The 13th Solheim Cup kicks off Friday morning at Colorado Golf Club with the following foursome (alternate shot) matches (all times ET):
Solheim Cup 2013: Friday morning foursome matches
Stacy Lewis heads up a strong contingent of U.S. players in the Solheim Cup’s Friday morning foursome matches.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Match 1 (9:40 a.m.) :
Europe -- Anna Nordqvist/Caroline Hedwall
U.S. -- Stacy Lewis/Lizette Salas
U.S. captain Meg Mallon teamed her strongest player, world No. 2 Lewis, with rookie Salas. Lewis, fresh from her Women’s British Open win two weeks ago, hopes to get off to a quick start and put the memory of her 1-3-0 record in the 2011 matches behind her. European captain Liselotte Neumann believes pairing the “Swedish Vikings,” who know each other’s games well, was the way for her squad to get on the board early.
Match 2 (9:52 a.m.):
Europe -- Suzann Pettersen/Beatriz Recari
U.S. -- Brittany Lang/Angela Stanford
The familiarity that Lang and Stanford have for each other’s game, combined with Lang’s laid-back personality and Stanford’s fierce intensity, made this a good match for Mallon. Third-ranked Pettersen, playing in her seventh Solheim Cup, will anchor the European team and help rookie Recari learn the ropes.
Match 3 (10:04 a.m.):
Europe -- Catriona Matthew/Jodi Ewart Shadoff
U.S. -- Morgan Pressel/Jessica Korda
Finally healthy after recovering from a wrist injury, Pressel has found her game just in time for the matches, in which she has a dominating 7-2-2 overall record and went 4-0 in Ireland in 2011. The player Mallon compared to assistant captain Dottie Pepper, a fiery Solheim Cup competitor in her day, Pressel is on a roll, with a fourth-place finish at the Women’s British Open and a T3 while playing in the final pairing with No. 1 Inbee Park at the Wegmans LPGA Championship.
Like the Pressel-Korda pairing, Matthew should provide a steady veteran presence for newcomer Ewart-Shadoff.
Match 4 (10:16 a.m.):
Europe -- Azahara Munoz/Karine Icher
U.S. -- Cristie Kerr/Paula Creamer
Kerr and Creamer are two of the most gung-ho players on the American side. Paired together three times since 2005, the duo has earned 2.5 points with no losses. The veteran presence of Munoz, who earned one of the final two points in the European’s 2011 victory, was a good balance to Icher, who will play in the matches for the first time since 2002.
