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| | Tuesday, 20 August, 2002, 14:29 GMT 15:29 UK Reid in Solheim dilemma
The significance of the finish position will be greater than ever this week at the Wales WPGA Championship. It is the final qualifying event before Dale Reid announces her 2002 Solheim Cup team. Reid's side defend the Cup in America from 20-22 September. If Europe win this year at Interlachen Golf Club in Minnesota, it will be the first win on American soil. Ever since the inaugural event at Lake Nona in 1990, European teams have struggled in America. This will surely be at the back of Reid's mind as she ponders which players are best suited to the fiery cauldron they are likely to face in Minnesota. Every Tour golfer wants to play in the Solheim Cup, but few players have any idea just how tense and pressurised the event can be. Every player who has played - and that includes me - if asked how they felt on the first tee will tell you it was pretty scary. Most describe being more nervous than ever before - even Annika Sorenstam. Already taking automatic places in the team are Sorenstam - with seven titles to her name so far this season - and European number one Raquel Carriedo. They are joined by two rookies, Karin Icher from France and Spain's Paula Marti, both of whom have performed outstandingly in Europe over the last two seasons.
The remaining places are still up for grabs. And although Reid will be wary about naming too many newcomers in her team, I do not think she has much of a choice. She played in four Solheim Cups before taking the captaincy and knows that the intense pressure is likely to cause huge problems for novice professionals. It was for this reason that in the last match she drew strongly on the 'old campaigners' as they helped to counterbalance the inexperience of the rookies. Players like Helen Alfredson, Trish Johnson, Alison Nicholas and Liselotte Neuman have all played in every Solheim Cup so far. But this year too few of the 'old campaigners' have been playing well, in stark contrast to the rookies. 'Reidy', as she is affectionately called, is about to usher in a changing of the guard and will likely name a team with more rookies than ever before. And that should be good news for players like Scotland's Janice Moodie and Mhairi McKay. | | See also:  14 Aug 02 | Golf 14 Aug 02 | Golf Top Golf stories now: Links to more Golf stories are at the foot of the page. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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