Perhaps that’s why Stacy Lewis has emerged as one of the world’s best women’s players.

Of the 24 golfers from the U.S. and Europe who will compete this weekend in the Solheim Cup at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, no one has played better this year. The 28-year-old American has not only won three times so far in 2013, but she’s coming off a victory this month at the Women’s British Open, the fourth major championship of the season.

And, mind you, Lewis didn’t exactly have a shabby 2012. Her four victories gave her LPGA Tour Rolex Player of the Year honors, making her the first American to earn that award since Beth Daniel in 1994.

That’s all very impressive in and of itself, but to put it into perspective, it must be kept in mind what Lewis has endured to reach the rarefied air she has.

The story has been well-chronicled, but it becomes even more remarkable as Lewis accomplishes ever greater feats.

For 7 1/2 years beginning at age 11, scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine) forced her to wear a back brace 18 hours a day. After her senior year of high school, she underwent surgery in which a rod and five screws were inserted into her back. She wondered whether she’d ever play golf again, and she did have to redshirt her freshman year at the University of Arkansas.

That was a decade ago, and it’s hard to believe she’s come from those depths to achieve what she has in golf, a sport which puts such stress on the back.

“It’s not something I ever dreamed of,” Lewis said in a recent interview with COgolf.org. “I never thought as a kid I’d be the best in the world or be the top American. It’s crazy to sit back and say, ‘I’m the top-ranked American in the sport of golf.’ It’s just not normal for what I did. It’s not the normal path.

“It’s such a cool feeling to be here and to lead your team and to be one of 12. I don’t know what to say. When I got to No. 1, I never expected to be there and it was just really cool.”

Lewis overcame her back problems to win the NCAA title as a junior at Arkansas. And in her five years as a pro, she’s won eight LPGA Tour titles, including two major championships. But the last year and a half have been particularly stellar, with seven victories.

Sitting No. 2 in the Women’s World Golf Rankings, Lewis is only looking up at South Korea’s Inbee Park, who won the first three major championships of 2013 before Lewis ended the run at the Women’s British Open.

“This tells you about Stacy as a person and the quality of her character: She made it to No. 1 in the world at the beginning of the year, then within a month got passed,” U.S. Solheim Cup captain Meg Mallon noted last week. “I think if you had told her you’re going to be passed but were going to win a major championship — the Women’s British Open — she would have said, ‘OK, I’ll be fine with that.’

“She struggled a bit this summer with her putter, but she turned it around. And once she turned it around, she knows what to do with it. She goes out and wins like she did. So she’s really an impressive player and an impressive person.”

All that Lewis endured as a youngster helped make her both that impressive player and impressive person. But it really wasn’t until six or seven years ago that she entertained thoughts of being a touring professional. However, winning the NCAA title in 2007 and SEC championships in 2005 and 2008 certainly got her thinking. Oh, and by the way, at a time when many top women’s players skip college golf, she earned two degrees from the University of Arkansas, in finance and accounting.

Then, in short order, Lewis won the LPGA Tour qualifying finals in the fall of 2008.

“As a kid I wanted to play college golf and that was all I wanted to do,” she said. “It wasn’t until I got to college and I had some success there that I really thought, ‘I could do this for a living.’ I never really watched golf or paid much attention to it. I’ve definitely worked my way up through the ranks.

“I’ve been fortunate since I’ve gotten on tour that I’ve gotten to know some of the older players, (and) gotten to know Meg really well. They’ve really helped me a lot with the learning curve and how to deal with all the other stuff. The golf part it easy; it’s dealing with everything else.”

And now she comes to the Solheim Cup having just broken a string of 10 consecutive major championships won by Asian-born players.

“That’s how her career has been,” Stacy’s father, Dale Lewis, told Golfweek magazine. “Every time she gets down, she just bounces back up and takes another step.”

Solheim Cup: The Essentials

What: The 13th Solheim Cup matches between the U.S. and Europe, held biennially.

Where: Colorado Golf Club in Parker (8000 Preservation Trail).

When: Practice rounds Aug. 13-15. Competition days Aug. 16-18. (Gates will be closed on Aug. 12.)

Gates Open: 7 a.m. Aug. 13, 14 and 15; 6 a.m. Aug. 16 and 17; 10:30 a.m. Aug. 18.

Opening Ceremony: Aug. 15, 5-6 p.m. Gov. John Hickenlooper will be among those delivering remarks.

Closing Ceremony: Aug. 18, about 7 p.m.

Format: Four foursomes (alternate shot, in the morning) and four four-ball (best ball, in the afternoon) matches each day Aug. 16 and 17. Twelve singles matches on Aug. 18.

Scoring: For each match, one point is awarded for a win, one-half point for a tie, 0 for a loss. The U.S. needs 14 1/2 points or more to win the Solheim Cup, while Europe, as the defending champion, can retain it with 14 or more points.

TV Coverage: Golf Channel. 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3-7 p.m. Aug. 16; 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Aug. 17; 12:30-6:30 p.m. Aug. 18. In all, Golf Channel will televise 27 hours of the Solheim Cup matches, with Terry Gannon, Judy Rankin, Curt Byrum and Whit Watson anchoring the coverage.

Tickets: For ticket information, CLICK HERE. Note: Kids 17 and under will get in free with a ticketed adult. Active-duty and retired military will get in free on Military Day Aug. 15 by pre-ordering HERE.

Solheim Cup History: The U.S. leads the all-time series 8-4 and is 6-0 on American soil.

Rosters and Short Biographies: CLICK HERE. 

Captains: U.S.: Meg Mallon, assisted by Dottie Pepper and Laura Diaz. Europe: Liselotte Neumann, assisted by Annika Sorenstam and Carin Koch.

Course: Colorado Golf Club was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and it opened in 2006. It hosted the Senior PGA Championship in 2010. For the Solheim Cup, it will be played at 7,066 yards and to a par-72.

Special Events: Aug. 15, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Front Row Experience (free 10-minute lessons from LPGA teaching professionals), driving range; Aug. 15, 3-4 p.m., 3-hole Ping Junior Challenge featuring former Solheim Cup players and current Junior Solheim Cup players, holes 16-18; Aug. 15, 3:45-4:15 p.m., past captain autograph session, merchandise tent; Aug. 18, 2-5 p.m., Front Row Experience (free 10-minute lessons from LPGA teaching professionals), driving range; Aug. 18, 3-5 p.m., junior clinic, driving range.

Junior Solheim Cup: The matchup of some of the top girls players from the U.S. and Europe will be held Aug. 13-14 at Inverness Golf Club in Englewood. The U.S. leads the all-time series 3-2-1, with the tie coming in the event’s last playing, in 2011. On Aug. 13, four-ball matches begin at 7:30 a.m., with foursomes starting at 1 p.m. On Aug. 14, singles matches begin at 9 a.m. For more information on the Junior Solheim teams CLICK HERE for the U.S. and CLICK HERE for the Europeans.

When Colorado Golf Club in Parker hosts the biennial Solheim Cup matches between the U.S. and Europe Aug. 16-18, Lewis will be the participant with the most success in 2013. The former University of Arkansas golfer has won three times this year and will be the only competitor with a major championship title in 2013.

While the South Koreans as a group lead the way in women’s golf, the Americans and Europeans who will square off in the Solheim Cup have some pretty impressive credentials in their own right. Both teams were finalized on Sunday shortly after the conclusion of the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews in Scotland.

The automatic qualifiers — 10 on the American side and eight on the European — were set, then U.S. captain Meg Mallon announced her two wild-card picks, and Europe’s Liselotte Neumann her four. (Neumann is pictured above, at left, with Mallon.)

The USA’s automatic qualifiers — Stacy Lewis, Paula Creamer, Cristie Kerr, Angela Stanford, Brittany Lincicome, 18-year-old Lexi Thompson, Jessica Korda, Brittany Lang, Lizette Salas and Morgan Pressel — were supplemented by Mallon’s choices of former teenage phenom Michelle Wie and Texan Gerina Piller, who’s winless on the circuit but is ranked No. 57 in the world.

“I’m just thrilled to finally have my team announced,” Mallon said. “I have 12 players who I am very excited to have on this team. They have all played their hearts out over the last two years. … We are playing on all cylinders right now and I’m really excited about it.”

Wie has won twice on the LPGA Tour, but not since 2010. However, that didn’t dissuade Mallon.

“Michelle to me was a no‑brainer,” the captain said. “With her experience, she can handle the big stage.  She’s played well in Solheim Cups, and I just really believe in Michelle Wie, and am excited for her to be coming to Colorado.”

Said Wie, who will be playing in her third Solheim Cup and has a 4-3-1 record: “I am so happy and so honored and so grateful to be a captain’s pick. To play under Meg and be with all the girls again, it’s a dream come true.”

The eight qualifiers for defending champion Europe were Suzann Pettersen, Carlota Ciganda, Catriona Matthew, Caroline Masson, Beatriz Recari, Anna Nordqvist, Karine Icher and Azahara Munoz. Neumann filled out her squad by naming wild-cards Charley Hull, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Caroline Hedwall and Giulia Sergas. Hull, a 17-year-old from England, will be the youngest player in Solheim Cup history.

U.S. team members have won a combined seven major championships and 50 LPGA Tour events. One American player — Lewis, who’s second behind Park — is ranked among the world’s top 10 women’s golfers.

The Europeans have won a combined three majors, 21 LPGA Tour events and 26 Ladies European Tour tournaments. Both Pettersen (third) and Matthew (eighth) are ranked among the top 10 in the world.

The Americans will have four Solheim Cup rookies on their team — Thompson, Korda, Salas and Piller. Meanwhile, the Europeans will have six first-timers: Ciganda, Masson, Recari, Sergas, Hull and Ewart Shadoff.

A couple of the most experienced Solheim Cup players ever — one on each side — won’t be back this year: American Juli Inkster, a nine-time Solheim Cupper and eight-time major champion, and England’s Laura Davies, a four-time major winner who had played in all 12 previous Solheim Cups.

“I spoke to (Davies) yesterday, and she knew and she said that, ‘You know, I haven’t played enough.  I tried but I haven’t performed well enough, and I just wish you and the team the best of luck and just go get ’em; you can do it in Colorado,'” Neumann relayed.

AMERICAN TEAM

Stacy Lewis of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. — LPGA Tour Victories: 8, including 3 in 2013. … Major Wins: 2. … World Ranking: 2. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 1 (1-3 record). … College Golf: University of Arkansas. … Age: 28.

Paula Creamer of Windermere, Fla. — LPGA Tour Victories: 9, including 0 in 2013. … Major Wins: 1. … World Ranking: 11. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 4 (11-3-5 record). … College Golf: none. … Age: 27 on Aug. 5.

Cristie Kerr of Miami — LPGA Tour Victories: 16, including 1 in 2013. … Major Wins: 2. … World Ranking: 12. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 6 (11-12-3 record). … College Golf: none. … Age: 35.

Angela Stanford of Fort Worth, Texas — LPGA Tour Victories: 5, including 0 in 2013. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 16. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 4 (3-7-3 record). … College Golf: Texas Christian. … Age: 35.

Brittany Lincicome of Seminole, Fla. — LPGA Tour Victories: 5, including 0 in 2013. … Major Wins: 1. … World Ranking: 38. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 3 (4-6-1 record). … College Golf: none. … Age: 27.

Lexi Thompson of Coral Springs, Fla. — LPGA Tour Victories: 1, including 0 in 2013. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 26. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: none. … Age: 18.

Jessica Korda of Bradenton, Fla. — LPGA Tour Victories: 1, including 0 in 2013. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 28. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: none. … Age: 20.

Brittany Lang of McKinney, Texas — LPGA Tour Victories: 1, including 0 in 2013. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 50. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 2 (2-3-2 record). … College Golf: Duke. … Age: 27.

Lizette Salas of Asuzu, Calif. — LPGA Tour Victories: 0. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 19. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: Southern California. … Age: 24.

Morgan Pressel of Boca Raton, Fla. — LPGA Tour Victories: 2, including 0 in 2013. … Major Wins: 1. … World Ranking: 41. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 3 (7-2-2 record). … College Golf: none. … Age: 25.

Michelle Wie of Jupiter, Fla. (wild card pick) — LPGA Tour Victories: 2, including 0 in 2013. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 82. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 2 (4-3-1 record). … College Golf: none. … Age: 23.

Gerina Piller of Plano Texas (wild-card pick) — LPGA Tour Victories: 0. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 57. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: Texas-El Paso. … Age: 28.

EUROPEAN TEAM

Suzann Pettersen of Norway — LPGA Tour Victories: 11, including 1 in 2013. … LET Victories: 5. … Major Wins: 1. … World Ranking: 3. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 6 (12-8-5 record). … College Golf: none. … Age: 32.

Carlota Ciganda of Spain — LPGA Tour Victories: 0. … LET Victories: 2. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 30. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: Arizona State. … Age: 23.

Catriona Matthew of Scotland — LPGA Tour Victories: 4, including 0 in 2013. … LET Victories: 4. … Major Wins: 1. … World Ranking: 8. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 6 (11-8-6 record). … College Golf: none. … Age: 43.

Caroline Masson of Germany — LPGA Tour Victories: 0. … LET Victories: 1. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 58. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: Oklahoma State. … Age: 24.

Beatriz Recari of Spain — LPGA Tour Victories: 3, including 2 in 2013. … LET Victories: 1. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 20. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: none. … Age: 26.

Anna Nordqvist of Sweden — LPGA Tour Victories: 2, including 0 in 2013. … LET Victories: 2. … Major Wins: 1. … World Ranking: 22. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 2 (4-4 record). … College Golf: Arizona State. … Age: 26.

Karine Icher of France — LPGA Tour Victories: 0. … LET Victories: 5. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 24. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 1 (1-2 record). … College Golf: none. … Age: 34.

Azahara Munoz of Spain — LPGA Tour Victories: 1, including 0 in 2013. … LET Victories: 1. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 27. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 1 (2-1-1 record). … College Golf: Arizona State. … Age: 25.

Caroline Hedwall of Sweden (wild card pick) — LPGA Tour Victories: 0. … LET Victories: 5. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 29. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 1 (2-1-1 record). … College Golf: Oklahoma State. … Age: 24.

Giulia Sergas of Italy (wild card pick) — LPGA Tour Victories: 0. … LET Victories: 0. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 62. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: none. … Age: 33.

Charley Hull of England (wild card pick) — LPGA Tour Victories: 0. … LET Victories: 0. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 147. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: none. … Age: 17.

Jodi Ewart Shadoff of England (wild card pick) — LPGA Tour Victories: 0. … LET Victories: 0. … Major Wins: 0. … World Ranking: 45. … Previous Solheim Cup Teams: 0. … College Golf: New Mexico. … Age: 25.
 

So much so that we’re still two months out from the event at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, and she’s already made three separate trips to play the course. And, mind you, this is a competition in which no prize money is distributed.

The most recent of those trips came over the weekend, when roughly half of the likely American team that will face defending champion Europe in the Aug. 16-18 match play event came to Colorado Golf Club to prepare.

“The last Solheim (in Ireland in 2011), we couldn’t get over and play” ahead of time, Lewis, the top American player, said on Monday at a Solheim Cup media event at the club. “I talked to Meg (Mallon, the U.S. captain) and she’s played here and she said, ‘It’s a golf course you need to play a lot. You need to learn it. There’s quirky things about it. You need to play it.’ And I’m listening to her.

“It’s a course that I love. It’s different every time you play it. That’s what I think is the good part about it. But more than anything for me, I know how busy that week is going to be, so I want to have the golf course preparation stuff out of the way so that week I can go do the extra stuff and just play.”

Make no mistake: Anytime a top-tier player makes three special trips to a tournament site, the event must be special.

“I was in Dallas (in late April) and Meg called,” said Lizette Salas, who is looking to play in her first Solheim Cup. “She said, ‘I’d like to invite you to practice (at Colorado Golf Club) in June’, and I said, ‘I’m there.’ The Solheim has been a goal of mine this year. I was so excited to come here. Packing, I thought, I need more red, white and blue. It’s just been a great experience.”

It’s Crunch Time for Aspiring Solheim Cup Players: Starting with the Wegmans LPGA Championship earlier this month, American players had six tournaments left to qualify for the Solheim Cup team, and three of those were major championships where players earn double the normal number of Solheim points.

“You can just tell the Solheim Cup is on their minds,” American captain Meg Mallon said of the players. “That’s the exciting part for me. Not only are they playing to win major championships or golf tournaments, but they’re playing to represent their country. This is going to be a lot of fun, these last five weeks, to see how this team plays out.”

The 12-player U.S. team will consist of the top eight golfers on the Solheim points list through the Women’s British Open (Aug. 1-4), the next two highest-ranked Americans from the Rolex Rankings, and two captain’s picks divulged by Mallon on Aug. 4.
 But Mallon made it clear on Monday that no one should rely on being a captain’s pick.

“I’ve played on eight teams and I was never a pick for any of those teams; I made it on my own points” she said. “I tell them I don’t have any sympathy for you if you don’t make the team. And don’t expect to make the team if you don’t make it on points.”

The Europeans’ roster will be made up of the top four players from the Solheim Cup points list, the four next-best Europeans from the Rolex Rankings, and four captain’s picks announced on Aug. 4 by Liselotte Neumann.



Here are the Solheim Cup standings for the AMERICANS and for the EUROPEANS.


Solheim Cup Making Donation to Colorado Firefighters: In the wake of recent fires throughout the state, Solheim Cup officials pledged on Monday to donate 15 percent of tickets sold through solheimcup.com for the remainder of June to the Colorado Professional Fire Fighters Foundation.

The Foundation helps area fire fighters and their families, as well as dependents who are victims of tragedies.

“The players were so thrilled and excited to be able to do something to help,” U.S. captain Meg Mallon said.

Information about the Fire Fighters Foundation can be found by CLICKING HERE. To purchase Solheim Cup tickets, CLICK HERE.

Military Day Set for Eve of Solheim Cup Competition: Thursday, Aug. 15, the day before the first competition at the 2013 Solheim Cup, has been designated Military Day at the event. On that day, active-duty and retired service men and women with military identification and an e-ticket will receive free admission for themselves and one guest. They’ll also have access to discounted tickets on the Solheim Cup’s three competition days, Aug. 16-18.

To order Military Day tickets, CLICK HERE. 
 

But it’s not too soon to look at which players are likely to be competing Aug. 16-18 at Colorado Golf Club in Parker, where the biennial team competition between the best women’s players from the U.S. and Europe will take place.

As American captain Meg Mallon said late last summer in a visit to Colorado, “It’s a pretty exciting time for women’s golf. We’ve got veterans like Angela (Stanford) and Cristie Kerr playing (well), then you’ve got young players like Lexi Thompson that are coming up and trying to make the team. It’s going to be fun to see how it develops” in the months leading up to the event.

While players have been accumulating qualifying points for the Solheim Cup since 2011, 2013 tournaments will take on extra importance. European players will earn twice as many points as before, while American will receive 1.5 times as many points as before, with points doubled at major championships.

The 2013 LPGA Tour schedule begins Feb. 14 in Australia, while the Ladies European Tour debuts Feb. 1, also Down Under.

The 12-player U.S. team will consist of the top eight golfers on the points list through the Women’s British Open (Aug. 1-4), the next two highest-ranked Americans from the Rolex Rankings, and two captain’s picks divulged by Mallon in early August.

If the points were finalized now, here’s what the automatic qualifiers for the American team would look like: 1. Stacy Lewis (pictured) 518 points; 2. Kerr 294; 3. Paula Creamer 264; 4. Stanford 234; 5. Brittany Lincicome 203; 6. Brittany Lang 154; 7. Thompson 132; 8. Katie Futcher 97; and from the Rolex Rankings: 9. Morgan Pressel; 10. Michelle Wie.

The Europeans’ roster will be made up of the top four players from the Solheim Cup points list, the four next-best Europeans from the Rolex Rankings, and four captain’s picks announced by Liselotte Neumann in early August.

Here’s how the European automatic qualifiers would look like if the qualifying period ended today: 1. Caroline Masson 79.5 points; 2. Carlota Ciganda 78.2; 3. Pernilla Lindberg 60.21; 4. Giulia Sergas 58.38; and from the Rolex Rankings: 5. Suzann Pettersen; 6. Catriona Matthew; 7. Azahara Munoz; 8. Anna Nordqvist.

At least on paper, the U.S. should have a leg up with the 2012 LPGA Rolex Player of the Year on its roster. Lewis, who won four LPGA Tour events last year, was the first American to earn the Player of the Year honor since Beth Daniel in 1994.

Lewis figures to be playing in her second Solheim Cup, after the Europeans edged the U.S. 15-13 in Ireland two years ago.

“Things didn’t quite end the way we wanted them to (in 2011), and I’ve been wanting to get points every week and get back on the team (for this year) so we can take the Cup back,” Lewis said at Colorado Golf Club.

The top six players on the American Solheim Cup standings have 39 LPGA Tour victories among them, with Kerr (15) and Creamer (nine) leading the way. Thompson, the youngest LPGA Tour event winner in history (16 years, 7 months), is also a fan favorite, as is veteran Wie, winner of two LPGA events in her career. Another player who falls into the fan-favorite category, Natalie Gulbis, will need a strong year to automatically qualify for the team as she’s currently 12th on the U.S. points list with 74.

U.S. players earn points through top-20 finishes at official LPGA Tour events.

On the European side, a good bet to find a spot on the team one way or another is Laura Davies, a 25-time LPGA Tour champion who has played in every Solheim Cup since its debut in 1990.

The Americans will have 18 LPGA Tour events before the Solheim Cup, while the European will have about a dozen Ladies European Tour tournaments to earn additional points.
 

Colorado has hosted U.S. Opens, U.S. Women’s Opens, PGA Championships, U.S. Senior Opens and a myriad of other PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour events over the last 75 years.

But when it comes to professional tour players representing their country or continent in team events, that’s something the Centennial State hasn’t experienced first-hand.

That will change Aug. 16-18 of next year when the Solheim Cup comes to Colorado Golf Club in Parker. And some of the competitors who know about the event from the inside believe that Coloradans are in for a treat when the best U.S. and European female golfers square off.

“I personally think it’s the biggest event we have in women’s golf,” German-born player Sandra Gal said Tuesday at a “Year to Here” Solheim Cup event at Colorado Golf Club. “You really can’t compare it to any regular tour event or major. Even seeing how involved the fans are in the tournament, in the event, with dressing up and chanting songs. You get goose bumps when you’re there. You just have to be there to see it.”

Added U.S. captain Meg Mallon, a veteran of eight Solheim Cups as a player: “If you’ve never been to a Solheim Cup, you’ll never see anything like you’ll see on the first tee. It’s even different than the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup has a wonderful atmosphere, but we have our own unique experience where there’s singing on the first tee, and they’re signing songs in Europe and they’re singing songs in the USA. And as soon as that person (gets ready to) tee off, you can hear a pin drop. And as soon as they hit it, they’re cheering and chanting again. There’s nothing like it.”

The Solheim Cup, like the men’s Ryder Cup, is held every two years, with the sites alternating between the U.S. and Europe. The last Solheim Cup held in the U.S., near Chicago in 2009, attracted more than 100,000 people for the week.

“It is one of the coolest atmospheres,” American Angela Stanford said. “I was blown away in Chicago because my previous two (Solheim Cups) were both in Europe, and the European fans are amazing. They bring it, that’s for sure. That’s why it’s so tough (playing for the Cup) over there. And I wondered what was going to happen in Chicago, and they were outstanding. So (there are) high expectations here in Colorado.

“People love it. You can tee off on the second tee box and you can hear them singing on 1. So you really have to be aware when you’re taking the club back (that) they could start signing. It’s so cool.”

Not surprisingly, it’s been very difficult for the visiting team to win the Solheim Cup on foreign soil. The Americans are 6-0 in the U.S., and the Europeans have won four of six on their continent.

“It’s hard to bring a lot of people over from Europe obviously,” said European captain Liselotte Neumann (pictured laughing at left, next to the Solheim Cup). “We’re trying to make some connections (in Colorado). We met some people here today. We’re trying to tempt everybody. We could maybe put an ad in the paper, maybe pay people to come out and cheer for us. We’ll see. We pay good, by the way.”

Joking aside, though, the competition can be very pressure-packed — and in a unique way — for the Solheim Cup, as it is for the men in the Ryder Cup.

“It’s very intense actually,” Gal said. “I think (the players) get along well off the course in regular tour events, but you could definitely feel the tension once the Solheim Cup came around. We stayed at the same hotel, but we were on different floors. We’d never cross those borders. It’s definitely a huge rivalry. Once that week starts, everyone just wants that cup.”

Added Stanford: “It is kind of a cool feeling that week. You play against each other all the time. Then that one week you get to come together as 12. And all of a sudden you get to root for those people that you want to beat every week. It’s a different feeling, and by far my favorite event.”

Sorenstam, Koch Named Vice Captains for European Team: World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam, who posted her first LPGA Tour victory in Colorado at the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open, was named a vice captain for the European Solheim Cup team for the second straight time on Tuesday.

European captain Liselotte Neumann said she’s chosen fellow Swedes Sorenstam and Carin Koch as her vice captains. The three have competed in a combined 18 Solheim Cups.

“Next year’s Solheim Cup in Colorado is very important for Europe as we need to keep the momentum going after winning the Cup last year in Ireland,” Sorenstam said. “I look forward to helping Lotta in any way possible.”

U.S. captain Meg Mallon previously announced that Dottie Pepper will be one of her vice captains, with another being introduced early next year.

Notable: Americans Stacy Lewis and Angela Stanford and Europeans Sandra Gal and Anna Nordquist played in a three-hole Solheim Cup exhibition Tuesday at Colorado Golf Club (pictued at top), competing in the three formats: singles, four-ball and foursomes. The Europeans prevailed in the match. … The Junior Solheim Cup, held in conjunction with the regular Solheim Cup, will be played at Inverness Golf Club in Englewood Aug. 12-14 of next year. The event features a dozen Americans and a dozen Europeans age 18 and under. … The 2013 Women’s British Open, set for Aug. 1-4, will be the final event in which American and European players can earn points for the Solheim Cup. Points, accumulated via top-20 Tour finishes, are accumulated over two years. After the Women’s British, Mallon and Neumann will announce captains’ picks — two for Mallon, four for Neumann — for their respective 12-player teams.