Golf:Suzann Pettersen and Sophie Gustafson, both winners of the Ladies Irish Open when staged at Killeen Castle, will anchor the European team when the Solheim Cup gets underway at the Co Meath venue tomorrow morning.
European skipper Alison Nicholas has bookended her pairings with strong Scandinavian selections for the opening skirmishes as Maria Hjorth and Anna Nordqvist have been chosen to lead the home side out.
Two of the five rookies on the home side will be pressed straight into action, with England’s Mel Reid partnering compatriot Karen Stupples and Spanish newcomer Azahara Munoz going out alongside experienced hand Catriona Matthew.
Pettersen shot a course record 63 at Killeen this year en route to taking the title, while Gustafson won 12 months previously and the track is clearly a happy hunting ground for both players. They certainly won’t have it all their own way against Brittany Lang and Julie Inkster but have nothing to fear either.
Nicholas, meanwhile, is prepared for everything the Irish weather can throw at her team this weekend. Practice sessions have been conducted largely in wet conditions and the forecast for the three days of competition indicates there could be more rain on the way.
Last year’s Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in Wales was similarly affected and had to be extended to a four-day competition, something Nicholas would be content to see repeated.
Nicholas said: “I think they have contingency plans because obviously that could have been a possibility. The weather forecast tends to change on a daily basis, so they’ll be monitoring it. And if we have to go Monday, we’ll have to go Monday.”
Nicholas was reluctant to see possible bad weather as an advantage for her side, though.
“A lot of the players have played all over the world and are very experienced,” she added. “It could be (an advantage) in some ways, but I know that I’ve played in bad weather over in America, and the Americans seem to adapt very, very well.”
Nicholas’s opposite number is eight-time Solheim Cup team member Rosie Jones, and she insisted there will be no complacency from her side.
“I think both teams are very strong,” said Jones, who is making her debut as captain. “There is a lot of depth on both sides. Any time you’re going overseas, you feel like you’re at a disadvantage because of the crowds and the amount of fans the Europeans can have, and the momentum that the Europeans can gain from those crowds.
“But we’re confident. We won here in 2007. We won here another time when I was on the team in 1996, and there is a possibility. There is always that possibility. But we don’t come in here, looking better on paper, assuming that we can win.”
Friday foursomes
7.40am:Maria Hjorth & Anna Nordqvist v Michelle Wie & Cristie Kerr.
7.52am:Karen Stupples & Melissa Reid v Paula Creamer & Brittany Lincicome.
8.04am:Catriona Matthew & Azahara Munoz v Stacy Lewis & Angela Stanford.
8.16am:Suzann Pettersen & Sophie Gustafson v Brittany Lang & Juli Inkster
