Sorenstam leads Europe as captain

After accomplishing just about everything there is to accomplish in golf, Annika Sorenstam finally got her shot as a Solheim Cup captain.

Leading Team Europe might prove to be a lot more difficult for Sorenstam than playing ever was.

Veteran star Suzann Pettersen is out with a bad back.

Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist, the team’s top-ranked player, recently dealt with a bout of mononucleosis.

Four of Sorenstam’s 12 players are making their debuts in the biennial tournament between Europe and the U.S. — and the Europeans are 1-6 on American soil.

But Sorenstam, the Hall of Fame player who served as a vice captain in the three previous Solheim Cups, is confident the underdog Europeans can hang with the U.S. when play begins Friday at Des Moines Golf and Country Club.

Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson will be the opening pairing for the U.S., while Team Europe paired Nordqvist with Georgia Hall. American captain Juli Inkster also paired rookie Danielle Kang with veteran Lizette Salas, and Catriona Matthew, Pettersen’s replacement, will also open foursome play Friday.

“It’s been a lot of juggling, to put it mildly,” said Sorenstam, who won 72 LPGA Tour titles, including 10 majors. “I had a plan, I called it plan A. And then we started a plan B ... and when Suzann and I spoke (Wednesday) morning, I kind of threw out plan A, and now we’re sticking to plan B.”

Still, the Americans will have the edge in experience and with a home crowd that is expected to eclipse 100,000.

Half of the U.S. field has played in at least four Solheim Cups, led by Kerr (nine), Paula Creamer (seven) and the resurgent Michelle Wie (five). But Creamer was an alternate for Inkster until Jessica Korda hurt her forearm and withdrew.

The Americans also have the top-ranked player in the event in Thompson, the 22-year-old Floridian who has three wins and 15 top-five finishes since 2015.