Solheim stays in USA

Feel pretty miffed at not having Sky this weekend to follow at least some of the Solheim Cup, though it looks as if my personal support wouldn't have been enough to make any difference in the last day's singles matches. Going in with a small lead, the Europeans, with the honourable exception of Catriona Matthew, failed to make any further gains and the final score is 16-12 to USA who must be mighty pleased, especially with such a young side. The commentator who was under fire yesterday for criticising the US team for choking will doubtless enjoy eating her words, or maybe she can take credit for spurring her team on to better things!

Funny how we have the edge in the Ryder Cup but struggle in the Walker and Solheim. Can't think why that should be, unless the weakness is with the US tour Professionals. The amateurs and ladies seem perfectly comfortable in the team situation.



And finally, I have completed my purchase of new kit with a Powakaddy Twinline 3 trolley, a more compact version of the Twinline 1. I tried it out today with my smart new bag and was very satisfied. It's a manual trolley but for pushing rather than pulling.The trolley felt well-balanced and I found the hills less tiring. Best of all, the bag didn't move and inch. It's pretty easy to put up and down, but I have one small quibble over the trolley design; the footbrake prevents the trolley folding completely flat. For now we've disabled the brake and I'm parking carefully! Will certainly keep it well away from this lake, where a pair of swans decided to act as tee markers last week.

Solheim Cup

I'm getting to like the Golf for Women blog. They have someone at the Solheim cup giving us detailed low-down on the teams and the course set-up without skimping on the girly gossip like Annika Sorenstam's engagement ring. The beauty editor also tells us the best coloured nail polish to wear this season - or do I sense some not very covert advertsing there? Personally I've never had nail polish that stays on for more than a round, but then I confess to not very often having nail polish on at all, clearly something I'll have to consider if ever turning Pro (!)
As regards the competition itself, Laura Davies is described as 'den mother.' Without being quite sure what that means, I have a feeling it's about right for our grande dame who is said to be encouraging the cubs in the pack while indulging in a bit of back-biting at the other team. (Well, hey, this is a competition after all!)
More info on the Solheim here and also an interview with Laura by Lewine Mair in the Telegraph. Let's hope the weather is less dire than expected and that Laura's play matches her confidence.