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THE SOLHEIM CUP

September 21, 2011

Alison Nicholas

DUNSANY, IRELAND

MIKE SCANLAN: I'd like to welcome the European Solheim Cup Captain, Alison Nicholas to the interview room. Alison's leading the European team for the second straight occasion. She played for Europe six times from 1990 to 2000, has a 7-8-3 record, and earned 8.5 points for the team as a player. She was also an assistant captain twice, so a little Solheim Cup experience. So, Alison, would you just start by telling us how the week's shaping up for you?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, it's been a long, winding road to get here, and we're now here. Basically, just excited to be here as captain once again particularly on the home soil.
The players are having a great time. The girls just want to have fun, basically. They're just waiting a little bit until, obviously, anxious to get going. But we've had some great preparation. Obviously, the weather's a bit indifferent. If it rains much more, I think we'll need a yellow submarine, maybe to get the spectators around the place.
But we've been having a good time. Everything's working out. We'd just like to see some more sun, I think.

Q. Just in relation to the weather, are you concerned that -- there's heavy rain forecast for Saturday. Are you concerned this may go into Monday or are there plans? Are there contingency plans?
ALISON NICHOLAS: I think they have contingency plans, yes, because obvious that that may or could have been a possibility. We don't know. The weather forecast tends to change on a daily basis, so they'll be monitoring it. And if we have to go Monday, we'll have to go Monday.

Q. Is it an advantage for your players this weather?
ALISON NICHOLAS: It could be and it couldn't be. I mean, a lot of the players have played all over the world and are very experienced. Most of the best players in the world tend to adapt very easily.
Yeah, it could be in some ways, but I know that I've played in bad weather over in America, and the Americans seem to adapt very, very well. So that's a tough question in some ways.

Q. With five rookies on the team, what will you be saying to them before they go off, and is it your plan that they'll all get a game on the first day?
ALISON NICHOLAS: I'm going to tell you that (laughing)?

Q. I wouldn't expect to you name names.
ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, I'm not going to tell you. Basically, the girls, the senior girls on my team have talked to the rookies about what to expect. Some of the experienced caddies have talked to them too to know what to expect on the first tee. We've talked to them constantly.
I don't know whether I'm going to play them all on the first day yet. It depends how things go. But a lot of them have played on the LPGA Tour for quite some time. I know they're rookies to the Solheim Cup, but they're not actual rookies in terms of playing on the Tour and playing alongside the players that they're going to play against.
They're upbeat. They're so excited to be here. I think they're very, very good players.

Q. What memories do you have of your rookie year in the Solheim Cup and anything that was said to you before you came out that may have helped you?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, obviously, I played in the first Solheim Cup, so no one had ever experienced it before, so no one could give me any tips.
But I remember it to be so exciting, because you get so many gifts. There is such a lot going around. You get a good golf bag, and you go into your room, and it's like Aladdin's cave. You've got press conferences and TV bits.
I remember doing some TV conferences, and I haven't got a clue what I was saying because I was quite nervous, as you would be. But I loved the occasion. For me, it brought the best out of me. I love competing, and I actually played very well, actually, considering.
I think Laura and I won our first match ever or won the first ever match in the Solheim Cup.

Q. Several members of your team and the American side have said that this is the deepest team that they can recall that Europe has had. Do you agree with that? Can you compare this team to last time around?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah, I think we've got a strong team. We've got some very, very good players. We've got nine wins this year from my team. And I think we have got a team that has strength and depth.
But I would never underestimate the Americans, because I still, on paper in the world rankings, we are the underdogs slightly. So we never underestimate them because they're very competitive, and they've got a very, very good side.

Q. Is it the deepest?
ALISON NICHOLAS: I would say so, yeah.

Q. Alison, could you tell us about what you're wearing to the dinner tonight and was it your decision that everyone would wear the same?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Yes, it was, actually. We've got some lovely outfits from Paul Costelloe who has designed them specially. And it's gone down very, very well with the girls. They love it. Do you want more information?

Q. No, I wanted to know did you have the choice of having individual designs?
ALISON NICHOLAS: We decided that we've always gone with the same because we're a team. So that was just the sort of thing that's happened throughout the Solheim Cups I've been involved in.

Q. To all dinners?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Yes.

Q. Now tell me what is the worst thing you ever had to wear and what do you think of this one?
ALISON NICHOLAS: What is the worst oh, I can't remember. I might -- oh, I'm getting old. I've got very limited remembrance skills these days. No, I don't think there's anything I've worn to a gala dinner that I haven't liked. It might have been slightly different, but it's been always fitted by the seamstress, and so I've never really had a problem.

Q. But didn't that Mrs. Doyle, didn't she give you jumpers that you couldn't fit into or something?
ALISON NICHOLAS: No, it wasn't the jumpers that we couldn't fit into. What happened is you're not allowed to have logos of the company above a certain size because of, obviously, the Solheim family and Ping, and there were these massive logos on the jumper so that's why we couldn't wear them.
It was nothing to do with the fact that they didn't fit, yeah. But, no, we've got Abacus on course clothing and Paul Costelloe for the gala dinner and the opening ceremony. And the girls love every part of it. Both companies, well, Abacus, the company have done an absolutely fantastic first-class job. And Paul Costelloe or Costelloe as they say in Ireland, has done the design of superb clothes for the team, and it's just quality.

Q. What color is it?
ALISON NICHOLAS: It's dark blue, and also it's been made to measure for the players. So some of us are wearing little jackets, some are wearing pashminas.

Q. It was very close obviously two years ago. What do you think you learned as a captain them that you might do different this time? What extra experience do you have yourself?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Well, yeah, obviously I've done it before, so I know what to expect, so that helps. I think last time, you know, you have meetings with other captains and talk with various different people on how things go that week and what to expect. But until you actually experience it, it's two different things. I've got that in the bank.
I don't know if there's anything I did. I mean, there are a few little bits and bobs that I didn't feel I did as well as I should have done. But on the whole, I felt I did a reasonable job, but, unfortunately, we just fell short. We didn't hole enough putts, I don't think. But that's just the way it goes.
The girls fought hard, and they played with their hearts, with passion, and I'm sure that they'll do the same this week. All we need is a little bit of luck and a few more putts to drop.

Q. You touched a little bit on the fact that some of the experienced caddies have talked to the players, specifically the rookies. How important is it with the caddies to sort of help them and the input they give to the team?
ALISON NICHOLAS: The caddie's role is huge. Me as a professional golfer, my caddie was part of the team. He was a crucial part, absolutely. From an encouragement point of view, psychologically they can help you keep on track. Their sense of humor, sense of fun, sense of perspective is huge.
I think most of my top players would agree that without them, we couldn't do a lot of things on the golf course that we do because they help us tremendously. That's why I've tried to include them, make them feel special. They're a great bunch of guys, and they are very, very important to every player and to the team as a whole.

Q. Where do you think the matches will be won and lost? Are there any particular holes where you think the risk or reward or we'll see action?
ALISON NICHOLAS: I don't know. I could predict something. I have absolutely no idea where they'll finish, but I should think it will be around 16, 17 and 18. Traditionally that's how it's gone, particularly the last few matches it's gone down to the wire, hasn't it? A lot of matches have gone down the last few holes, and they're tough holes.
16 is a great par-3, so that could be a clincher in lots of ways. But actually where they're going to end, I couldn't be sure, obviously.

Q. Not having seen the course yet which is why I ask, are there ones earlier in the course where you expect if you're trailing by a couple you would take a bit of a risk to go for glory?
ALISON NICHOLAS: I think maybe the four balls when you've got two balls in play. I think there might be some opportunities to go for par-5s in two or tricky shots that you wouldn't take on in a straight play situation or if you didn't have two balls in play. Other than that, not really.

Q. Suzann was very adamant earlier that Europe could win this game. Do you sense that confidence having spent a couple days with the players now?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah, absolutely. They're up for it. They've lost the last three matches and they want to win the cup back just as the Americans want to win as well.
They're all competitors. They're ready. Hopefully things go our way. I believe that we can bring the cup back and so do a lot of the girls.

Q. There's never been an Irish member of the Solheim Cup team. How important do you think this will be in encouraging girls into golf in Ireland and perhaps seeing a professional girl as a viable possibility?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah, hopefully it can inspire youngsters to play the game. We've got a lot of young players. Hopefully we'll have a lot of young spectators, because I think they're allowed in, aren't they, free of charge under a certain age. And, hopefully, that will encourage them to start playing the game.
Yes, we haven't got an Irish member of the team. However, the Junior Solheim Cup has just taken place, and you've got the Maguire twins who were in that. So hopefully that would have inspired a lot of people. I'm sure there were a lot of crowds watching there. I don't know.
But it should, hopefully, if we get a lot of young people to come and watch, particularly girls. We've got some great golfers and great role models that they can learn an awful lot from.

Q. You mention role models, and I believe it's absolutely spot on. How important do you think psychologically for women and girls to be a part of the game and be able to improve?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Yeah, to play the game, you keep fit. It helps you from a mental perspective, makes you tough. I think it's a great game to play.

Q. Do you think women have a stronger mental game than the men do?
ALISON NICHOLAS: Not necessarily. I think we're different. I think we're slightly different. We handle things different, but I think they're just as good in a different way.

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