Captains take totally different approaches

Should coaches fit players into a system or build a system around the players?

It’s a common sports question that golf fans rarely consider. At the Solheim Cup, U.S. captain Juli Inkster and Europe’s Annika Sorenstam are on different sides of the debate, and Thursday offered a glimpse of things to come.

“This is about having fun. I want to spread that through the team and just show them that I believe in them; that’s why I’m here,” Sorenstam said. “I want the players to be happy. And if you have happy players, there’s hopefully good golf.”

Inkster is in her second consecutive stint as a captain, and she’s continuing with the same methodical approach that helped her team lift the trophy in 2015.

She divided the team into pods, and at the start of the week, she handed each player a construction helmet to remind them to get to work.

“Juli has been on us about playing our games and working hard,” Stacy Lewis said. “She’s intense on the course, and she’s passionate. She brings that out in us.”

Lewis, who has a 4-7-1 record, will play in the anchor group alongside Gerina Piller.

Match 1: Mel Reid and Charley Hull (Europe) vs. Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson (USA)

Match 2: Carlota Ciganda and Caroline Masson (Europe) vs. Danielle Kang and Lizette Salas (USA) Match 3: Anna Nordqvist and Georgia Hall (Europe) vs. Paula Creamer and Austin Ernst (USA)

Match 4: Karine Icher and Catriona Matthew (Europe) vs. Lewis and Piller (USA)