THE SOLHEIM CUP

September 11, 2003

Patty Sheehan

NEAL REID: I think everybody is here so we can go ahead and get started. I just wanted to get your thoughts on how the pairings turned out for the morning matches and maybe go into a little bit about your thoughts in putting together the pairings for the U.S. team.

PATTY SHEEHAN: Good try, Neal. But I'm not going to give away any of my secrets. I think the pairings came out just great. Obviously I try to put together the best pairings that I can for this type of format. So I felt very good about my lineup. And I think that the matches are going to be tough. I think that all of their teams are excellent, and we are all just going to watch it unfold together. It's going to be a very exciting time, and we certainly are looking forward to that.

Q. How has your day been today? Has it been a tiring day, fun day?

PATTY SHEEHAN: It has been a really fun day. Jane and I got in the cart and we went out to the water holes and sat there for a long time and watched the players play through those holes. It was absolutely spectacular out there this morning. I enjoyed being out there, being with the players. Everybody is working very hard on their games right now. They're getting their game faces on. But we've had a good time. I am kind of a shy person, so when I get up on stage and things, I get a little nervous. That's probably the most nerve-racking part of the whole week for me. I really don't know what to say, but we're very excited to get on with the matches. It's been a long week, a lot of preparation, a lot of dinners and meetings and press conferences and things like that. So I know that the players really are looking forward to getting down to playing golf.

Q. Has there been some kind of atmosphere with the anniversary of September 11 and also with the death of the foreign minister? Has that in any way led to a somber feel of the day?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Absolutely. We have been remembering, obviously September 11, and then to have this other tragedy on top of it, it's just made this a difficult day and the date, it just compounds everything, it seems like. Yes, we've been talking about it. I talked briefly with Catrin about it. Everybody is very sad. There's not much more that we can say except our thoughts and prayers are with the family. We're all saddened by it.

Q. How much did Juli play this morning?

PATTY SHEEHAN: She played the first 5 and then went out for the last 5 or 6. So 11 holes or so. She I think played yesterday up until the 12th hole. I think that's why she wanted to go back out and play those last holes today. It was such a rainy day yesterday.

Q. How much did your thought process for your pairings differ from last year? Not so much the players that were put together, but the thinking that went into it?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Last year I had five rookies. My main concern last year was to get them going, get them involved in the matches, get them some experience early in the week so that they could relax and prepare for the rest of the week. This year I only had two rookies, so that wasn't a big concern of mine. Heather Bowie and Angela Stanford have seemed very relaxed this week and have hit the ball extremely well. So I didn't feel that there was any rush to get them out. However, Heather fell into a pairing that I felt was very strong. And the two, Laura and Heather, are very good friends and I know they feel comfortable playing with each other. That was one of the reasons why I put those two together. It just came out that way that those two came out on the first day.

Q. Depending on their play tomorrow morning, is that a pairing because of their friendship and relationship that you'd be inclined to stick with?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I'm going to look at certain things. I've got a pretty good game plan, I think. I'd like to stick with it. Obviously things happen through the week, and people's games change and sometimes they don't feel very good in the morning. It's just, something will happen, and I sometimes have to change pairings. But at this point everybody feels fine, and I would like to stick with my game plan how I have it. We'll see how it goes.

Q. Have your thoughts on the pairings tomorrow morning changed much during the week?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Not too much. Not too much. I started putting together some pairings after my team was put together two weeks ago. The first day has not changed very much. The second day has changed considerably. And still, that still remains to be seen what I do the second day as to what happens after the first.

Q. With this format you've obviously going to leave four players out. How hard is it on them and how hard is it for to you deliver that news?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I think they all know that at some point in time they're not going to play. They understand that. They're okay with that. Not a big deal. They understand this is a team competition and not everybody can play every segment. They're all right.

Q. How is the pressure on your team different this year than it was last year?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Actually I don't think they feel the pressure quite as much this year because they're here. Playing in the States carries an awful lot of pressure. I know last year everybody kept saying the U.S. team has never lost in the United States. So that puts a lot of pressure on them. I think the pressure is considerably different this year.

Q. How much do you suspect the European team feels it this year?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I suspect they feel a lot of pressure, but I can't really speak for their team. It would be a hunch.

Q. Did you do a good job you feel last year on being in the right place at the right time? It was obviously really difficult.

PATTY SHEEHAN: I felt that I didn't get to watch very much golf. I felt a little deprived. I feel that the rest of you got to watch an awful lot of golf and I didn't get to watch very much. I'm hoping to get out and watch a little bit more golf this year. I don't know if I was at the right place at the right time. It didn't matter. They all are big, grown up girls and they can handle it themselves. They really don't need me to hold their hand. I felt that it went pretty smoothly.

Q. Do you want to interfere a little or a lot?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I don't want to interfere.

Q. We had a Walker Cup captain last week, he was on the greens reading putts.

PATTY SHEEHAN: No. I don't want to interfere, and I won't interfere. I will help if asked to help.

Q. Help with what?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I don't know. "Help!"

Q. What's the most important piece of advice that you will give your team tonight and how easy will it be for them to follow?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I don't know if I can share what I'm going to say tonight because I'm not really sure what I'm going to say. I don't know if I can comment.

Q. Taking tonight out of the equation, if there's one thing that you would like to get across to your team, what would that be?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Enjoy the experience.

Q. How easy will that be for them to do that?

PATTY SHEEHAN: I think for most of them, they're having a good time. I think they're enjoying it. They seem pretty relaxed. We're having a great time together. We've got 10 of them have been on the team before. So they understand all of the things that this week entails. The rookies are having a good time because they're just kind of wandering around going, "Now what do we do and where do we go?" This is all new for them. They're wide-eyed, and this is in Sweden, and they've never been to Sweden before. It's all new. They're having a great time.

Q. If you look at the European pairings have you any comments, any surprises?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Have I any comments or surprises on the Europeans?

Q. In the lineup.

PATTY SHEEHAN: No, I don't think there's any surprises. I think all four of those teams are very strong.

Q. You aren't surprised that Carin Koch is paired with Laura Davies?

PATTY SHEEHAN: No. I'm not surprised. She's a new captain. You guys have been used to the same captain for two years in a row, and I'm sure that she -- I didn't really study what she did, but she probably stuck with some teams, the teams that she liked. Catrin has her own thoughts and strategies. So I'm not surprised.

Q. Why did you bring Heather along for this week?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Pardon me?

Q. You brought Heather?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Heather Daly-Donofrio?

Q. Yes.

PATTY SHEEHAN: She's on the board. She's kind of representing the board for us. She's great fun. I asked her. She said she'd like to come. I said, well, come on over then.

Q. Extra set of for you?

PATTY SHEEHAN: Yeah. She'll be of help to me. Most of all not for pairings or not for any of that kind of stuff. I think she's here to help with whatever it is that we need help with, whatever that may be. She's great. She's great fun to have around.

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