Digging the Solheim Cup

I'll be honest. Over the last year, we at the Daily Herald have expended a lot of time and effort to bring you Solheim Cup coverage. Our coverage has been so comprehensive, at times it has felt like we've been telling you, "YOU WILL WATCH THIS EVENT AND LIKE IT, DADGUMMIT!"

With that in mind, I didn't plan to tune in to today's opening matches. Nobody's going to tell me what to watch, you know? But here I am watching the Solheim Cup and liking it. I picked it up late this morning as the pairings were making the turn and I haven't turned it off. Here's why I've enjoyed it:

1) The crowds are enthusiastic without being overly jingoistic. When Euro players make a nice shot, the fans acknowledge it.

2) There's some terrific shotmaking and some terrible shotmaking, so you can tell this is important to them. I feel badly for Morgan Pressel. She continues to hit the ball in places where I hit the ball -- and I ain't no good. Her partner Michelle Wie, on the other hand, has been really tough.

3) I like the golfers' enthusiasm. Can't say I'm enchanted by the "butt-fives" that Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer are sharing, but whatever works. If it makes Joe Sixpack tune in, fine by me.

4) Helen Alfredsson just made a helluva putt from the fringe at 18 to salvage a point for Europe. That's been the most pressure-packed shot I've seen.

5) I've enjoyed watching this so much, I'm bummed that Golf Channel has to push the start of the afternoon matches to the web. Because Golf Channel is switching to the PGA Tour event in Greensboro, N.C., the first two hours of the afternoon matches can be found at this address: http://www.thegolfchannel.com/lpga/2009-the-solheim-cup/overview/

After that, Golf Channel broadcasts the afternoon matches to their conclusion. It's Channel 218 on DirecTV, by the way.

LW