THE MODERATOR: All right, welcome to the media center at the FM Championship. I'm joined by the three U.S. assistants this year. From left to right, Brittany Lang. Paula Creamer, and Kristy McPherson. I'm going to ask you guys a couple questions and would love to hear from all of you on your thoughts, and then I'll open up in the room here.
First things first, team dinner last night. Got the whole crew together. What was it like to have them all in the room and to hear from them?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, it was really great to have them all. The girls are all so close. It was great to see the team and be together. I think it was a nice night to kind of get the ball rolling for the Solheim.
PAULA CREAMER: It's hard to top that one. It was great because we also had all the picks were there. We all have -- now we can just kind of speak freely in the room about our plans, going through the schedule, talking to the rookies.
It was fun. And also for all of us to get back together. Those memories are just the beginning of now what we're going to be taking into the Netherlands.
KRISTY McPHERSON: I mean, I don't have a whole lot to add. It was nice to finally get to the 12. It's been a process to get to the 12. So we were missing one who is not playing this week so we had 11 of them. But it was just you finally know who is there and now we can kind of move forward with who is going to play with who and all that.
But it was just great to have them all in the same room and the weight of knowing who it's going to be. So it was just a great dinner. LPGA, they set it up nicely and had us a nice private room and we got to hang out and do our own thing.
It was a nice start to the next couple weeks that's going to get busier.
THE MODERATOR: Based on your experiences with the Solheim Cup, what do you think you're bringing individually to this team this year?
BRITTANY LANG: Well, I've played on five, which I know is not as many as this lady next to me, but I have cherished the Solheim Cups that I've played on. It is the best week.
So I think having that experience, especially with some of the rookies or any of the girls who have butterflies, I think it'll be good to calm them and bring them back down.
This is my first time to be an assistant though, so definitely going to lean on the captain, assistants, to know my role on that.
But I think with my years of experience I can bring some good discussions and comments and just to help the girls get through to calm themselves and play their game.
PAULA CREAMER: We all three of us have similar but different personalities and demeanors. You kind of attract different players on the team. Also I think it's really also cool for them to see that we've all been on the same teams, played a lot of Solheims, but we're still such good friends.
The Solheim Cup brought us all even more so together as friends and the bond and all that. I think that's really cool for them to see. Even us, we do things outside of golf too, which is nice.
So to make sure that that week, they can really take away -- we compete against each other every day. We're an individual sport. Now you have an opportunity to become 12 girls that are one. It's a neat experience for them.
KRISTY McPHERSON: I don't have a lot to add. I don't like going third. They say everything and I'm like, ditto, ditto.
No, I mean, my job is to do whatever my captain tells me to do. She tells me don't get in trouble. Like Paula and B-Lang were saying, I think it's cool we're starting to get to know the players better. We know who meshes with who and who is going to be a better fit for each group to walk with and stuff.
I just think -- I mean, I don't have the experience they have. I've only played one. But I told Stanford, we won that one. All we're going to do is win. No, I just literally -- whatever those 12 girls need, we're there to do whenever they need to help them be as prepared as possible and to be as comfortable as possible and to play the best that they can.
So we just do what we're told.
THE MODERATOR: You guys have been in this journey with Angela over the past couple years. What's it been like to see her in this role and be able to help her? Only a month away now. Has that settled? And what's the whole journey been like to this point?
You want to go first, Kristy?
KRISTY McPHERSON: It's been really cool watching Angela. She's leaned on all the other past captains, and I know from knowing her for 20 years this is the greatest honor of her whole career.
To get to be part of this journey with her is really cool. There is no one that loves the red, white, and blue more than her. No that is one more excited about Solheim Cup.
She has the biggest heart that you'll ever see. You can see that with her and you can see that with the girls. You know, she leaned into it so much. To see it come together, we all want to win, the 12 girls want to win, but we want to do it for Angela, because it's just the coolest things to be a winning captain.
PAULA CREAMER: It's definitely been an experience for sure. I never in a million years thought Angela would have my location on her phone of knowing where I am at. I can tell you that.
But it is, you know, she always has bled red, white, blue. To watch her in this element, it's unbelievable how she has given every part of her to this team, to this event, and it's a legacy that is going to keep continuing down the road of all the next captains as well.
And she holds the bar high I will say. She's just so passionate about it and she just loves her team. You'll hear her say that all the time. I love the team. I love these girls. K-Mack is 100% right. Of course we want to win as a team, but we want to win for our captain because she deserves it. She really does.
BRITTANY LANG: Yes, I second all of that, but I will say I have learned a lot watching her. She is so thorough, so prepared, dives into all the stats. She just doesn't leave anything out. I'm impressed by that, how organized she's.
But like she said, she loves the USA and these girls, and there is nobody more excited than her. If we could do it for Angela, that would be the reason.
Q. For all three of you, I think in your own games and your own Solheim Cup experiences, you've got that gritty even almost bulldog mentality where you just never give up. How critical is that to have in leadership when you're going to play an overseas Cup?
PAULA CREAMER: It's massive. You know, being confident obviously in yourself is a huge part of it. You know, it's -- we've always said Solheim brings out the best of people. It really does. I don't know, it's a magical week. There really is just nothing else that compares to it. But we are all grinders, all four of us.
I think our 12 girls know that, too. I think that that -- they ask a lot of questions, and it's really cool to see, because we do have lot of experience and we have been there.
Overseas it's a different ballgame. You know, we have won overseas as well out of those three, so that's even more important when it comes to the grittiness. I think we just kind of -- it comes out of us, too, just in our personalities. I think that rubs down onto them as well.
KRISTY McPHERSON: Same thing. I mean, we are grinders. There is not a bigger grinder than our captain. She was hoping that she could be captain one day and she wanted overseas. Most people would kind of steer a little easier to play in the United States or you have more support, whatever.
She loves the underdog mentality and knows it's tougher over there, but she asks for overseas. It's really cool and shows a lot about her and just the grind she has. But the players know that. She's played with a lot of these players on Tour and they know there is not a bigger grinder. I think that's just a good role model for them to have to know that all four of us are grinders when we played.
Going overseas, you need that. It's going to be important. Not a bigger grinder than our captain.
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, she definitely is in the right role going over there. She knows it's harder, but she's such a bulldog and she's the perfect captain to go over there and bring home the Cup with the girls.
Q. We've seen a trend in the U.S. team recently where we have had a couple older rookies. Lauren Coughlin, Sarah Schmelzel, and now we have Lindy Duncan who is 35, closer probably to ya'll age. Do you all think that the rookies being a little bit older kind of bridges that experience gap when it comes to Solheim Cup?
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, that's a really good point. We've discussed that, too, maybe not being so wide eyed because she had so much experience on Tour before they got here.
It'll still be an adjustment, but I do agree that Lindy will handle it a little bit better than maybe myself when I was early 20s, right? Because she's had so much experience and good experience. So, yeah, I do think so.
KRISTY McPHERSON: I just think it's really cool for Lindy Duncan. She's worked so hard and been through so much. We've all seen the DriveOn with her where she was close to maybe not playing, you know.
Then she decided either you go one way or the other. She decided to put in the work and be the grinder that we need. To be a 35 year old rookie on Solheim Cup, that's awesome. It just pulls at my heart strings. I wanted her here. She earned her spot here. I think she's a very mature rookie, and I think she's going to go over there and be a baller. She's going to handle it.
PAULA CREAMER: Between or two rookies we have, Auston and Lindy, those are some pretty good rookies to be on a team. With Lindy, she said it yesterday, where if you would've asked her about this couple years ago this would've been a dream and now she's living that.
I think that knowing that and I think the girls will know that watching her, too. Even though she is a rookie, that girl has been through a lot. That's enough experience that you can use in any situation.
With Auston, I mean, I don't view her as a rookie either. There is another one that asks a lot of questions, that wants to be prepared for her team. It's going to be really, really fun to watch both of them go out there and represent their country.
I'm looking forward to that so much.
Q. A bit of a fun one from me. I know you all have spent some time together, not been maybe as together as you would've liked to have been over the past couple season. What's been the most fun moment that you can share, had together as a foursome?
KRISTY McPHERSON: I don't think we've gotten to the most fun yet, which is obviously going to be in a couple weeks. We have had a lot of fun trips. For me, I mean, outside of our first dinner together, which was Chili's, outside of that --
PAULA CREAMER: Here.
KRISTY McPHERSON: Here was our first one. Going over to Amsterdam last month. Nine girls joined us over there to see the golf course, and Angela and I got to go over there. Just that trip and seeing how it would go there and how close they were already, you know, that was the best experience for me to kind of just get a feel for it and just see the girls on the golf course and see them already starting their work and knowing what they're doing.
That was just a great trip for me. All these girls have been my buds for a long time, and so just getting to hang out with them, talking with them every month on the call with them, just get to see their pretty faces on FaceTime all the time.
BRITTANY LANG: Yeah, I agree with K-Mack. We are all friends and we're not playing as much anymore, so I just think to get back together, to talk about the team, and like it's crazy that she's the captain. Where did the time go? We're kind of in charge of this which is kind of scary.
It's so fun being together and making these decisions with Angela. Just that is so fun to get back with them because we haven't seen each other as much as we used to.
PAULA CREAMER: Man, we've spent a lot of time together, Angela and I. More in the last two years than the 20 years I was on Tour, that's for sure.
There has been some beauties I would say. One of them has to be when we were on the tandem bike. I never in a million years, one, thought I would be on a tandem bike, and, two, have Angela Stanford drive me through the Netherlands. And we did win the race. Not that we're competitive, but we did win the race.
So things like that. It's amazing. And being able to go into it with the same mindset and mind frame, it's easy to bounce things off each other. You know, we like she said, have all been friends for so long and now we're competing as one together which is really cool to get four of us very competitive people trying to do the best thing we can for these girls.
You're right, it is kind of scary we're in charge. It is. I don't know if we're qualified or not. But just like or phone conversations even or it's 911 energy text or is this the -- when do we need to talk. Things that randomly happen that I will definitely cherish. This has been amazing.
Q. I was just wondering if any or all of you have your own ambitions to be a future captain of the Solheim Cup?
BRITTANY LANG: I think that would be an absolute dream come true if you ever get the honor to do that. I'm very thankful where I am sitting right now to be able to do this with Angela and the girls. But, yes, that would be amazing if that happened.
PAULA CREAMER: Without a doubt. You know, it would be an honor. It would be, you know, a role that I've always wanted to be a part of. I'm very thankful to watch the whole process of everything because there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes.
There is a lot of great Americans that can be captains, which is really cool that we have such a neat selection to be able to chose from. But, yeah, hopefully one day. That would be truly amazing.
KRISTY McPHERSON: I don't think this refers to me. I'm not a major champion so I can't be a captain. To be an assistant captain is an honor. I mean, just to have this opportunity is really cool.
But if I ever had an opportunity to be an assistant captain again, in a heartbeat I would. It's been a great journey.
But don't think I get to be the captain role. The assistant captain is pretty special for me.
BRITTANY LANG: You're our major champ.
THE MODERATOR: One last one: As you look ahead to the competition, what do you hope people say about this team when everything is all said and done in the Netherlands?
BRITTANY LANG: I was actually thinking about that the other day. I don't know why. I'm sure Angela has what she would think.
The first thing that always comes to mind for me is that they're classy, they compete, bulldog and compete but classy, right? High fives and have fun and be respectful, because that's what it's all about. It really is golf at the end of the day.
Other than that, just that they're gritty, they fight, and that they're classy. That's what I would want.
KRISTY McPHERSON: I mean, same thing. It's just that they go over there and give it all they got. Obviously we want that trophy to stay here and that's what I want them to say. We're one of those teams that have won overseas.
But, I mean, that's the ultimate goal.
But just to go do it like she said with a lot of grit, class, give it everything you have, leave it all on the table, and we keep that trophy here.
PAULA CREAMER: I mean, definitely. I believe when -- you know, Angela has her vision of what she sees of these girls. I truly believe that these 12 girls will come out stronger, better, and are going to understand how important it is to be on a team, to represent the United States for a Solheim Cup.
I think also just knowing how special it is that the Solheim family has done this for women and it's going on for so long, to keep that legacy going and moving it forward for the young girls to watch.
We want them to look and see the team and be like, I want to be them. I want to be on that team. I want to wear that red, white, and blue. The way they do it, like we said, classy. I think that's very important to represent your country well. In my eyes, if they can do that, that would be an amazing thing to take away for them.
THE MODERATOR: Awesome. Thank you so much for your time, ladies.
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