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SOLHEIM CUP

September 15, 2015

St. Leon-Rot, Germany

MODERATOR: Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome three members of Team Europe. To my far left, the Rolex Rankings No. 54, Carlota Ciganda, playing her second Solheim Cup, after posting a 100 percent record in Colorado.

We have World No. 8, Suzann Pettersen, making her 8th appearance in the Solheim Cup.

And we have Rolex Rankings No. 50, Charley Hull, playing her second Solheim Cup after being a star of the winning European team in Colorado.

Thanks for being here. Start with you, Charley, tell us your thoughts about the golf course this year.

CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I just come off the golf course now and I really enjoyed it. I actually played in the under 16s event here three years ago. So I've got some good memories, because we played for England and we qualified really good.

I was out on the golf course today. It's playing a lot different, a lot longer, but I enjoy it like that. It's in great condition, as well. I'm really looking forward to the week.

MODERATOR: What do you think about the course and the setup?

SUZANN PETTERSON: I've heard a lot of great stuff about this venue, how awesome the facilities and everything around the course is. And kind of people have been underrating the course, I think. I think this is a fantastic golf course. A lot of great holes. Some of the holes got some teeth to it.

Today probably played the longest it will play, but I think it's great when you have a 5-iron left on a par-4. We all love it. So I think it's a great golf course. It's a big golf course and it's very playable. Good fun.

MODERATOR: Carlota, you're a long hitter, too. Does the course suit your game?

CARLOTA CIGANDA: I think it's a great golf course for match play. You have some long holes and also a few short ones. I think it's going to be great for the European team, for all the players. And I can't wait to start playing on Friday.

MODERATOR: Last time, in Colorado, you had six rookies on the team. Charley, you were one of them. How is it different this time?

CHARLEY HULL: Well, obviously because I played in the Solheim. But I don't feel any different. I know what to expect, like the functions before it and stuff. Apart from that, I'm buzzing to go out on the first tee, just like I did last time.

MODERATOR: Carlota, you were a rookie last time, made a great debut. How excited are you to get going this time?

CARLOTA CIGANDA: I can't wait to play here in Europe with all the support. I know it's going to be a lot of people from all around Europe, a lot of Germans, and hopefully a lot of Spanish, too. I can't wait to start playing and let's see how it goes.

MODERATOR: What do you think it's going to be like playing on home soil, as compared to America?

CARLOTA CIGANDA: I think it's going to be great.

Two years ago was my first Solheim Cup and I didn't know what to expect. It was the best feeling winning in the U.S. And I can't imagine winning here on Sunday with all the fans, all the people. I think Suzann has more experience playing so many Solheim Cups, but I think it's going to be great.

Q. Suzann, playing in your eighth Solheim Cup. You were a part of the team when you went through that period where the U.S. was dominating you guys. How much has it meant to you and the Europeans to have turned that around?
SUZANN PETTERSON: Well, obviously I'm not a virgin anymore on this team. But, you know, it's been a great ride for me. It's been -- I feel very fortunate I got in the time I did. I got to play with some of the best players at the time, Annika obviously on our team, but also some of the great Americans of all times, Juli included, Beth, Meg, Rosie, which kind of for me sets a standard of how to play this Solheim Cup.

Obviously there's been a new generation growing to this game ever since, over the last three or four Solheims. For the team it makes a huge difference because they bring so much energy, feistiness. They all want to go out there and compete and win. And I think it's been great. It's been a great transition. But this is my eighth, but these youngsters, these kids keeps us on our tippy toes.

Q. Suzann, why do you think the tide has shifted so much in the Europeans' favor?
SUZANN PETTERSON: We're playing better than the Americans.

Q. Plain and simple.
SUZANN PETTERSON: Yeah. But I must say, I remember having this discussion with Laura a couple of times, even though Europe lost a couple of Solheims there for a while, I mean if you go down to the wire on the Sunday, it could literally go either way. We've had some putts lipping out in our favor.

In Ireland, they all went in instead of kind of missing, and that is the tipping point. So even though the final number could be quite big, there's usually never a walk in the park for one of the teams.

Even Colorado, it was -- at the end it looked like it was an easy kind of win for us, but it was pretty intense coming down to certain matches. And we've been fortunate enough to have the luck on our side. The more you practice, the luckier it gets. So I guess we just practiced a little bit harder than the Americans.

Q. Juli has kind of talked about trying to tone down the rah rah on the American side, no face paint and stuff like that. Kind of your thoughts on that and you think -- you guys are a little bit different in that regard. Do you think you'll see a different American team this time around under Juli's direction?
SUZANN PETTERSON: Well, I think we're all pretty beautiful au natural, so you don't need the face paint (laughter).

I don't know, like I said, my first couple of years you didn't see much of it, with that generation of Juli included. Obviously changed a little bit with the younger players coming along. You know what people have got to do with what they feel comfortable with. If that's what people kind of want to do and look like, then be it, I think we feel pretty comfortable how we've been the last couple of times.

Q. A question for Charley and then a follow-up for her. Charley, in Colorado, that was really where you kind of introduced yourself to American audiences. What was the reaction to that? Was there a big reaction to that for people warming to you after that?
CHARLEY HULL: I think so because like the years after -- well, even to now, I always get you were great at Solheim. I think it gave me a big boost of confidence, as well. But, yeah, definitely a lot of people knew me because of that.

I'm quite grateful, because it really set the standards for me, I felt. And I felt more comfortable knowing that I can beat some of the best players in the world at the time. It gave me a lot of confidence. So obviously it's helped me. And, yeah, definitely everyone like figured out that I was pretty good after that instead of people doubting me, if you know what I'm saying.

Q. The follow-up to that is could you update us just on how your father is? He had eye surgery, right? How he's doing and will he be here?
CHARLEY HULL: Yeah, I was playing in -- I think it was in Alabama. And it was before my tee time, my first round tee time, he went to the hospital, because he had seen flashing lights. I didn't really know what was going on, so I just played my round. I knew he was in the hospital.

I come off, like straightaway, and he rang me, because he was on the way back, because he spent not long in the hospital. And he had a detached retina in his eye. He was actually going blind if he didn't have it operated, they said, within four days, he would have lost his eyesight. They could have done it there and then, but then he would have had to stay in Alabama for five weeks. He felt I ought to come home and then have it done as soon as possible.

I came back with him because you can't lift anything like more than 20 pounds in the airport or bend down, put your head in different positions. It was only 50/50 percent chance it would work. And he went back to the hospital a couple of days ago, a week after the operation, and they said it was looking pretty good. But he can't travel for eight weeks, so he'll be staying home.

Q. Charley, have any of your young friends at home asked you to get any American autographs this time?
CHARLEY HULL: No. I think James still has the golf ball.

Q. Didn't you say James had lost the ball at one point?
CHARLEY HULL: He thought his mum lost it, but she just moved it while she was cleaning (laughter).

Q. Suzann, Charley says that she hasn't changed much since two years ago. She's still cracking us up. Have you seen her change in the team room and just how she's taking on this end?
SUZANN PETTERSON: You have no idea what world Charley lives in from day to day. It changes so much and it's totally a different planet than the rest of us. It gives us all a very good laugh.

But she's got a great game, fantastic game. She hits it far. She's a good ball-striker, she's got a great touch, great short game. She's fun to be around. I just wish I was that age again.

Q. Is she kind of the team clown, jokester or not meaning to be?
SUZANN PETTERSON: I think she's just trying to be herself. But for the rest of us, it's so unreal that it cracks us up every time something comes out of her mouth pretty much.

MODERATOR: I'm kind of interested to know who is on your team and who you brought with you this week. Your dad is not with you, unfortunately, Charley, but did your sisters come?

CHARLEY HULL: I'm by myself. But like last time, my sister stayed in the room with me and she rode in the night before, I played poorly the next day, at like 4:00 in the morning and woke me up because she was like drinking. She's ten years older. I was like, what are you doing? She was like, I'm just coming in from my party. I'm like, okay, you do know I've got a big game tomorrow. She's like, oh, you'll be fine.

This year I'm obviously by myself, staying by myself. They're coming over, my sisters and their boyfriends and my mum. But that's about it, really. I probably won't be seeing much of them, anyway, because we'll be concentrating and will keep with the team. But it's going to be good.

MODERATOR: How about you, Suzann? Seen your mother?

SUZANN PETTERSON: Yeah, my mom is here and my dad is coming in later this week. It's just hard to really invite people to come. They can obviously watch the game, but you can't really socialize with people, it's such a busy week, you play golf all day long and you have functions at night or the team stuff at night. You kind of feel bad if you invite very many people and they expect to see you. I've learned my lesson. If people want to come and watch golf, that's great, and don't have any responsibility of taking care of people.

MODERATOR: Last time we saw a lot of Spanish flags last time.

CARLOTA CIGANDA: My parents and brother and a few more friends from back home. It will be fun to see them with the Spanish and European flags.

Q. Charley, could you identify which sister it was that came in at 4:00 in the morning or does your mother not know?
CHARLEY HULL: Yes, it was Nicole. She came in. And she cracks me up when she comes to golf tournaments. Like, for instance, last year I missed a three-foot putt on the last hole, and put me one behind the lead. She was like, that was rubbish, wasn't it? I'm wearing flip flops, and I could have holed that. Go and do some putting. So I went on the putting green, hit two putts, and she was like, that was great, let's go. She hasn't got much clue about golf, but it's quite funny when she watches. She's actually like an older version of me.

SUZANN PETTERSON: Oh, boy.

MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us, Team Europe, and best of luck.

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