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THE SOLHEIM CUPAugust 13, 2013Caroline HedwallCaroline MassonAzahara MunozPARKER, COLORADO THE MODERATOR:  We will go ahead and get started with Team Europe. We have on the podium today Azahara Munoz, Caroline Hedwall, and Caroline Masson with us. Caroline, just want to start with you because obviously being a rookie, you must be super excited to be here. Can you just explain what it feels like to be in your first Solheim Cup? CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah, it's just great so far. I was so excited last week when I was at home practicing. And I couldn't wait until it started. So I got here on Sunday and had a great time so far. It was nice meeting all the players. Getting into my room, seeing all the presents like all the stuff we get, my bag. So I'm super happy and just trying to enjoy every moment. THE MODERATOR: Azahara, what's it like to be back with your old teammates again and obviously with a chance to retain the cup over here in America? AZAHARA MUNOZ: It's amazing. I think this is all we want to play for, every two years. So it's gone by pretty quick, but I think we are all really happy to be back and I love playing in a team environment and we only get to do it over two years, so I'm just going to enjoy this week as much as I can and so far it's been great. We're all getting along really well. I think we all can't wait to get started on Friday. THE MODERATOR: And Caroline you were also a key member of the team that won last time. So talk about how it feels to be back with your teammates and on this team in 2013. CAROLINE HEDWALL: Well it's just great being back. I think we have a great team with nice and fun people. So I think we're going to have a lot of fun and hopefully we can beat the Americans this time too. THE MODERATOR: If anyone has any questions, please raise your hand and use the microphone. Q. What are you going to tell the six rookies, you have six newbies on your team, what are you going to tell them when they come to you and say what's it going to be like on that first tee? How do you get them ready for that first tee on Friday? AZAHARA MUNOZ: Well we have two really experienced players on the team. So since we have been here, the leaders of the team, they're doing a great job. But I think it's nice for them for the new rookies, we are actually the same age, so it's really nice for them to have people that feel close to them. We have played junior Solheim together and a lot of European team championships together. So I think that they feel really comfortable with us and all I'm going to say is I'm going to be honest. I'm going to say I was really nervous on the first tee, but you just hit it and get it going. So whatever they feel they need to know, I'm just going to be here for them. Q. How did you handle your first time, your first shot in the Solheim Cup and what will you tell the six rookies when they come to you? CAROLINE HEDWALL: You are going to be really nervous on the first tee, but at the same time that's what you practice for and you just have to enjoy the moment and have fun. That's how I try to handle it. Q. To any of the girls, could you just give us your first impressions of the course. AZAHARA MUNOZ: It's in really good shape. It's playing pretty long, so I think it's going to be tough to make birdies out there because the greens are pretty tricky. They move a lot. They are really quick too. You're hitting a lot of long irons into pretty tiny greens. So it's going to be a good test. I think it's going to be up to making a lot of up‑and‑downs out there and just scrambling around. But it's a really good course. CAROLINE HEDWALL: I think that putting will be key this week. Obviously the greens are really quick and quite undulated, so being on the right side of the pin and just having a hot putter will definitely be a key this week. Q. Caroline you played here in July with some of the contingent. How does it differ from when you were here then to now, and what did you learn then to make you a little more comfortable this week? CAROLINE HEDWALL: Well just seeing the course was good. Coming here and knowing what it looked like. For me it's the first time playing in this altitude, so I'm not used to hitting it this far. So like yesterday it was just about getting my yardages right. So that's what I have to commit to. Sometimes it's hard to commit to hitting a 7‑iron 165, 170 yards. I'm not used to that. So that's why I think that coming here in July was really important to get a feel for it. Q. For any of you three, it's been said that the Europeans have an advantage in match play because you grew up playing that a lot more than Americans. Do you kind of feel that and do you think that's an advantage? CAROLINE MASSON: Yeah, definitely. We play so much match play as juniors and amateurs back in Europe. On the other hand, I think that the big amateur tournaments in the States are match play as well. U.S. women's amateur, so I think it's just great for us to play match play again. This year we don't have one match play event, so it's just a lot of fun and just a good time to actually play match play again. So we're looking forward to it and getting back into that kind of competition. Because it's definitely different from stroke play. It's always nice to have that one opponent and it's really, really different from what we do all year long pretty much, so we're just all looking forward to it. Q. Your first Solheim, what surprised you most so far? CAROLINE MASSON: Well I was pretty surprised to see so many people out there on a Tuesday. It's only Tuesday. And we had to sign so many flags and give so many autographs. So that was fun to see. I didn't have any expectations, so I'm just looking around and trying to enjoy it and, yeah, so it's been great so far. Q. Caroline, just to follow‑up on that, how much difference does the altitude make in shots say on a driver? CAROLINE HEDWALL: For me about a little bit more than 10 percent. I would say 10 percent. THE MODERATOR: Talking about the change in yardages, how important is a good caddie this week would you say? CAROLINE HEDWALL: It's always important with a good caddie and for me it actually, I have a friend on the bag and I think we found out that he, when he's home playing in Sweden, he basically hits clubs as far as I do here. So that could help. I'll just go off his feelings. THE MODERATOR: What's his name? CAROLINE HEDWALL: Henrik. AZAHARA MUNOZ: I think it's really important, especially obviously the course is very tricky and you got to trust that the ball is going farther and all that. But also this week you get more nervous than normal. It's pretty overwhelming with people screaming and sinking and go USA, go Europe, so I think it's important to have someone you feel comfortable with on the bag and at least you have someone to talk to and feel comfortable out there with. CAROLINE MASSON: Absolutely. You think that's just very important. For me as a rookie especially. I have Shane on the bag and his first time as well. But he's an experienced caddie as well. But he can talk and distract me maybe from golf sometimes which is good on the course. So I'm just looking forward to spending some time with him and it's good fun. THE MODERATOR: With the Solheim Cup going to Germany in 2015 you obviously have a large amount of support here. How does had a that make you feel? CAROLINE MASSON: Well they're not just supporting me, they're supporting all of us, but it's great to see some familiar year faces and speak some German as well. It always makes you feel comfortable. So I'm looking forward to seeing them out there and cheering for us. I think they can be pretty loud. So those Germans, they have to show what they can do for when we play there in two years. So I'm very excited that they're here and it's great to have some more supporters out there. THE MODERATOR: What's it like to see all that blue and yellow out there on the tee when you're playing? Does it make you feel good? CAROLINE MASSON: Definitely. It's a dream come true and it's great to see those colors and the excitement and, yeah, as I said, I'm just really happy and I'm just enjoying it and it's so much fun. THE MODERATOR: Caroline, it's a very young team this time. Do you think that's an advantage or a disadvantage? AZAHARA MUNOZ: I never liked looking at it that way. I think if you play good, it doesn't matter how old you are or how young you are. So I think for us it's, you think it's good because we all know each other as I said, we play so many European events together and something good about it I think that's why we play really well in the foursomes and four‑balls because we are used to playing foursomes all the time. So we know how to play as teammates and like the three of us, we play so many European championships together, so I think it makes us feel comfortable. Like Caroline, she's a rookie, but we are all so young, so there's no way she's going to feel less than us or anything like that. So I think it's going to be good for us that we're all the same age and we like to do the same things and we feel comfortable around each other. THE MODERATOR: You all played Ping Junior Solheim together does that mean that you already have a special bond? AZAHARA MUNOZ: We want to think so. I think. So as I said we play so much together it's like we have never been teammates only in Solheim, because obviously in Europe we play against each other in junior Solheim I mean, but we have been around each other for seven or eight years, so we have known each other for so long. It's really nice to be here together. Q. Do you notice a difference when playing at altitude? Have you noticed a difference? All of you, your stamina and how tired you feel afterwards? CAROLINE HEDWALL: I haven't really noticed a difference. I think it's basically the same. It's just that you hit it further. That's the only difference I've seen. CAROLINE MASSON: It's hard to say, right. If it's jet lag or altitude. So, no, it's not too bad yet but we have only played like nine or 11 holes yesterday. So it's hard to tell. Once the Tournament starts it might be different, a little different with maybe playing two rounds a day, but I think we're all ‑‑ we prepared well, we're fit, so we'll be all right. THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us ladies and best of luck this week. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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