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THE SOLHEIM CUP

September 14, 2007

Betsy King

HALMSTAD, SWEDEN

DANA GROSS-RHODE: Betsy, thank you for joining us. I know you've been outside since very early this morning. You've been through some crazy weather, but you have to be pretty proud of the 4 1/2 points your team put up. Kind of talk about your first day today.
BETSY KING: It's going to be close the whole way. Most of the matches were close. What was the largest, 4-3 victory.
It's just going to be that way. Obviously today was a tough day weather-wise for everybody, and, you know, another five minutes of rain that one time when it was raining so hard, we might not have been able to keep playing for a little bit, but I'm happy.
We made a good start with the alternate shot, and we've tried practicing more of that this -- before coming here. Then, you know, just a lot of close matches in the afternoon.
So we'll see what happens tomorrow. It looks like weather is going to be a factor again. Maybe not rain but little bit of cold and wind. So we're ready to go.
I just can't tell you how much fun it is to coach these -- coach. I'm not really a coach -- captain these guys because everybody wants to do what they think is best for the team.
We've told them, you know, "If you don't feel comfortable in a situation, let us know." and everybody has been very good about that, and yet, you know, there isn't anyone who doesn't fit in. Everyone gets along very well.
It's been a pleasure.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Great. We'll take questions for Betsy.

Q. This is the first time since '90, '96 you're in the lead after the first day on European soil and you won in Wales. What does that mean for you guys?
BETSY KING: You know, I don't know if it means that much. I just think it's going to be close the whole way, and it's just going -- whoever is Wednesday, it's going to be close.
So, you know, you just have to go out and make every shot count, and, you know, I tried to tell them that. I think everybody is very aware of that, but I think when the matches are close, you kind of know that every shot counts. We'll have to go out and try to keep playing well.

Q. Betsy, can we both have your pairing for tomorrow, and also did you make any late switches either this afternoon or for tomorrow morning?
BETSY KING: You know, I think with today having had a day of competition where you could watch people play, you know, it was a little -- you know, you had another factor in there that, you know, for the first morning I kind of had done it. I sat down about two weeks ago really and put out the first two days. I mean, just out of curiosity if everything went really well, this is what I was thinking.
Obviously when you get here and you watch everybody play and the more we played together alternate shot, you know, that changed a little bit, but the morning of the first day, you know, stayed the same.
So, yeah, I think once you start watching everybody play, you have that in there, too. So it took -- we had to think a little bit about what we were doing. I think, too, when you're -- in the morning you have to have it in by 11:30 in the afternoon. You're doing your consultation in the golf course. Tonight we came inside and sat down for a little bit.

Q. What do you think about tomorrow's pairings?
BETSY KING: Is that --
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Yes.
BETSY KING: I think they're fine. It's like that guy yesterday, "What am I supposed to say?" I don't need ceremonies. No. I think it's fine. I said -- I'm not even worried or trying to guess where who is going to be, where from the other side, because I don't think you can do that.
I was trying to put out -- you know, obviously Sherri and Laura didn't play this afternoon. They're the most rested. I have them get up first, and I tried to do it that way and not worry about, you know, "Where is Helen going to put whoever?"
I think the teams are that close that, you know. You don't look at one team and say they're the strongest team.
You have to feel that any team on your side can -- if they play well can beat any team on the other side. I just put the pairings out based on rest and that kind of thing.
You don't have the pairings? You need the pairings?
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Yeah.
BETSY KING: Okay. I'm sorry. We have Sherri Steinhauer and Laura Diaz going out first against Maria Hjorth and Gwladys Nocera. And then we have Juli Inkster and Paula Creamer. You have the European side, I guess. Sorry. And then third is Pat Hurst and Angela Stanford. And last is Nicole Castrale and Cristie Kerr.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Any other questions?

Q. Can you just talk about the way this afternoon in particular finished? Is there any disappointment in the way things went against you, or do you have to expect that sort of thing?
BETSY KING: When the matches are close, it happens. You see red up on the board, but you know, 1-up obviously isn't a big lead. The last match, Laura played an unbelievable 3 on No. 16.
I thought Paula did the right thing on the last hole, you know, conceding the putt. That was a very hard fought match and was funny, when I was watching, I wasn't close enough to know exactly how long that second putt was, but it ran through my head about Jack Nicklaus when he conceded a putt, you know, to halve a match.
Within 30 seconds Paula did that. It's kind of funny. Yeah, the matches are all very close. You lose one hole, it goes from a point to half point. It can go either way.
So, it happened that way for us this afternoon.

Q. How much more exhausting is captaining aside than playing?
BETSY KING: I think the hardest thing about it is I'm never out at the golf course for 12 hours, and I have a bit of a headache. Really today I felt like I was just trying -- just whatever the system that we worked out.
It seemed like I was trying to get to all the par-3s to let other people know what other people were hitting. It seemed like the players wanted to know that. I was doing that. And of course with the weather -- we had food on the cart and with all the towels, trying to get the towels out there.
That was kind of major thing, but I think it's just exhausting because you're out here a lot longer than you normally are when you're playing in a tournament.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Any other questions for Betsy?
BETSY KING: I'm sure it's a long day for you guys, too.
DANA GROSS-RHODE: Thank you very much Betsy. Good luck tomorrow.

End of FastScripts

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