fbpx
Carin Koch on the importance of rookies

Carin Koch on the importance of rookies

"The depth of talent in rookies is much better than it was 20 years ago"
 

One certainty of the Solheim Cup is that there will be rookies on both teams, in Colorado half of our team were made up of debutants.

When Lotta (Neumann) picked the side we looked at the stats and the rookies had scored very well in previous matches. So we kind of turned it around a little bit, it definitely doesn’t have to be a negative. You are so excited and you can put less expectation on yourself and go out and enjoy it. It is certainly different playing at home with lots of support, in America you will have to be prepared for a lot of cheering but not much of it will be for you!

A lot of factors will go into our pairings in Germany and it definitely won’t be a case of matching rookies with non-rookies wherever possible. Two years ago there were a few raised eyebrows when we sent out the rookie duo of Jodi Ewart Shadoff and Charley Hull in the first match on the Saturday afternoon. It was seen as a risk but we had so many first-timers playing that we had to put some of them together. Also, sometimes your focus is a bit better as you know the pressure is on and you cannot just rely on your partner.

The depth of talent is so much better these days and that wasn’t the case 20 years ago so, as a captain, you have far more choices. A lot of factors will go into our pairings in Germany and it definitely won’t be a case of matching rookies with non-rookies wherever possible. Rookies these days might have won a lot and, in the last three matches, we have even had players (Anna Nordqvist, Caroline Hedwall and Charley) make the team in their first season as a professional. So we will look at things like form, previous stats, who wants to play with who, their types of game and personalities.

Or it might be a case of matching nationalities as some of the girls will have played together on national teams. Following Charley and Jodi out in 2013 were the Spanish pair of Carlota Ciganda, another rookie, and Azahara Munoz. They were really confident together and we ended up producing a clean sweep of four wins that afternoon in the States.

The week is so different. Before the matches it is very demanding with lots of media, practice and dinners so you have to focus on the right things and find the right mix of doing your own thing but also be part of the team. The European team spirit is always great and a few rookies will only add to that.

Latest Posts

dp world tour 2024 schedule

DP World Tour

DP World Tour 2024 schedule and results

Read full article - DP World Tour 2024 schedule and results
liv golf schedule 2024

LIV Golf

LIV Golf schedule 2024: Every date, venue and result

Read full article - LIV Golf schedule 2024: Every date, venue and result
players championship field 2024

News

Players Championship field: Who is playing at TPC Sawgrass?

Read full article - Players Championship field: Who is playing at TPC Sawgrass?
LIV Golf

LIV Golf

How far have the LIV golfers fallen in the world rankings?

Read full article - How far have the LIV golfers fallen in the world rankings?
pga championship field

News

World Golf Rankings 2024: Who’s in the top 10?

Read full article - World Golf Rankings 2024: Who’s in the top 10?
LIV Golf

LIV Golf

Show me the money! How much has each LIV player made since signing up?

Read full article - Show me the money! How much has each LIV player made since signing up?
rory mcilroy talor gooch

News

Rory McIlroy’s advice for Talor Gooch: Be more like Joaquin Niemann!

Read full article - Rory McIlroy’s advice for Talor Gooch: Be more like Joaquin Niemann!
viktor hovland prize money

News

Soulless, comical and sad: Viktor Hovland has a bleak outlook on golf

Read full article - Soulless, comical and sad: Viktor Hovland has a bleak outlook on golf
talor gooch

LIV Golf

‘It’s noteworthy’: Talor Gooch defends controversial Rory McIlroy asterisk claim

Read full article - ‘It’s noteworthy’: Talor Gooch defends controversial Rory McIlroy asterisk claim