Lopez: "I will decide tonight"
During her noon press conference, Nancy Lopez fielded questions from the media.
Lopez was extremely professional accepting questions and appears to be taking this decision very seriously. She mentioned that she does not have a strict “math” formula to determine who will make the team, but will be looking at things such as consistentcy, experience, current and past Solheim Cups, how the player would act as a “team member”, and mostly her gut instinct. Lopez mentioned that she was going to have to disappoint some people, and that she has become friends with all of the top 15 in the Solheim Cup standings.
When asked when she would make the final decision, Lopez stated that she will continue to narrow her selections down today, and that she will decide tonight. Lopez also credited the Golf Channel for providing her with the ability to watch more golf and players. Lopez also mentioned how she felt that last year’s performance does not come into play in her decision.
Lopez also said with a bit of a chuckle that she is looking for a player that might intimidate other players and she would look at past Solheim Cup members for potential picks. Lopez then went into a bit of a discussion about how in her first hole of her first Solheim Cup matches, that she was extremely choked up and that she felt a “new pressure” and “nervousness” that she had never felt before.
A reporter asked if a player did not make the team tonight, could a player make it tomorrow. Lopez responded that her decision will not be entirely based on the final tournament. However, Lopez did provide some guidance that she will be looking at players only in the top 15 on the standings. Thus, players who are still in the running for a captain’s pick include (assuming that Wendy Ward does not win): Dorothy Delasin, Heather Bowie, Wendy Ward, Beth Daniel, and Stacy Prammanasudh. If Wendy Ward does win the Wendy’s she will jump into the top 10 in the standings and knock either Michele Redman or Laura Diaz out, depending on a number of factors.
Lopez talked to Ward yesterday and told her not to worry about her game. And Lopez said that she wanted to make sure her girls knew that they should play well for themselves and she wanted them to know that Nancy does care about each of the players, especially if they make the team.
Lopez said that her best advise from past captains was to just go with her gut, and she said that that might include not choosing numbers 11 and 12 on the list.
Anyways, after hearing the interview, I believe that Lopez is leaning towards Wendy Ward and Beth Daniel, but that is entirely my guess.
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