This will be Laura Davies' 12th Solheim Cup, the most of any player, and she's just as excited today for the matches as she was back in 1990 when the event first started. Davies is just shy of passing Annika Sorenstam's points scored record and hope that she'll do what it takes on the course to make it happen.
LAURA DAVIES: I'm obviously very pleased. That means I've played at a consistent level for a long time. The ultimate every two years is to qualify for the team and not worry about getting a captain's pick. And that is the mark of what you're trying to do. I guess I've done it 12 times now, which is very satisfying.
THE MODERATOR: So, Laura, how does the experience now compare to when you were a rookie, a Solheim Cup rookie?
LAURA DAVIES: That was 1990. It's hard to remember that far back to be honest with you. But it was on a much smaller scale in those days. Obviously, the history of the tournament now makes it where it's a huge sporting event.
But back then at Lake Nona it was a lot quieter. The golf was fierce enough, the competition was fierce enough, but there wasn't all the infrastructure that goes with the modern Solheim Cup that we've got now. It's just grown.
THE MODERATOR: And you have many memories of this day. What would be the most significant of your memories?
LAURA DAVIES: Just the three wins. Three wins and eight losses, you try to forget the losses as painful as they are, and remember the good, the three wins and the fun you have with your teammates after you've achieved something that means a lot to all of us, really.
THE MODERATOR: Do you consider the European team to be underdogs?
LAURA DAVIES: If you look at the bookmakers, we're massive underdogs in a two‑horse race, but underdogs do win things, and I think we've got a very good chance. We've got 12 good players, the course is nice and long. Most of our players hit the ball a long way, and I think the chance is ours.
It's up to us now. We've got to take the chance we've got.
Q. Laura, 12 Solheim Cups. Is motivation an issue for you? Is it just the fact that you're playing event is the motivating factor for you?
LAURA DAVIES: Yeah, that's the thing. You know when this is finished, we start again. And you've got to be thinking for 2013 I want to try to be part of the team again, and you set your schedule out where you give yourself the best chance to qualify for it again to be part of this. Because the team's getting younger, I'm getting older, and it's harder to do it. But it makes it all the more fun when I can get in the team.
Q. How important do you think the home advantage and fans will be this week?
LAURA DAVIES: I think it will be huge. The home advantage is not the golf course, it's the fans, it's the galleries, it's the cheering you get. You know all over the golf course whose won a hole. You don't have to guess at it. And it works against you in America, because you know exactly what's happened over there too.
If it's quiet on a home course, you know things aren't quite going your way. So you need the crowd to be in it early on.
Q. You'll enjoy beating Annika's record then?
LAURA DAVIES: Well, who knows. I didn't even know that stat, but I need a point. So hopefully if I get a chance to play in the foursomes or the four balls and then obviously the singles. You just don't know. You can only try your best.
But I'd be very disappointed not to get at least one point and hopefully three or four.
Q. Laura, you've been in a lot of these. Could you compare this team with other Euro teams?
LAURA DAVIES: I think it's strong from player number one to player number 12 if you could label it, because obviously it goes in three different portions our team.
Obviously, Suzann Pettersen would be the standout. I think she's two or three in the world rankings now. She's our marquis standout player. But with the rest of us on any given day, you know, you could throw a blanket over us.
We're all good players, and now we can take the Americans into singles. And a couple of the American girls haven't been playing quite so well lately, so hopefully ‑‑ they'll probably come out and have a great week this week. That's how it works. You can never single anyone out and say I'd like to play against her, because on the day, anyone can do it. But finally we've got 12 that can stand toe‑to‑toe in the singles and have a really good crack at it.
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