LPGA.com

Congratulations to the 2007 U.S. Solheim Cup Team! We won the Cup! With a final score of 16-12, in Europe and under these tough weather conditions. We were victorious with an incredible singles performance on Sunday. We started early Sunday morning to finish the second day matches in then pouring rain and cold, and then had to turn around and go straight out for the singles matches. What a long day. We prevailed as a team and the girls are so excited and not a bit exhausted.

My Sunday started with a tough eight holes against Laura Davies and Becky Brewerton. Nicole Castrale and I played well as a team, but not good enough and we lost on the 18th hole. It was a tough loss and we were very fired up to go and play our singles matches. I was thrilled to be in the anchor position on Sunday playing in the final match against Gwladys Nocera. I knew it would be a tough match because she was playing well all week and was well rested since she did not play in the four-ball match.

I had some great advice from Meg Mallon who was with us this week. One of the tips she gave me was to not look at the board and just win my match. That was very difficult for me to do because I am a leaderboard watcher in weekly events and the Solheim Cup is so exciting that you want to see how your teammates are doing on every hole. I did as Meg suggested and found myself four up with four to play. I had not looked at a board all day but was excited that the European crowd was very quiet. When you go over seas the galleries are cheering for Europe. They sing songs and the roars and chanting are so loud that you can usually hear them from every spot on the course. It was very quiet throughout the match which meant the U.S. was playing well.

My caddie Greg asked me on the 15th tee if I had seen a board and I told him that I was not suppose to peak and just worry about my match, he said okay and we continued on to the next shot. Little did I know at that time that the USA had just won the 14th point to clinch the cup! I got to the green and there was a leaderboard right behind my putt. I knew it was there but was trying not to sneak a peak at the scores or matches. The 14 score that was next to the red caught my eye and it sunk in. I double checked with Greg and yesssss we had won the 2007 Solheim Cup!

I walked up to the next tee knowing my team was waiting on the green for me to complete my match and was so excited to run and celebrate with them. What an amazing afternoon. I ran to be with my team for high fives, fist pumps and hugs with players, caddies, staff, family and friends. It was amazing!!!!! We were the underdogs coming in, since history had shown how difficult it was to win on foreign soil and the USA had not won in Europe in over a decade. But this team, on a golf course that set up so long and with such brutal conditions, played their hearts out and won!!!

Captains Betsy King and Beth Daniel had the biggest smiles and ran to hug me! I went straight to Meg Mallon to give her a hug and a jab for not letting me watch leaderboards and know earlier. It was great to celebrate with her on Sunday night. If anyone remembered the 2005 Solheim Cup, Meg Mallon made the winning putt then fell ill that evening with severe heart problems. The team celebrated the win of the cup in the hospital in Indianapolis with Meg. This year she was healthy and Cristie Kerr suggested that we play to celebrate with Meg this time. I was in....it worked!!! Kerr called it!

I took Meg's advice. She was right though. I performed great and did not focus on the matches that I could not control. Next we had to go and be presented with our Cup. The closing ceremonies were beautiful. We walked down the pathway in front of thousands of fans, staff and friends to the stage for the flag ceremony. It was a great moment to stand up there with my team and accept the trophy. The celebration and excitement is multiplied when you win as a team. We had gotten so close over the week and really came together as one this week. Our captains did all the right things and we won with class.

After a quick press conference we were back to the team room and Club USA to celebrate together. Caddies, players, staff, friends and family came to celebrate! We had so much support and help this week. The LPGA staff was amazing! They took care of all the details so we could focus on our golf and enjoy this special week. Our friends and family were troopers in the tough weather and looked exhausted with huge smiles as they toasted at the victory party. We had a great all American BBQ dinner and a champagne toast.

This was an amazing week. We were lead by incredible captains. I am so honored to represent the USA and play with these amazing players. Thank you for sharing the week with us and cheering for the USA whether you were hear in Sweden or at home in the USA. We could feel you through the silence! The victory earned us an invite back to visit the President in Washington D.C. at the White House together. Can't wait! Congratulations to our team! Looking forward to bringing the cup back home!

Natalie

We are at the team dinner. It's 8:30 and most of the afternoon pairings have nine holes to go. I had a fun nine holes with my partner Nicole Castrale. We are 1 down to Becky Brewerton and Laura Davies. The match has been exciting so far, but the conditions today were very difficult; it is very windy and freezing. The temperature was about 45 degrees ... Brrrr! We have hand warmers, long johns, turtle necks, back warmers, ski caps, sweaters, you name it ... lots of layers. Tomorrow we will restart the rounds at 7:35 a.m., so it's a quick turn around. We will have a quick team meeting tonight, then bed. We are all wound up, so we need to start to relax and let the adrenaline go down. Our players were out in the elements, again, for 12 hours today and they are amazing. They still have tons of energy and would probably play through the night if it were light! I think we all wanted to keep going; we are excited to finish. The matches are all close and the score is close. Lots of excitment to come!

Tomorrow will be another long day -- could be up to 27 holes for every player. More wind and showers are in the forecast, but I hope they are wrong! Off to be with my team. Hope everyone got to see the telecast and is getting their red, white and blue outfits, and American flags ready for tomorrow!

Hi from breezy Sweden! The day two matches have been delayed two hours because of wind. The winds are a steady 40 mph with gusts up to who knows what. Right now the golf ball will not stay in one location on the greens, making it impossible to play. It was smart of the officials to allow a few hours to pass so the wind could die down a bit. I do not think it has ceased, but the girls are set to tee off at 10:15 a.m. The U.S. team is so excited about the first-round results. Historically Team USA has struggled in alternate shot and in the first day of competition. The U.S. has not led after round one in over 10 years. For our team to be leading after the first day is a great confidence boost.

The girls were exhausted after yesterday's matches, whether you were playing both matches or not. All 12 girls were out there as a team for 14 hours. The weather was brutal yesterday. The morning matches played in about 40 degree weather with a bit of wind but the afternoon matches had the real elements. The girls started the second set of matches in the pouring rain. I was on the first tee as every group teed off, and it was a nasty day for golf. Everyone's spirits were up regardless and there was a lot of positive energy in every player! Even the U.S. Jr. Solheim Cup Team was out there chanting and screaming USA, USA! Thanks to all our dedicated fans, friends and family who stayed out there with us all day too.

Thankfully, the rain lifted for about two hours, only to return and it poured once again. The Solheim matches are draining enough but when you add the severe weather, it really wears everyone out. It is the same for both teams and we are prepared to continue to grind it out in whatever mother nature has in store for us.

I am so proud of the way our team played yesterday. If anyone had a chance to watch the event on TV you saw some exciting and excellent golf shots. This sort of format is so fun because you can play aggressive, strategize with your partner and celebrate with your teammate. Our rookies played great yesterday and everyone really played phenomenally yesterday.

I saw the greatest par ever by Laura Davies on the par three 16th hole. She pushed her tee shot from 190 yards right of the green, in the hazard and the trees. She was in four feet tall weeds with a shot to the green that had to go through trees and over the hazard just to reach the tight pin location. She successfully hit the ball over the hazard and over the green to the other side. At that point, it looked as though par would win the hole and USA was in position to go one up. Leave it to the great Laura Davies to knock in her difficult chip for par to win the hole! Unbelievable!

I am off to get stretched and warm up for my match. Hope all the fans on the home front are ready to watch another great day at The Solheim Cup. We are all bundled up and ready to start day two........GO USA!!!!

The first pairings are out: there are some great matches out there. I am the last team out in the morning at 8:50 with Morgan Pressel. We are ready! We will play alternate shot in the a.m. matches. I am playing the odd-numbered holes and will hit the first tee shot on #1. The first tee of any tournament is a mix of adrenaline and nervous jitters. For me I am usually excited and have to slow down and swing under control. For a major championship or if I am in the final group on Sunday, it is double. For the Solheim Cup, multiply those emotions by 10. I remember the first tee at the 2005 Solheim Cup. There were 70,000 people surrounding the tee. Since the ‘05 cup was played in the USA there were American fans singing songs, cheering and chanting, ‘U S A....U S A.' It was an amazing atmosphere, and then they would announce your name and the fans would go crazy!!! It was intense. This year it will be different, way different. There will be the same number of people, but the songs will not be in English and they will not be waving American flags and chanting ‘USA!' We are on European soil this time. I have not lived through it before, but I am prepared for the difference. I have been excited to see a lot of American fans who have come here to support and cheer for us! Thanks guys! We need you!

After a long day of practice, the team came back to get ready for the opening ceremony. We looked very classy in black silk slacks, heels and black pea coats. We had red scarves and matching jewelry. This was definitely an outfit I would wear again. The players walked in pairs with our caddies and onto the stage across from the European team. There were 10,000 fans cheering. My favorites among the crowd were the LPGA staff, Jr. Solheim Cup Team players, family and friends of USA who had flags, past captains and ambassadors of women's golf. My favorite part was standing with the team as our country's national anthem was played and the American flag was raised! It was amazing! I had goose bumps and a few tears. What a honor to be here at the Solheim Cup and to represent the USA, our captains Betsy King and Beth Daniel, and play as a team. Our team is getting closer each day and we will play as one this week.

We came back to a fun, relaxed team dinner where the players, staff and caddies told Solheim stories and strategized for the day one matches. After a quick bite, we headed to "Club USA," our team room to watch motivational movie clips from past Solheims. They are so fun to watch. After watching five of them, we were so pumped to play, not go to bed. Some highlights of the evening were the great stories and pep talks from previous captains JoAnne Carner, Judy Rankin and Nancy Lopez. Meg Mallon, Rosie Jones, Jane Geddes, Donna Andrews and Dottie Pepper are here, too. What a group of so many great players and champions of women's golf are here! These are all players that I have admired and watched growing up and, to have them here to speak to us and support us this week, is very special. We ended the night with a group cheer. We huddle together. Right hand in and chant "USA all the way! All the way USA!" That is our cheer for many generations of Solheim Cups, and we will continue that tradition in this year's 10th Solheim Cup. Hope everyone gets the chance to watch this exciting event on the Golf Channel and see stories, pictures and scores on LPGA.com. Go USA!

All the girls are getting dolled up for tonight's Gala. It is very dressy and we are all excited about the event. There were about 10 girls including both coaches in Jan, our stylist's room. We were all socializing and playing with make up. The other half of the players were with the caddies and staff in the team room which includes a ping pong table, pool table and several board games. The team room is decorated with flags, banners, streamers, and motivational quotes. It looks terrific. The LPGA staff came over a week early to decorate and get things situated.

Today it was about 60 degrees with a bit of a breeze. It was cool but pleasant. Unfortunately the weekend forecast looks to be chilly (40 degrees) with rain. I hope they are wrong! We are prepared with lots of hand warmers, heat packs, fleece gloves and ski caps. So if everyone watches this weekend and we all look like we are heading to ski, you know the weatherman was right.

It was good to have another look at the golf course today. It is in pristine condition tee to green. Today I played with Brittany Lincicome, Angela Stanford and Morgan Pressel. Everyone on the team is working extremely hard on their games and mapping out the course with their caddies. There is lots of talk among the players and captains about pairings for alternate shot and four ball. In alternate shot there is a lot of strategizing with who is teamed up together. It is important to look at a player's game as far as if they are an aggressive player, what's their demeanor on the course, which holes they will tee off on and which holes a player would prefer to drive, hit approach shots or putt. One big factor is which brand of golf ball the team will play. Amongst our 12 person team there are 5 different types of golf balls that the girls use. If someone is used to playing a soft ball they may not feel comfortable hitting a firmer ball around the greens to chip or putt, or they may hit the ball a different yardage with their irons and woods. To take care of this issue we have practiced with our potential partner's brand of ball and also practiced on our own with the golf ball that the team will use. For me I currently play the TaylorMade “black” which I love. A lot of players have not played or tested that ball. I have been fortunate enough to play in events with some of the team using a different ball and had success and was comfortable. That will be a factor for the coaches when they select the pairings.

As for the energy of the team - we are all jazzed! We have watched several videos of previous Solheim matches and also successful moments that were captured on film of our players. We have heard so many great stories from our captains and veteran Solheim players so we are ready to go. It helped that more players got some sleep and are starting to adjust to the time change.

We all had a 6:15 a.m. wake up call this morning when the fire alarm went off in our wing of the hotel. A player was up early making toast and left it in there a little too long... Unfortunately the smoke detector and toaster were close to each other and at 6:15 a.m. the alarm went off. Players ran out of their rooms startled. Everyone was okay and there was enough bread to make another batch of toast. She made her next set under supervision.

Well my day started early. It's 4:30 a.m. and I am wide awake. I went downstairs to the team room to find that Stacy P's husband also had a similar jet lagged night. One by one we learned more players, caddies and staff had the same sleep problems - Jet lag at its best. It's no big deal since we have so much adrenaline and excitement you could never tell -everyone is so excited to be here!

Beth Daniel and Betsy King have been incredible captains. They are so helpful and upbeat. Beth gave me her personal yardage book for today's round and she also followed us for most of today's practice round. Keeping us relaxed and handing out snacks. Betsy taught me and our group a new bunker shot. We were all excited to learn a new shot from a great player and champion. They have both given us gifts daily. From Waterford crystal to stylish USA hat pins. They are spoiling us.

Last night we were all surprised to get cute decorated bags from one of the players, Morgan Pressel. She made every player ribbons with their name on it, USA tattoos, red, white, and blue candies and a mix cd.

It's day one of practice and I have a great group. Juli Inkster, Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer and I teed off at 10 a.m. The twelve girls were dressed to the nines in our cute red, white, and blue slacks and all American sweaters. We played our round and snapped photos in between. The course is fantastic. It's in great condition and playing very long. After practice we did team photos for two hours and a fun team family and friends dinner at Pio. Supposedly the "trendy" restaurant in Halmstad, Sweden. It was excellent. We have so much fun together and the girls really enjoy each other's company. I think we make a great team. We are calling it a night, its 10 p.m. and the team is exhausted. Another early start tomorrow with practice rounds at 8 a.m. Hope all the girls get some sleep. We have a seven hour time difference so we need to get our body clocks adjusted quickly. Make sure you check out today's photos. There are some great ones....

We just landed in Sweden. We started our trip in Arkansas flying on a charter to Chicago and a direct flight to Denmark from there. After a two hour bus ride and a quick stop at McDonalds for lunch... Yeah! We are here!

The team is jazzed already. We are fired up to play after listening to Solheim stories from Juli Inkster, Beth Daniel and Pat Hurst. The caddies are also sharing their favorite moments.

We are all looking forward to uniting with the rest of the team, staff and our captain Betsy King. Some came over early and did not play in Arkansas.

Today is our light day. We will get unpacked and settled. The caddies are heading to the course to walk and map out the holes before we play early Tuesday. We have an opening reception with both teams, the staff and the Solheim family.

Canon was gracious to give every player a Canon PowerShot. We will all take pictures through out the week and the LPGA staff will download them to the LPGA website. Make sure everyone checks those out.

We have a fun easy reception tonight and team dinner so I am off to join my team.