June 7, 2011

Captain RoJo Blog

With the LPGA Tour having several weeks off in the schedule the past month, progress with Team USA looks like it has been at a bit slow on the surface.  But in reality behind the scenes, the action is turning into full gear as the Solheim Cup is now only 107 days away.

It’s All in the Details…..  It’s easy to suddenly find myself a bit overwhelmed with the amount of attention The Solheim Cup takes when I think of all that remains in the preparation of our week there in Ireland.  Every little detail is important when you are planning for an event like this, so for me, getting finished with the fluff part of the week (Clothing, Gifting, Food and Decorations) is my top priority at the moment.  Not to mention the inspirational quotes, team music, speeches and keeping up with players performance, tweeting, face booking and ect.

Even though we finalized our Players Uniforms with Antigua and Sunice some time ago, last month we touched on clothing for the Caddy’s, Helpers, and Past Captains.  We want to make sure they all look good in their Team USA shirts, hats and Jackets.  Lucky for me the LPGA takes on the burden of the actual operation and ordering the Teams clothing,  the travel and schedule, but when it comes to the decisions concerning the team, I’m all hands on with the details and preparations.  Experience reminds me and I’ll always believe that success is in the details.  Now, only our Opening Ceremony outfits are left to figure out.  Oh Boy!

Sweet 16 Practice Session!

The Fun part of my job as Captain is starting to get exciting as we brought the Top 16 Solheim Cup point makers together for our domestic practice session.  Since we will not be going to Killeen Castle before the Solheim Cup in September to practice there on the tournament course, my Assistant Captains and I looked for a fitting venue to host a Team USA bonding session.  Lucky have it, Sherri Steinhauer has connections with a member at Pine Valley in NJ and they were thrilled to host Team USA for a night of Dinner, Fun and Games as well as a fantastic round of golf on Monday morning.

We’ve Come a Long Way Baby…  Women have been breaking barriers for hundreds of years and this was one of those momentous events that even Pine Valley felt was special as Team USA were the first women to ever stay the night on property in “The Dorms.”  More like a private plush lodge with everyone having their own suite, the players were given every privilege and perfect hospitality as we enjoyed dinner in the boardroom and two other wonderful meals in the clubhouse.

Knowing the strict rules and regulations as far as females playing Pine Valley, I was reminded of a story about  how Jack Nicklaus showed up to play a practice round at Pine Valley for the Walker Cup and his wife Barbara was not allowed any where near the premises.  So in retrospect, many thanks to Pine Valley GM and Golf Director Charlie Raudenbush,  Club President Jim Davis and member Russ Meyer who were all perfect hosts and for helping to make this as exciting and memorable event for all who attended.  It was only fitting to give them a bottle of Champaign signed by all the players commemorating our “Sweet 16 Practice Session” donated by Mike Doyle at Pleasant Valley Wine Co, in NY.

Not one to give away all my secrets, we had a great time at dinner where I was able to speak to the players and give them my thoughts about the upcoming months and how our team was shaping up.  Using a couple of motivational video’s my hope was to inspire some of the young players looking to make their first Solheim Cup as well as motivate those on the bubble looking to make more points in the next several tournaments.  It was a great chance for me to visit with those players, spend time with them off of the golf course as well as have them to interact with one another in some friendly competitive Minute to Win it Games!  And it was Competitive!

And then of course there was the Golf at Pine Valley!.   What ever I say here will not give it justice for the golf course was in perfect shape and the conditions were absolutely awesome while the best women golfers our country has to offer teed it up on that Monday morning on America’s # 1 golf course.  Watching my players paired up in specific groupings was as much of a treat for me as it was for them to play.   Lots of laughs and good golf shots were played as my strategy going into the summer starts to emerge with my sights on Ireland.  Thanks again to AB Golf Design for the USA Boxing Glove Head Covers donated to the players.  It was fun to see them propped up on a couple of player’s bags getting into the spirit of “Go Team USA!”

Now, the excitement continues to grow as we watch the next couple months unfold on the LPGA Schedule with 3 major championships and only 5 events total to rack up their points.  Already as I track the players performance I’m starting to see the trends in who and what will make the difference on building the best possible team for September.

Big Win For Lincicome…..   Having already a great performance year in 2011 Brittany rose to the top in Atlantic City last week at the ShopRite LPGA Classic as she birdied the last hole of the tournament to win over Jiyai Shin and Cristie Kerr.   Cristie remains at the top of the Solheim Cup list with 582 points and Brittany gains 60 points and jumps up to #6 on the Solheim Cup list giving her some breathing room as the tour heads into the majors these next two months.  Points will be up for grabs since Major Championships will be worth double points.   Check out the entire list by clicking here….

Stay tuned this weekend at the State Farm Classic in Springfield IL. Happens to be the same town I won my first event in many, many years ago.  More to come……

Go USA!

Captain RoJo