Davies takes a swing at Europe's critics

Laura Davies is confident that Europe can use their underdog status to good effect in the Solheim Cup this weekend. The United States have been made odds-on favourites to retain the trophy at Loch Lomond and make it five wins out of six in the biennial event. But Davies, who enjoyed her 37th birthday yesterday, plans to make it a double celebration on Sunday with a repeat of Europe's only victory, which also came in Scotland at Dalmahoy in 1992.

"Stuff has been written about our players not being fit to lace some of the American's shoes but I disagree with all that, I treat it with the contempt it deserves basically," said Davies, who will partner former US Open champion Alison Nicholas in the opening foursomes.

"I think we're ready to go. There's not a member of our team on any given week who could not win anywhere in the world. "The similarities between now and Dalmahoy are there. People said then we weren't good enough. It's good to be told you're not good enough because it makes you better and being told at Dalmahoy got us going."

A clearly determined Davies also predicted the conditions would favour the home side, both in terms of the autumnal weather and the unpredictable nature of the greens, 14 of which were accidentally damaged by an incorrect amount of herbicide.

"On the whole the European greens aren't as good as the American greens. The Americans are more used to the perfect surface. We can probably cope better with it mentally than them."

American Dottie Pepper, who will partner Juli Inkster against Davies and Nicholas in this morning's most exciting clash, insisted the 4-1 scoreline was not a fair reflection of the closeness of recent matches and Davies was quick to agree.

"I would agree with that. We should have won in Chepstow. We could have won at Muirfield Village. If you reverse those two we're 3-2 up.

"Every golf tournament comes down to Sunday afternoon. The foursomes and fourballs are fun, they're nice, but it really depends, with the 12 points up for grabs on Sunday, who plays best on Sunday."

The other morning foursomes - there are four more in the afternoon - see Trish Johnson and Sophie Gustafson face Kelly Robbins and Pat Hurst.

The Swedish pair of Catrin Nilsmark and Carin Koch take on Brandie Burton and Becky Iverson and another Swede, Annika Sorenstam partners Scotland's Janice Moodie against Meg Mallon and Beth Daniel.