The Lorena Ochoa Match Play is interesting, truly because so among the American and European Solheim Cup players are in the discipline. With the Solheim Cup being played later this yr, it's a danger to catch your captain's eye.
And it seems some players is probably doing simply that.
There are, of course, players presently desired to make their teams who have been suddenly overwhelmed early on -- Gerina Piller, Stacy Lewis, Jessica Korda, Brittany Lang and Austin Ernst for the US, at the same time as Suzann Pettersen and Carlotta Ciganda are the primary Euro players to bow out. This is not necessarily a awful signal, this early in the yr, but it truely would not engender any confidence to your captain!
And there are other players -- maximum significantly Cristie Kerr, Charley Hull and Karine Icher -- who are doing exactly what we might anticipate in healthy play.
But it's the bubble gals -- and a few who do not even have a bubble maker but -- who're making a actual case for captain's choices.
Perhaps the most surprising for the US is Michelle Wie (12 in the team rankings), who has won her matches 6&5 and 3&2. The improvements in her play this season are clearly evident in this format! Other US players making a case are Marina Alex (18 in the Rankings, who plays Wie today), Cydney Clanton (34 in the rankings, who plays Kerr today) and Angela Stanford, who at number 9 is probably making Captain Inkster feel a lot better.
The Euro rankings are trickier to figure out, because they get some players from the LET points list and some from the Rolex world rankings. But the most surprising Euro player has to be Pernilla Lindberg (T70 in the LET rankings and 114 in the Rolex), with 2&1 and 4&3 victories. Unfortunately, she has to play Ariya Jutanugarn today. Still, this has without a doubt put her firmly on Captain Sorenstam's radar.
Likewise, Sandra Gal (15 in the LET, 73 in the Rolex) is doing well. Karine Icher is the last of the Rolex qualifiers currently on the team, but this performance will likely guarantee her a captain's pick -- even if she loses to Stanford today.
Match play events always seem to carry extra meaning. There aren't very many of them on any tour's schedule, and they can be important indicators of who might be a strong member for events like the Solheim Cup. And it looks like this week's event will be no different.
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