Schedule Change Announced for 2009 Solheim Cup

SUGAR GROVE, Ill., – U.S. Captain Beth Daniel and European Captain Alison Nicholas have agreed to play fourball in the morning and foursomes in the afternoon on the first two days of the 2009 Solheim Cup competition, which will be contested at Rich Harvest Farms outside Chicago.

This move effectively changes the schedule from previous years when foursomes led off the day followed by fourball in the afternoon.

“I always felt as a player that we would see better golf if you played your own ball in the morning and then played alternate shot in the afternoon,” Daniel said. “As a captain, you see more golf out of your players in the morning to help you make your picks in the afternoon. Another positive is that fans on the first tee in the morning see four players tee off in a group instead of just two.”

“The host captain has the choice of whether to play the foursomes or fourball first but in fact, switching the order has been considered by the European side before,” Nicholas said. “We are all happy with the decision that has been made.”

Morning fourball matches on Friday and Saturday will begin at 8 a.m. CST, while afternoon foursomes are slated to tee-off at 1:15 p.m. Sunday’s singles matches will start at 10 a.m. The 2009 Solheim Cup will be played Aug. 21-23 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill.

In fourball, two players from each team play their own balls and record their own scores. The team whose player posts the lowest score on the hole wins the hole. Should players from each side tie for the lowest score, the hole is halved. In foursomes, also called alternate shot, two golfers compete on a side against two other golfers and each side plays one ball. The golfers on each team alternate shots until the ball is holed out.

For more information on the 2009 Solheim Cup, including a complete schedule of events log on to www.SolheimCup.com.