Skipper Helen Alfredsson

In 1990, Sweden’s Helen Alfredsson was one of the Europeans literally shaking in their spikes at the prospect of taking on the mighty stars of the LPGA Tour in a brand new competition entitled The Solheim Cup.

Way back then at Lake Nona in Florida, the tournament was constantly (and rather irritatingly) labelled “the women’s Ryder Cup”, was virtually ignored by the golfing public and, as expected, the European visitors were given a good old thumping by their American counterparts.

But how times have changed. Come September in Halmstad and the landmark tenth Solheim Cup will have the infectiously enthusiastic Alfredsson as the skipper of a European team that no longer does scared. And the home side can call on a bundle of statistics to back up the new-found confidence.

Europe has never lost in Sweden - Barsebäck 2003 was one of the three European victories – home advantage is always a key factor and the strength in depth on the Ladies’ European Tour means that the battle for places to produce Alfie’s final dogged dozen is expected to be even fiercer and more fascinating than ever.

For Alfie herself, it has been an amazing journey. “What I remember most about the first Solheim was being really, really nervous,” recalls one of the world’s most respected professionals who went on to win a major title at the 1993 Nabisco Dinah Shore and collected four more victories on the LPGA Tour.

“My first match was a fourball against Nancy Lopez and Pat Bradley and all I could think about was when it might be a convenient moment to ask for their autographs.

Annika Sorenstam

“But now I’m just so thrilled the way the Solheim has grown to become one of the biggest event in women’s golf. Even back then I knew it had great potential, but it has become even bigger than I could ever have imagined.”

One intriguing aspect this year is the change to the selection system and how it will shake up. Instead of seven players from LET rankings plus five wild cards, this time there will only be five players from the LET list plus four (not otherwise selected) from the Rolex World rankings. Alfredsson will then have free rein to pick the final trio.

It’s a system that should help the players who compete more regularly on the US-based LPGA Tour to have clearer guidelines and perhaps not have to rely quite so much on the whims of a Captain. But they will still have to show loyalty to the LET
by competing in at least six tournaments over the two-year qualification period.

Whoever makes up Alfie’s gang, it promises to be another classic contest played out over a course that hosted the Chrysler Open in 1999 and 2000. The two respective winners – Laura Davies and Carin Koch – are likely to be vital members of this year’s home team.

Two years ago at Crooked Stick, America threw up a potent mix of old and new, and just emerged victorious by 15.5-12.5. Beth Daniel, Rosie Jones and Juli Inkster provided a mature backbone to a side that also included three giggly and glamorous young girls in Paula Creamer, Christina Kim and Natalie Gulbis.

The rookie babes came up trumps by contributing nine and a half points to the final total and the ‘oldies’ admitted that their bubbly enthusiasm was almost worth an extra point.

Gwladys Nocera

This year, US Captain Betsy King seems certain to have Creamer, Gulbis and Kim back in her side with 19-year-old Morgan Pressel and twenty-somethings Brittany Lang and Brittany Lincicome taking on the role of exciting newcomers.

Inkster, at 47, is set to be the senior member of a side, while Cristie Kerr goes into 2007 as the leading American at No.4 on the world rankings. And there could even be a place for the 2006 Weetabix Women’s Open Champion, Sherri Steinhauer, the player who scored the winning point for the US at Muirfield Village in 1998.

What of Europe? Incredibly – although no one who knows her will be surprised – Laura Davies looks set to continue her unbroken appearances. She was one of the very few not to feel intimidated in 1990 – she had, after all, won a US Women’s Open - and she remains such an important cog in the European team.

After a two year drought, Laura delighted everyone when she returned to the winner’s circle at last season’s SAS Masters in Norway and she celebrated the New Year as a record seven time winner of the New Star Order of Merit and in second place on the European Solheim rankings. As they say in the US, she is already a shoe-in.

Stephanie Arricau

Surely another certainty is Gwladys Nocera. An untried rookie at Crooked Stick when she hadn’t even won a single tournament, the French woman has since blossomed into a real European star. Perhaps it was her notable Solheim singles victory over Kerr that provided the injection of confidence and helped her underline her class with three wins in Europe in 2006.

Annika Sorenstam, adored by her home Swedish crowd, will again be leading the side, while France’s Stephanie Arricau, England’s Rebecca Hudson, Italy’s Veronica Zorzi, Denmark’s Karen Margrethe Juul and Finland’s Rikka Hakkarainen could take the leap from LET title-holders to Solheim Cup rookies.

But every team needs experience – so step forward Sophie Gustafson, Suzann Pettersen, Catriona Matthew and Carin Koch. All four have terrific Solheim records – the hope is that they can add to their credentials in September.

Then there are the imponderables. Who might emerge over the next few months to fill the coveted places. Iben Tinning, who played when she was pregnant in 2005, is a certain contender, and another new Mum, Janice Moodie, is always an asset to a team competition.

Karen Stupples could also come into the mix, although the birth of her first baby in April could put her second Cup appearance on hold until 2009. Maria Hjorth, a two-time Solheim Cupper, could be another welcome Swede to stir up the home emotions.

Rebecca Hudson

But whatever the line-ups, reaching double figures is a significant milestone for a Cup that continues to be so stoutly and gratefully supported by the gracious Solheim family. History and tradition is something that builds with age and it now seems strange to reflect that the new, young players have no memory of Europe’s famous victory at Dalmahoy in 1992.

They need to be told how the a team of ill-fated underdogs snapped at the heels of the glittering US stars and emerged with one of the most famous upset victories not just in golf but within the world of sport.

On reflection, even the Americans would probably accept that those three days in Edinburgh provided the perfect boost for the future of the Cup. It brought the contest to the attention of a much wider public and gave the Europeans the belief that they were just as talented as their transatlantic counterparts. The fear factor had gone.

Loch Lomond in 2000 provided the second European triumph before Barseback completed the hat-trick four years ago. As with the men’s Solheim Cup (the Ryder Cup), nowadays it is always a toss up to decide which team is the favourite and the 2007 version promises to be no different.

The visitors might boast that they can include a few more global victories among the baggage, but they have the disadvantage of having to come up trumps in front of a hugely passionate Swedish crowd that will be offering their full-hearted backing to their very own Alfredsson and her merry troops. And if Sorenstam, Gustafson, Koch and Hjorth make the team, then what more could the locals ask?

Karen-Margrethe Juul

For Davies, The Solheim Cup is a biennial highlight and making sure she didn’t have to rely on a Captain’s pick – it happened to her in 2002 – was one of the reasons that she returned to play a packed schedule on the LET last summer.

When the anthems ring out and the Swedish fans arise en masse at the opening ceremony at Halmstad in September, there is little doubt that it will be one of the proudest moments of Alfredsson’s illustrious career. She played in the first seven Solheims and was Captain of the victorious PING European Junior Solheim Cup team at Bokskogens Golf Klubb in 2003.

She has played a huge part in the Solheim success story – and she just hopes that by the end of the tenth meeting the historians will be able to sit down and add another chapter charting a famous European triumph.