US count on strength in depth

THE Americans will rely on strength in depth against the bigger international stars of Europe when they defend the women's Solheim Cup at the St Pierre Club in Wales this weekend.

The US will also be trying to avoid the unprecedented humiliation of seeing all four of golfs international team titles resting in "alien" hands.

The Ryder Cup, the men's equivalent of the Solheim, is held by Europe after their victory at Oak Hill, Rochester, last year.

The golfers from Britain and Ireland also hold the Walker and Curtis Cups, the men's and women's amateur team championships.

The US team face a further hurdle, as the three previous Solheim Cups have all been won by the home side.

If the Americans need more hurdles to clear, the European team also possess the top three players on the world rankings in number one Laura Davies of Britain, and Swedes Annika Sorenstam and Liselotte Neumann.

The inspirational Davies, who loves speeding round the world's motorways in her Ferrari, has regained the world top spot this year with seven victories, five on the US Tour and the most recent just last Sunday in the English Open.

Sorenstam relieved Davies of the rankings lead last year after winning the US Open and becoming the first player to top the US and European money lists in the same year.

Plans for a tented village of hospitality units at this week's Solheim Cup have been dropped because too many of them would have remained empty.

"It's terribly disappointing," said George Griffith of promotions company Vantage.

"I think people have yet to realise the quality of golf that will be played here and do not appreciate what an exciting event it's going to be." Crowds of 15,000 a day are hoped for, but advance hospitality packages costing £175 per head have been sold for only 1,200 over the three days of competition.

"We had hoped to cater for around 2,000 a day," added Griffith. "But instead of erecting a tented village, we are now providing the hospitality inside the existing buildings.

"I think Euro 96 may have taken a lot of money out of the hospitality market."