Carin Koch: I’m hoping my birdie-makers will stand up after first four players are confirmed

by Carin Koch

Now that I have four of my 12 players confirmed it is really exciting to see how the team is shaping up. After the Tipsport Golf Masters in Pilsen in the Czech Republic, the final Ladies European Tour qualifying tournament of the 2015 Solheim Cup qualifying race, the first four players from the points list are Suzann Pettersen from Norway, Gwladys Nocera from France and Charley Hull and Melissa Reid from England.

They knew that they had two years to get points and they’ve done it. Gwladys missed out two years ago and she’s excited to be back on the team. She’s having a great year and played well in Pilsen, tying for fifth place with Melissa, who performed well to earn her place under pressure. It’s great to have four excellent players already qualified and the next four automatic qualifiers from the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will also be extremely strong and experienced.

It will be interesting to follow this week’s tournament on the LPGA, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in Vancouver, to see how the players’ form is right now. That will affect my decision with regards to my four picks, but also how they have performed over the last two years and where they are on the Rolex Rankings. I’ll look at some stats from the summer and the positives in each player’s game. If someone stands out in making more birdies or putts, that will be important, but making birdies is crucial.

Personality plays a part but we had a good practise day at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot after the Ricoh Women’s British Open and all of the players get on well. My vice-captain Maria McBride is playing in Canada and will be there if we need to communicate anything to the players, but I know them all well now. Some of the Solheim Cup rookies from the successful 2013 team in Colorado, such as Charley Hull, will be back on the team, but it will be their first experience on home soil, which is quite different. Of course experience is important but the rookies did so well in Colorado that I won’t think about that too much when making my picks. The way they play is more important. It’s good to have a mix and that’s what we had in Colorado with some very experienced players so the rookies felt secure but also excellent management by the captain and vice-captains.

There’s still some focus on planning and administration but now I can focus on the players and my jobs for the week such as speeches and communication with the team. Now it’s clearer how the team is going to look, I will review how I’m going to communicate with each team member, because it’s very personal.

It’s now so close to the matches on 18-20 September and next week, on Tuesday 25th, I will name my four picks live on air during the Sky Sports News ‘Sportswomen’ show from 11.30 BST. This is one of the most exciting days of the year on the Ladies European Tour so I hope you’ll tune in and support your team!

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