Gainesville (United States) (AFP) – Adjacent team cottages have produced some awkward moments at this week’s Solheim Cup, with European golfers having breakfast near US players on the driving range before changes were made. The United States women seek their first victory since 2017 when the 19th Solheim Cup begins on Friday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
US captain Stacy Lewis said her players love their living area, which includes eight bathrooms and showers, but found it tough at the nearby driving range when European players sitting and talking outside their cottage could be heard as the Americans warmed up. “The closeness is a little bit awkward with the driving range and everything being right there,” Lewis said. “Their team room kind of exploded onto the driving range a little bit, but we reeled it in. We’ve worked through a few issues but we’re in a good spot now.”
Europe’s cottage doesn’t have room for inside dining tables, so their outside tables became a breakfast hangout just as US golfers went to the driving range. “We adjusted the way the range was set up a little bit and moved the US team further down so Europe could do what they wanted basically,” Lewis said. “The inside of their cottage doesn’t have a lot of room for tables, so their tables have to be outside. It was just our players were warming up and they were there eating breakfast and talking. We were just trying to get everybody some space so they didn’t have to listen to them eating breakfast. That’s all. There’s no bad beef.”
Europe’s Anna Nordqvist, a 37-year-old Swede playing in her eighth Solheim Cup, said her team loves their spot. “Us coming on the US soil, the US get to pick their team room before we do,” she said. “We’re obviously very happy to be right there on the range. The European team has done a fantastic job the way they put our team room and everything together, and it’s just been such a good atmosphere.”
Nordqvist, a three-time major winner, doesn’t expect any friction between the rivals until the competition tees off Friday. The European squad has captured the hardware in five of the past seven Solheim Cups — including the past three in a row — and seeks back-to-back wins on US soil for the first time. “At the end of the day, this is a friendly competition between the US and Europe,” she said. “We really want to win but I think that’s what so great about the Solheim Cup is that win or lose, at the end of the day, I think women’s golf wins come Sunday afternoon.”
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