Stupples makes it this time

GOLF:THE DELIVERY came in a penthouse on the sixth floor of an office building next to a theatre. Outside, a billboard touted the imminent arrival of a performance of Mama Mia to Dublin's south bank. Here, though, in the offices of law firm Byrne Wallace, the drama was self-contained as Alison Nicholas – Europe's captain for next month's Solheim Cup against the United States – gave her four wild card captain's picks to anticipated recipients. Her own super troupers.

In going with Spain’s Azahara Munoz, Germany’s Sandra Gal and Caroline Hedwall of Sweden, along with veteran Karen Stupples of England, Nicholas – in conjunction with her two vice-captains Annika Sorenstam and Jo Morley – was rewarding those players who have shown form throughout the season without managing to earn automatic places.

Indeed, for three of the picks, in the cases of Munoz, Gal and Hedwall, Nicholas – intentionally or not – went down the Rolex world rankings and selected the next three Europeans on the list. The exception was Stupples who, at 60th in the world, got in ahead of Spain’s Beatrice Recari, who is ranked 50th in the world.

Unlike the out-of-the-blue selection of tour “rookie” Ryann O’Toole by US captain Rosie Jones a week ago, nobody could be surprised that Nicholas gave the nod to Stupples. Although this is primarily a young woman’s game these days, every team can do with some experience and former British Open champion Stupples – overlooked by Nicholas for the event in Chicago two years ago – earned some solace on this occasion with a pick by phone that was almost as emotional for Nicholas to make as it was for the player to take.

“Karen was absolutely over the moon. She said to me, ‘I’ve been waiting for this for four years’. I know she missed out the last time and I know she was very upset, and understandably so . . . but she cannot wait,” said Nicholas in yesterday making public her wild card picks to go with the eight players who qualified through a system that took four players (Mel Reid, Laura Davies, Suzann Pettersen and Christel Boeljon) off the Ladies European Tour points list and another four (Catriona Matthew, Maria Hjorth, Anna Nordqvist and Sophie Gustafson) off the women’s world rankings list.

On this occasion, the player who could possibly feels hardest done by is Recari – who plays mainly on the LPGA Tour in the States – but, all in all, it would seem that Nicholas has rewarded performances with her selections. “It has been a difficult decision to make,” conceded Nicholas, who revealed that part of the process of picking the “wild cards” involved getting her two vice-captains, Sorenstam and Morely, to write down their own selections.

When all three of them produced the same four names, Nicholas was “excited, that we were all on the same page . . . we have got a fantastic team, a world class team, and hopefully we can bring the Solheim Cup back to Europe.”

In giving the nod to Munoz over Recari, Nicholas pointed to Munoz’s performances over the Jack Nicklaus-designed course at Killeen Castle as compelling reasons for tipping the balance in her favour and earning the call. Munoz finished runner-up to Pettersen in the Ladies Irish Open earlier this month.

“These players work hard, strive hard, to try and make the team, you’re disappointing them,” said Nicholas of those calls to players informing them they hadn’t made the cut.

“Some took it very well, others were much more disappointed. That’s my role as captain. I knew it before I came in, and I was prepared to deal with it.

“I’m devastated for them as well, there’s a lot of good players and nice girls who you’ve got to disappoint. But that is my role (and) it was easier this time than last time.”

Munoz’s own reaction was one of delight at the call. “My goal this year, the only thing I was thinking about, was playing the Solheim Cup . . . it has always been a dream,” she said.

Gal, who made a breakthrough win on the LPGA Tour when capturing the Kia Classic earlier in the season, was also delighted with the call-up. In describing it as a “huge honour”, the German – who has an Irish caddie, Corkman Roy Clarke, on the bag – added: “I can’t wait for the Solheim Cup to start. I think we have a great team.”

And, quite simply, there was no way that Hedwall could be left off the team.

The tour rookie from Sweden – who earned her card when topping last year’s Qualifying School – has won twice on tour this season, the Slovak Open and the Finnish Open, and has been the revelation of the season.

“I couldn’t believe when I started this year that I would actually play the Solheim Cup this year. It’s just amazing,” said Hedwall, who played in the Ping Junior Solheim Cup just four years ago, emphasising her meteoric rise from amateur to professional.

A first-time captain for the match in Chicago two years ago, Nicholas – who has already shown motivational videos from Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie and player Ian Poulter to her team as part of the strategy to end the American dominance of the biennial fixture – has brought legendary Irish amateur Mary McKenna on to her back-up team and again called on the Irish golfing public to become, as she put it, “our 13th man, our 15th club”.

In admitting her team were probably regarded as “underdogs” in the run-up to the match, Nicholas also reiterated her belief that the four players added to the eight automatic team members were “world class players who have performed well on the world stage”.

“I don’t see a problem. A lot of them, I don’t see as rookies. Hedwall is an example of that. She’s been a revelation, shot up the world rankings with two wins (in Europe) and another in New Zealand.”

Nicholas is aware of the firepower in the American team, even if the call-up for O’Toole – who promised “to kick Europe’s butt” – wasn’t, as she admitted yesterday, on her radar.

“She’s entitled to her opinion. I don’t know the girl that well. I had to look her up on the internet. I understand she’s got huge potential and is a very good player. She was off my radar but Rosie (Jones) obviously thought it was a good decision or she wouldn’t have made it. We will see what happens in three weeks’ time.

“The United States is a very good side, very competitive. You can never underestimate their strength in depth . . . but it is great our players have played the course. It will take the pressure off them during the practice sessions. It is a huge advantage (to Europe), because the Solheim Cup week is packed full of activities and you don’t have a lot of time to yourself. You don’t necessarily have to do practice rounds during that week, it’s huge (to us).”

She added: “I have got unfinished business from the last time. We’ve picked a good team but they have got to go and perform and that’s not easy against the US. I’d like to win it, and we will do our absolute utmost. The girls are ready!”