Congrats to Europe's Solheim Cup Win

First, let me say Congrats to the ladies European Solheim Cup 2011 Team! A great win for them after a long drought, since 2003 to be exact. While the weather was brisk and windy for friday and saturday, nothing could compare to the ridiculous rains that suspended play twice during the final round of individual matches on Sunday.

I have to say that an MVP for the European Team was Melissa Reid. Born in Derby, England and making her current residence there, this was her first Solheim Cup. She turned pro in December of 2007 and began her professional career with a handicap of plus 5; which was also the lowest handicap in Europe at the time. She's won twice on the LET this year; with a victory at the Deloitte Dutch Ladies Open in June and more recently, the Open de Espana Femenino on Sept. 15th. She had one win in 2010, giving her 3 career wins. She's posted her lowest round of 65 twice and had 24 top ten finishes. To me, she shows strength, talent and determination. She plays with a tigress demeanor poised on only the shot at hand. Would it surprise anyone that one of her interests is playing football along with snowboarding?

A big surprise to most fans, was the withdrawal from Cristie Kerr due to a wrist issue. While Dottie Pepper was rather firm against the fact that Cristie should have told Captain Rosie Jones and crew just how much her wrist was hurting. Dottie states that it is part of being a leader and in her position. Now on the other hand, Cristie wasn't sure what the issue was and had taken anti-inflammatories which seemed to quiet things down, thus giving her the feeling that she could play friday and saturday when that discussion arose with Rosie Jones.
I know one thing, Cristie is a competitor and a very focused and highly detailed one at that. For her to have to bow out because her wrist was not able to withstand gripping the clubs on the practice range Sunday morning, had to be her last resort. There's no question that she would have played if this was just an occasional pain, etc. When something like a tendonitis is acute/traumatic from injury or overuse, one doesn't always know when that "breaking point" will occur. Like most professional golfers, you play with aches and pains sometimes throughout the entire season. I wish Cristie some down time and time to heal both physically and emotionally.

Now, let's dabble in the strong opinions of who I feel should have been played. First of all, when you have a duo such as Christina Kim and Michelle Wie who went 4-0 at Rich Harvest Farms in 2009, one would think you would pair them. To me, that is a no-brainer! Christina Kim played friday afternoon and then not again until Sunday individuals. Shut the front door, but that seems ridiculous to me! I completely mean no disrespect to Stacy Lewis however, when she was having a disastrous saturday morning, one surely would not put her back out in the afternoon. Why take that chance when the Cup is at stake? She struggled with both of her foursome matches (friday and saturday). Go with some of your veteran Solheim Players that have solid proven records! And yes, Stacy played well on Sunday but that doesn't make "what could have been a very different scoring for saturday" any easier to swallow had there been solid players with proven records out there!  Christina Kim is not only a great Solheim Cup player, she is a FAN FAVORITE and she can get the fans and other team members fired up like a grand cheerleader. Those attributes along with an outstanding duo record with Michelle Wie speak for themselves or at least SHOULD HAVE! Now, while I know there are many who agree with me and that was evident via Twitter feeds throughout the Solheim Cup; Christina has done nothing but display class and respect for the decisions that Captain Rosie Jones made. She is a remarkable woman and athlete and I for one hope, that 2013 find Christina & Michelle back together in foursomes as they should have been this past week!

While I'm tipping my hat to Christina for her class and respect, another player comes to mind. That player is Karen Stupples of England and also well known as Cristie Kerr's individual match opponent for Sunday. Karen displayed exemplary respect for Cristie during her interview after finding out that she will win the point for Europe under this well stated rule. Karen Stupples was back playing in the Solheim Cup, only her second after being on the 2005 roster. She had some great chips and putting during her play and was great fun to watch.

For those that questioned Rosie's Captain Pick of Ryann O'Toole, shut the front door and take a seat. Ryann showed both talent and maturity in what was her first Solheim during her Rookie year! Ryann, who has played in 9 LPGA tourneys had 2 top ten finishes, 5 rounds in the 60's and earned over $165,000 thus far this season. She tied for 5th at the Safeway Classic this year, and was a two-time winner on the Futures Tour in 2010. Her collegiate accolades include 12 Top Ten finishes and 2007 Pac-10 Conference Honorable Mention selection. This young lady is going to have a great career ahead of her.

One thing is for sure, the job of being Captain during the Solheim Cup is at the least, trying and difficult. It requires making choices that some will and some won't agree with. It means taking chances on some players and being ready for the backlash on both picks for the Team as well as some matches. The statement that I want to ring solid, is that ALL of these athletes on both Team USA an Team EUROPE deserve a huge round of applause. The captains and assistant captains I'm sure are due for a much needed rest. While my opinions are just that, I mean no offense to anyone in any way. They are merely "my opinions" on this blog. I am a true and blue golf fan and supporter of our ladies on the LPGA & LET Tours. Everyone involved in the 2011 Solheim Cup should stand proud and be thanked for another outstanding job and some great competition that we the fans were able to enjoy!

This photo of Euro Team Captain Alisson Nichols says it all. As she said early in the competition, "if we can't win here, where can we?".

Well done ladies, well done!






Now, Go Hit Some Balls...............

Remembering Sept. 11th, 2001

It was May 2003 and going to NYC was something I'd always wanted to do and yet now I found there was so much more meaning with my desire to go. And while the four of us who went reveled in the hustle and bustle of Times Square, there was another task we would plan for one of our days. From being in Times Square at any given hour, the people were plenty. The streets were always full and bustling. Coffee vendors and their little carts had the best coffee ever! Also in carts were the Nuts-4-you vendors, which I became addicted to. The four of us had a good friend who lives in NYC, whom we spent a lot of time with and who was a great tour guide in letting us know the places to visit. Yes, we went to the Today show in Rockefeller Ctr, the museums, the eateries, etc. The Statue of Liberty was off limits to visitors still.

Then, came the day we planned to visit Ground Zero.........


I still remember the chills and then the tears that filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks as I stood in that place. That place was the now empty site except for debri, of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, that no longer stood as glistening buildings in the sun along the skyline of New York but rather a mess of rubble that was cordoned off by very tall linked fence. Along the top, were slate black plaques. I soon found out what each and every plaque stated.

At first, I took a deep breathe as we got closer. I could feel my heart beginning to feel heavy and a sadness that was steadily creeping up into my very being. Would I cry, would I let myself? I started with the dedication plaque and then the real tears began as I started looking at names that were displayed on plaques up above. Those plaques held the name of every single person who died on that awful day, Sept 11th, 2001.

The site was a steady flow of people coming to pay their respects, just as I had done. I can say that every eye I looked into, was  a tear-filled one. It was a moment that I will never forget, the physical feelings I cannot describe with due justice. The minutes turned to hours as I stood there amongst the rubble, amongst others just like me to pay respects to what use to be. We didn't wonder where each other was in our group of four, and we didn't care. We were all lost in the moment and this was a day to pay respects, to mourn for those innocent lives, a day to realize that our freedom does not come without cost, a day to feel resentment for the horrendous massacre that had taken place on this very ground. A day that brought back resentment feelings like the day I visited Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona. A day that changes how you think about terrorism, our military, our policemen and women and the firemen and women who risk their lives every single day.

Other days consisted of visiting Central Park and other well known landmarks in New York. It was 2nd nature to Thank every policeman or fireman we saw, as were hundreds of others. And while being in New York City for just over a week and enjoying staying in the new W hotel in times square was fun and action packed; I left New York with a lesson that would stay with me the rest of my life.

While it is not always on everyone's mind, we must continue to Thank the men & women of our armed services who have devoted their lives for us, our freedom, and to protect us against terrorists that changed America 9/11/01. And although it's been 10 years, I can close my eyes or look at those photos and feel that same emotion that I felt while standing there in a sadness, in complete disbelief. I have just a few photos in the video below; I hope they bring to life, just a little of what I saw that day.

Our lives become busy and hectic and we struggle to find the time to do all that we want to, but the one thing that we can do, is truly Never Forget! I know I never could.

God Bless the USA..............

3 Days, 2 Continents, 1 Cup.....Solheim Cup 2011

That's right, 19 days, 15 hours, 34 minutes and 34 seconds away from the 2011 Solheim Cup! The event is taking place at Killeen Castle in Meath, Ireland.

This is a match-play format over the course of 3 days. The prior event was in 2009 at Rich Harvest Farms outside of Chicago in Sugar Grove. The USA took the Cup for those that weren't there or didn't tune in. I was fortunate enough to be there in person and watch this victory.
This year, a spectacular time will be had at Killeen Castle in Ireland. All of the pictures I'm sure, do not do it justice as being there in person would. I did have the opportunity to win a trip to the Solheim via a contest at this year's StateFarm Classic. I just needed Brittany Lincicome to finish ahead of Cristie Kerr. Everyone thought I had the win and then Brittany unfortunately started dropping strokes once she hit hole #16. The momentum that Kerr is known to bring on Sunday, was enough to propel her above Brittany but not to win the tourney. I already had picked my dear friend MaryAnn (@Ouchieee) to accompany me if I won. She is such a golf fanatic and we had a great time at the past two StateFarm Classics together. The winner of the tournament was Yani Tseng and Cristie finished ahead of Brittany. So, I won't be there live for this years Solheim Cup, but I will be there in Spirit & Heart!

For those that haven't downloaded the 2011 Solheim Cup app, you need to! This app is awesome! There are so many ways that you'll be able to follow the action, if you can't be there in person.

You can also bookmark the tourney website which is; SolheimCup.com . Then, there is the LPGA.COM . There's no reason to not follow the ladies and your team, whether that be USA or Europe! The TV schedule for the Solheim is via the Golf Channel as follows;

SEPT. 23 2:30 AM-1:00 PM GC

SEPT. 24 2:30 AM-1:00 PM GC

SEPT. 25 5:00-11:30 AM GC

Now, your Team USA Players with 9 returning members from '09 are; Cristie Kerr, Stacey Lewis, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford, Paula Creamer, Michelle Wie, Brittany Lincicome, Brittany Lang, Juli Inkster and Christina Kim. Finishing off the dozen are captains picks Vicky Hurst and Ryan O'Toole. As most of you know, Juli Inkster was chosen to be the assistant captain to Rosie Jones along with Sherri Steinhauer however, she earned her way into a spot and will be the first player/captain ever to play on either team USA or team Europe. While they are also touting her as the oldest player to participate in the Solheim Cup, this has little significance considering she plays to the level of those many years younger and earned her spot on the team just as anyone else has, regardless of her age! Team USA takes the top ten qualifiers and then has the two captains picks to round round out the USA Dozen.

Team Europe is Captained by Allison Nicholas. Her assistant captains are Joanne Morley and Annika Sorentam. While deriving at the European Dozen is slightly different that Team USA, Allison had 4 captains picks after the top 8 qualifiers. Her team consists of: Melissa Reid, Laura Davies, Suzann Pettersen, Christel Boeljon, Maria Hjorth, Anna Nordqvist, Catriona Matthew, Sophie Gustafson. Her 4 wildcard picks were Azahara Munoz, Caroline Hedwall, Karen Stupples and Sandra Gal. Captain Nicholas was also the captain for the 2009 European Team, at Rich Harvest Farms.

I for one, was ecstatic to see one of my favorites Karen Stupples be chosen for Team Europe. She was also on the European Team in 2005, when played at Crooked Stick. She has had victories at the Women's British Open in '04 as well as the Welch Fry's Championship in '04 and most recently the '09 Wales Ladies Championship. She's a sweet gal and always a pleasure to watch and/or tweet with.

Another favorite Christina Kim, has been a returning member of Team USA and very well known to The Solheim Cup for getting the crowd pumped. They love Christina and she is always a pleasure to watch and a crowd favorite. I expect no less in Ireland.

Before the ladies travel to Co. Meath, Ireland for The Solheim Cup, the LPGA will have 2 tournaments; the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship from Rogers Arkansas Sept. 9011 and also the Navistar LPGA Classic in Prattville Alabama. I will have additional postings on those tourneys as they near.

Now, Go Hit Some Balls...........