in 1989 he built his own golf playground after purchasing 1,800 acres in Sugar Grove, 50 miles west of Chicago. Some disparage certain holes as hokey (a par-4 called “Snead’s Crotch” has a minuscule landing area), but Golf Digest needs no convincing. The magazine ranks Rich Harvest 46th on its national “100 Greatest” list.
Yardage: The par-73 layout (three par-5s on the back nine) will play to 6,670 yards. It will seem longer than that if more rain hits or the rough plays to its full 3 inches.
The captains: Daniel and Europe’s Alison Nicholas. The two have 14 years of combined experience as Solheim Cup players, but only Daniel can read about herself at both the LPGA and World Golf Halls of Fame.
The favorites: The Americans. By a mile. Several online sports books have the Americans at 1-to-4, meaning you would have to wager $400 to win $100. The Euros are about 4-to-1 to win, and there’s a 10-to-1 shot for a tie.
Why so much love for the U.S. team? The Americans are 5-0 in Solheim Cups played on U.S. soil but 2-3 in Europe. (The last one played here, in 2005, was a 15 1/2 -12 1/2 victory at Crooked Stick in Carmel, Ind.) Plus the U.S. has an edge in the Official Rolex Rankings. The Americans have six top-25 players (Kerr, 3; Creamer, 4; Stanford, 9; McPherson, 18; Lincicome, 21; Wie, 24) compared with four for Europe (Pettersen, 6; Alfredsson, 10; Matthew, 14; Anna Nordqvist, 19). Seven of the top 25, by the way, are from Korea.
The sales pitch: Daniel, on why Chicagoans should show up: “It would be equivalent to the Olympics, if Chicago gets it. You look at those bleachers on No. 1, which can seat 800 people. That will be the loudest place on the golf course when people tee off. It’s like playing golf in a football arena. The whole match-play part is different, and the patriotism and the emotion will be there. It’s not your normal subdued golf clap. It’s loud. There are lots of chants. People get into it.”
From Christina Kim: “Watching the Solheim Cup is like witnessing the last 30 seconds of the Super Bowl, Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, the finals of the NBA and Christmas, all rolled into one. It completely changes golf and what we view it to be. It’s an experience of a lifetime; no one should go without seeing a Solheim Cup.”
Tickets: They cost $50 and can be purchased at the gate. Children 15 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. More info at www.solheim cup.com.
TV: The Golf Channel. Friday-Saturday: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3-6:30. Sunday: 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
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8:05 a.m. Friday (four-ball)
Suzann Pettersen and Sophie
Gustafson, Europe, vs. Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr, United States
8:20 a.m.
Helen Alfredsson and Tania Elosegui, Europe, vs. Angela Stanford and Juli Inkster, United States
8:35 a.m.
Laura Davies and Becky Brewerton, Europe, vs. Brittany Lang and
Brittany Lincicome, United States
8:50 a.m.
Catriona Matthew and Maria Hjorth, Europe, vs. Morgan Pressel and Michelle Wie, United States
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tgreenstein@tribune.com
Shots from Rich Harvest For photos from the opening ceremonies of the Solheim Cup, go to chicagotribune.com/sports
