Solheim Cup Friday Morning: Foursomes Predictions

Here are the morning matches in the Solheim Cup and my take on who should best handle the foursomes (aka alternate shot) frenzy:

Stacy Lewis/Lizette Salas vs. Anna Nordqvist/Caroline Hedwall:  I give Team USA a small advantage in this match.  It all depends on whether Lewis or Hedwall gets hotter, as both are volatile players, and whether Salas or Nordqvist can play steadier.

Angela Stanford/Brittany Lang vs. Suzann Pettersen/Beatriz Recari:  I give Team Euro a big advantage in this match.  Lang has to overperform and Recari has to underperform for Team USA to pull this one out.

Morgan Pressel/Jessica Korda vs. Catriona Matthew/Jodi Ewart Shadoff:  I give Team USA a tiny advantage in this match.  Matthew is super-tough and playing very good golf, but so is Pressel.  Korda has been playing better than Ewart Shadoff, but she has wrist issues.

Cristie Kerr/Paula Creamer vs. Azahara Munoz/Karine Icher:  I give Team USA a huge advantage in this match.  Munoz has not been playing well for awhile and I don't think Icher can carry her.  Kerr and Creamer have both been playing very well and I don't think Kerr's elbow will be a factor in this match.  Only way Team Euro can hang in this one is if Kerr and Creamer start missing putts and get down on themselves, but I don't see that happening.

So Captain Neumann decided to start by playing everyone but her own captain's picks.  [Duh, Hedwall and Ewart Shadoff were captain's picks for Team Euro!]  Captain Mallon also sat her captain's picks, as well as Lexi Thompson and Brittany Lincicome.  I might have played Lexi in place of Brittany, but I think Mallon is hoping she and Angela have enough chemistry to sneak up on Pettersen and Recari.  Given that both captains plan to play everyone today, it'll be interesting to see who the best-ball pairings are and who from the morning sits in the afternoon (my guess for Team USA is that everyone listed 2nd plus either Stanford or Kerr will sit; for Team Euro, I think the last spot is wide open after Pettersen, Matthew, and Nordqvist).

[Update 1 (8:34 am):  Here's Bill Rand on the matches and bangkokbobby with loads of video and photos.]

[Update 2 (2:23 pm):  Missed LPGA.com's great preview!]