(Reuters) – The U.S. team is hungry to put an end to their Solheim Cup drought but also staying relaxed ahead of their coming battle with the visiting European squad, U.S. captain Stacy Lewis said on Wednesday.
The U.S. were forced to settle for a 14-14 draw with Europe a year ago in Spain, a result that saw their rivals retain the Cup for a third consecutive occasion and “unfinished business” has since become the team’s rallying cry.
“These girls, they want that trophy, and they want to win,” Lewis told reporters.
“They’ll talk about it occasionally, but I just think they need to enjoy themselves and they need to have fun and they need to be relaxed.
“From what I’ve seen out of Solheim Cups and teams that I’ve been on, the ones that are more relaxed, the ones that are having fun behind the scenes, those are the ones that I’ve been on winning teams.
“So we put a lot of emphasis in what’s going on in the team room, what’s going on in the bus. They asked for a karaoke machine, I’ll get you a karaoke machine. I don’t care.”
The U.S. last hoisted the trophy at the biennial competition in 2017 but Lewis said the team does not feel the weight of expectation on their shoulders.
“I don’t feel any pressure when I’m in that team room or when I’m around the girls. I don’t think they feel pressure,” she said.
“If we win, we stop the streak. If we lose, the streak keeps going.
“I mean, I would love to stop it, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t see it as pressure. I don’t think they feel pressure. They don’t, trust me. They’re having lots of fun.”
The three-day competition begins on Friday at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Toby Davis)
