As someone once wisely put it....Let's Get This Party Started!

The first match goes off at 9:05 EDT and could very well be the most important one of the scheduled 28.  Team U.S.A. sends out its top two players to set the tone and Team Europe counters with its best player and her usual partner (who have combined with good success in the past).  I have to predict that Paula Creamer/Cristie Kerr will defeat Suzann Pettersen/Sophie Gustafson, if only because I've never been that impressed by Sophie (a little more as a match-player than in tournament play) and it's hard to pick against two players who are among the five best in the world.  Something along the lines of 2&1 U.S.A.

The second match is Juli Inkster/Angela Stanford vs. Helen Alfredsson/Tania Elosegui.  Trying not to underestimate Elosegui's talents, I can't help but expect a convincing win from the Americans.  If Inkster isn't putting well (and she hasn't all year) it could be close.  Let's say 3&2 U.S.A.

Match #3 worries me.  Brittany Lang is a Solheim rookie and Brittany Lincicome got humbled pretty good in Sweden.  Laura Davies/Becky Brewerton were a solid pairing two years ago and I don't expect any different from them this time.  Europe 4&3.

Match #4 could be Michelle Wie's Coming Out Party (with Morgan Pressel as her MC), but something keeps telling me that Catriona Matthew/Maria Hjorth is too much to overcome.  Hjorth is a solid team match-player and Matthew is one of the best.  Europe 3&2.

8:30am - Since I still believe that Beth Daniel will get all 12 of her players into action today, here are my revised U.S.A. pairings for this afternoon's foursomes:

I know, that's quite a bet hedger ("one of four"...jeez!).  I read this morning that Daniel is putting a lot of stock in pairing players who are friends and I'm not sure Juli Inkster and Christina Kim fit that description.  I think most likely X-Tina gets paired with the young-un who plays the best this morning (Pressel, Wie, Lang or Lincicome) and this afternoon becomes the first (and maybe only) off-session for Inkster.

8:40am - If you're not near a TV or don't have Golf Channel, here is the link to the leaderboard page at LPGA.com.

9:10am - And they're off!  Gustafson drove the first tee shot solidly down the left side.  Pettersen also found the fairway near Sophie's ball.  Kerr also drove near the same spot.  Creamer wasn't quite as long but in the fairway as well.  Second group goes off at 9:20.

9:20am - Gustafson's approach at 1 rolled past the hole to about seven feet.  Kerr is on about 25 feet away.  Creamer chipped her third up to seven feet.  Pettersen was way left of the green.

9:25am - The course is still damp, not much roll on anybody's tee shot.  Group 2 all hit the fairway.

9:30am - Gustafson missed her birdie putt and Kerr two-putted.  First hole of the competition is halved.

9:40am - Inkster found a greenside bunker at 1 and misplayed it long.  Stanford chipped nicely from the rough to four feet.  Elosegui had 30 feet to win the hole but missed right.  Stanford made her par, forcing Europe to make one of two testy putts.  Alfredsson missed badly left from six feet and Elosegui pulled hers left from four.  First one goes to the U.S.A.  Laura Davies snapped the first-tee-hit-fairway streak, missing left in a big way.  The Brittanys both found the short grass.

9:50am - Pettersen missed an eight-footer which would have won #2.  Gustafson had five feet to win it and nailed it to take a 1-up lead.  Davies is all over the place on #1.  The last group is about to tee off.

9:55am - Michelle Wie hit the first fairway.  Pretty important, I think.  Lincicome had two putts to win #1 and lagged it perfectly to go 1-up.

10:00am - Elosegui birdied 2 from 12 feet.  Stanford had 12 feet to halve but missed left.  Inkster had about ten and missed it right.  All Square.

10:10am - Matthew missed from 12 feet for birdie at 1.  Wie saved par from four feet to halve.

10:15am - Brewerton had two putts to win #2 after both Americans found the water (ugh).  All Square.  Elosegui from eight feet to win 3 missed right.

10:20am - Lincicome tee shot to four feet at #3.  Wie's third to #2 stopped six feet away.

10:30am - At #4, Kerr rolled home a birdie from 15 feet to square that match.  Inkster's approach at 4 stopped five feet away.  Pressel missed birdie from 12 feet at 2.  Lincicome made her birdie at 3 to go 1-up.  Wie's birdie try slid by the left edge.  Matthew had chipped from a bad lie to five feet but missed her putt badly left to remain All Square.

10:40am - After Elosegui missed for par from 12 feet at #4, Inkster had two putts to win from five feet so Europe conceded.  The U.S. is now 1-up in two matches, AS in the other two.

10:45am - Matthew birdied from seven feet to win #3 and go 1-up.

10:50am - Brewerton missed from 12 feet which would have won #4.  Lincicome halved it when she made from five feet.  Elosegui nearly sank one from the bunker for birdie at 5.

10:55am - Pettersen birdied from 15 feet to win #6 and go 1-up.

11:05am - Pressel sank a lengthy par putt to halve #4.

11:10am - Matthew tee shot at 5 to three feet.  Wie has about 15 feet to match her presumed birdie.

11:15am - The sun keeps popping out.  Matthew's great shot was academic as Hjorth rammed in a 30-footer for birdie.  To halve the hole, Pressel just missed from 25 feet and Wie missed hers to the left.  Europe now 2-up.

11:20am - Lincicome made a 60-footer for birdie at 6!  Davies missed from 18 feet so the U.S. is 2-up in this one.  Creamer drilled one from the fringe (about 20 feet) to birdie 7.  Gustafson from six feet to halve dropped it.

11:30am - Wie made birdie at 6 from 15 feet to win the hole.  Europe is still 1-up.  Wind starting to pick up.  Not so much sun right now.

11:45am - At 7, Lang curled it in from five feet to win the hole and go 3-up.  Why was I worried about this pairing again?  Wie made the green in two at the par-5 7th.

11:55am - Matthew is really on today - her third to 7 landed three feet away.  Team Wie-sel is hanging in there though - Morgan has a birdie putt of about 12 feet and grazed the right edge.  Matthew made her birdie.  Michelle was a good 60+ away for eagle and her speed was perfect, to about 2 feet where she tapped in for a half.  Elosegui came up two turns short on a 30-footer to win #8.  Inkster is really struggling (found the water off the 8th tee) so Stanford had about six feet  to halve the hole but she missed.  That one is now All Square.

12:05pm - Brewerton had 12 feet at 8 to win the hole but missed right.  Gustafson saved par at 9 from eight feet and Kerr did from three to halve it.  As the first group makes the turn, the matches stand like this:

12:15pm - This pair is good - Hjorth's approach to 8 stopped at four feet.  Alfredsson did the same at 9.  After Stanford missed from 18 feet, Inkster could have saved a half with a 15-footer at 9 but she missed.  Looks like Europe will go up in three matches for the first time today.  Hjorth made birdie to go 2-up.  Alfredsson made hers too, to go 1-up.

12:25pm - Kerr was on the fringe about 18 feet away to win #10 and it slid by right as she followed it to the hole.

12:35pm - Alfredsson made birdie from 15 feet at 10.  To halve the hole, Stanford needed to make from 10 but she missed left.  Europe 2-up after winning three straight holes.

12:45pm - Pettersen had 15 feet to win 11 but missed left.  After Creamer had picked up, Kerr made her par from five feet.  Pettersen made hers from four to halve and stay 1-up.

12:55pm - Lincicome made from 10 feet at #10 to go 4-up.  I'm sure glad I was wrong about this match.  Matthew barely missed a 12-footer which would have put them 3-up.

I have to break away (a meeting beckons) but will try to catch up when I get back.  Get me some American birdies while I'm gone, will ya?

2:00pm - Good work guys!  Pressel/Wie won holes 12 and 13 to square their match.  Kerr's birdie at 12 squared that one, Pettersen birdied 13 to go 1-up and then Kerr birdied 14 to even it again.  Lang/Lincicome are dormie after a birdie at 13 put them 5-up.  Europe is still 2-up over Stanford/Inkster.

Pettersen missed from about eight feet at 15 and that match stays AS.

2:10pm - Lincicome/Lang just closed out Davies/Brewerton 5&4.  The foursome pairings are out and I believe Davies was left out because of her poor four-ball play.

2:15pm - Pressel's approach at 14 rolled up to four feet.  Elosegui is close at 15 but Inkster just laced one to within a couple of feet.  Hjorth had about 18 feet at 14 to negate Pressel but missed it badly.  Creamer made a bomb from across the green at 16!  Had to be over 60 feet.  Pressel made birdie to win 14 and give her and Wie their first lead of the day.  Neither Pettersen nor Gustafson could answer Creamer at 16, so she and Kerr lead for the first time today.  What a quick turnaround that was!

2:20pm - Elosegui missed from six feet for a half at 15 and that match is now only Europe 1-up. 

2:25pm - Pettersen/Gustafson are scheduled to go off for foursomes at 2:45 ET.  With two holes to play and down one, I'm not sure they will make it!

2:30pm - Pettersen to three feet at 17 (with Gustafson already in the water, no less).  Kerr answered with an approach to about five.  Wie reached the par-5 15th in two.

2:35pm - At 17, Kerr made her putt to go at least dormie.  Pettersen knocked hers in to take them to 18.  Alfredsson made a 4.5 foot putt to halve 16.

2:40pm - Hjorth has faded over the back nine and Matthew hasn't been able to hold off Pressel/Wie alone (three straight holes won by the Americans).  Wie had about 20 feet for eagle at 15 but missed it left.  The birdie leaves Matthew to make a five-footer for half.  Which she did, to stop the bleeding.

2:45pm - At 18, Kerr went for the green in two but came up short into an awkward position.  Pettersen went for it and missed the green way left.

2:55pm - Wie had 30 feet for birdie at 16 but missed left.  Par was conceded.  Hjorth made a beautiful chip from near the hazard to set up the half.  Elosegui had about 15 feet at 17 to win the match but missed left.  Alfredsson had 10 feet to do the same but missed it right.  Stanford/Inkster are now dormie but still have a chance at 18.  Kerr birdied 18 from eight feet to clinch it.  Officially a 1-up victory when they conceded Pettersen's birdie putt.

3:05pm - Match #1 took about 5:50 to complete!  Do they put people on the clock at Solheim?  At 17, Pressel is the only player in the fairway.  Matthew's approach from a matted-down lie, ran the ball through the green.  Pressel dumped hers into the water, a Ken Hartis type shot.  Hjorth pitched out down the fairway.  Wie barely cleared the water and landed on the steep greenside bank.  At 18, Stanford went for it in two and found a bunker.

3:10pm - Alfredsson went for the green at 18 and bounced it off the gallery.  Stanford almost sank her bunker shot for eagle.  Tap-in birdie.  At 17, Matthew chipped across the green from a bad lie.  Wie's ball was sitting up (not too steep where she was standing) but she blasted her chip 15 feet past the hole.

3:15pm - Alfredsson chipped poorly across the green (the grass at the last two holes must be hellacious).  Her birdie putt to win the match was true from 15 feet.  A 1-up victory for Team Europe.

3:20pm - Wie for par at 17 from 15 feet lipped out.  Matthew made from four feet to halve the hole, but Pressel/Wie are dormie going to 18.  Bad drive by Wie at 18, way right.  Hjorth found the fairway so she'll have a shot at green-in-two.

3:30pm - Wie was forced to pitch out to the fairway.  Hjorth missed the green left with her second.  A bit of controversy over Wie's ball - it lies in the fairway in an area in poor condition which is NOT marked as available to get relief but the rules official is allowing Michelle to mark and replace.  The ground looks a bit hacked up but her ball is actually in a good spot.  Alison Nicholas wasn't real happy about the ruling.  I'll bet there's a big white circle in the 18th fairway when they come back around in a few hours.  Wie's third found a greenside bunker.

3:40pm - Matthew's third was played to 10 feet.  Pressel's third flew long into the edge of the rough.  Wie's fourth was nearly perfect, to three feet.  Hjorth could steal a half-point by getting up-and-down.  Her lie looked pretty good but she rolled it past the hole to the fringe, about 15 feet away (like Alfredsson about 30 minutes ago).  Pressel chipped her fourth past the hole too.  Matthew drained her birdie to halve the match.  Team U.S.A. leads 2.5 to 1.5 after the first session.

I'll open up a new post for the foursomes matches when I get home.  Should take 45-60 minutes for me to get there.  In the meantime, enjoy the streaming video on Golfchannel.com.