THE MODERATOR: All right, here with 2026 U.S. Solheim Cup captain Angela Stanford. You're here with your three assistants repping the USA. It's real now. How have the last few months been since we announce this exciting news in Phoenix?
ANGELA STANFORD: It's been great. It's been great doing all the things kind of behind the scenes. It did kind of hit home, kind of I don't know, just being here with all three assistants. I kind of told them, I'm looking over my shoulder for like Stacy or Pat. I'm not really used to being the captain yet. It's weird when you've been an assistant three times. There is always somebody that's going to make the decision for you.
So it kind of hit me last night at dinner when we had some of the ladies with us. It was a great team dinner. That was probably the first moment that it really kind of hit me; and in a good way.
So it's been fun. I've really enjoyed it, yeah.
Q. What's some of the early pieces that you started working on before you came here this week?
ANGELA STANFORD: So I think we're pretty close to having the bag finished. Really starting to move with the clothes. So those kind of things that are important pieces.
I've started really paying attention to stats now. We'll hopefully get some of that tied up soon and know which direction we're going with stats.
So there are some things that we've kind of been getting in order and hopefully they're going to come to an end soon to where we know, okay, we know we're moving forward with this, we're doing this with the clothing.
Yeah, it's been fun because I told somebody at home I feel like I do something every day for it, whether it's watching the players, whether it's talking to the LPGA team.
But I love it. I mean, it truly is my passion. Like doesn't feel like work. I had a hard time sleeping last night because there is like a different type of adrenaline to anything Solheim related.
Q. Has it helped maybe fill that gap a little bit now that you're not playing actively anymore? Still gives you some transition time to being out here somewhat.
ANGELA STANFORD: Oh, yeah. It's been a blessing in that regard that, one, I can give it that much time and, two, it has filled the time. I mean, I miss competing, I miss playing, but I also know I'm happy where I am.
I get to give Solheim everything I got. And so, yeah, it's been nice to kind of fill the time.
Q. Obviously you're doing this with three of your best friends, both when you were a player on Solheim Cup teams. How special is it to share this experience with those three in particular knowing how close you are to them?
ANGELA STANFORD: It's been -- well, this is the first time we've actually physically all been together, and my gut knew that it was going to be good, but it's been awesome.
Like I mean, they're hilarious. I'm pretty reserved. I wouldn't say I'm funniest person. I wouldn't say I talk a lot. And I love that I don't have to do that. Like I get to just drive the car and listen, and so it's been great.
We were sitting at lunch yesterday and I was crying laughing. So it's been good to actually see to work the way you thought it would.
Q. I know you and Paula were out quite a bit last season and even now. B-Lang just added her second and K-Mack is not out as much. Did you have to introduce players to either of them at all or did people come up and introduce themselves to them thinking they wouldn't know?
ANGELA STANFORD: I think for the most part they kind of know who they are. I think that's why it was so important for us to at least come at the ends of this year to let people see all of us together.
I think there is something in seeing a group people, seeing us all on the same page, they can tell we're having a good time. Like there is something to that. Like I can tell you until I'm blue in the face that, yeah, we're having a great time. But for people to see it and it's very natural, the team needs to see that.
I think it's been really, really good day and a half so far. Yeah, so far so good.
Q. And if you could just speak to what Paula, Brittany, and K-Mack individually bring to maybe fill some of the gaps where you felt like I needed a gap filled?
ANGELA STANFORD: Yeah, K-Mack is not scared to talk to you. K-Mack is not scared, and she's really good with numbers. I mean, like having a conversation with Pat Bradley and the numbers and how fast she can -- like we were talking about Solheim points and she just spits it out. My brain didn't even go to -- I'm still thinking about 14 and a half. She's already past that.
So I know she is -- when it comes to figuring out evens and odds and stats, she's the numbers person. Lang is so chill, so laid back, and it seems like everybody that has come across her this week is so happy to see her. She kind of gives us that chill vibe.
Paula we were determining is the fanciest of all of us. I don't know why it took us so long to figure this out, but Paula definitely brings our look up I told her to at least average. The other three of us are pretty casual with our attire I guess.
Paula is very -- she can be both. She can be funny and laid back and then she can get serious. When we're all watching golf, you kind of see her lock in. So she picks up on more than people think she does sometimes.
It's going to be fun, especially going to the Netherlands, taking her over. It's going to be fun.
Q. Talked in the beginning about Keegan. Seriously though, if you were in his position, which you're clearly not going to be, how would you make a decision like that if you were him?
ANGELA STANFORD: I just think there is so much that we don't know. Like perfect example, he played the course a ton in college. Does he feel like he can use that knowledge the best playing or does he feel like he can use that knowledge best as a captain?
Pairings. Who does he think -- if there is a spot that somebody can't be paired that maybe Keegan can be paired with them, does he pick himself for that? There are so many things behind the scenes that we don't know. If you're just looking at it he's obviously one of the best -- if you're going to pick six, he's one of the six.
I keep going back to are you going prepare as a player or as a captain? If you're going to prepare as a player, you're doing the practice rounds, getting your game ready; you're giving up some of that to your assistants, which he may be ready for. They may have already prepared for that.
Then if you decide to play you don't get to wear the headset so you're going to be playing and not knowing everything else going on that morning session or afternoon session. You see the scoreboards, but then you have to trust your assistants to make those pairings, make those changes.
If something isn't going right, do you have your plan in place and trust them enough to be like if X, Y and Z happens and I'm on the course, they have to have their pairings in I'm sure an hour after the first matches are done.
There is so much more to this that we just don't know. I believe he has to trust himself. Like that's it. Can't talk to anybody. You know, I think if he can be comfortable and trust himself in his decision, I think everybody will be happy whatever he chooses.
Q. What do you think the pressure would be like as a playing captain?
ANGELA STANFORD: Kind of gave me chills. Like because you just don't have this many opportunities. You're just wearing two hats and it's already so much pressure as a player. I've watched Pat and Stacy and the captains I played for. There is so much pressure as a captain.
It's like you're doubling up. And I mean, it would be fun to watch, but I just think he has to be really confident and trust himself.
Q. Then going back to your dinner, can you give us an idea of how many players were there and how many potential rookies were there?
ANGELA STANFORD: Oh, gosh. I didn't think about the rookies.
I can go through it pretty quickly I think. 1, 2, 3 -- I think we only had like -- 4; 4 possible rookies. We had like 12 show up.
I have to say, like I kind of sprung this on them. They got the invitations last Thursday and there were other sponsor commitments last night. I was really impressed that so many showed up and that the ones that didn't told me why for the most part. I was really impressed. They seemed to have a great time. It was fun to watch them all interact. Yeah, it was a good night.
Q. How are you looking forward to kind of carrying the mantel that Stacy brought back seems like to the team forward in your captaincy?
ANGELA STANFORD: I think, I mean, Stacy obviously did a lot of great things. I probably won't lean into the stats as much as she did. I think we definitely need them, but I'm also very old school in that numbers can guide and you numbers can tell a story, but then what you see is also extremely important.
So I think they're going to guide us. I like how she's brought some of the past into just recognize -- you know the players now need to learn some of the past of the Solheim Cup.
So I think she did last of great things to continue to build and put us on a path to keep getting better and better.
Q. Talk about the past and mentioned Pat Bradley. Obviously on site at FM; kind of her tournament out here. How cool is it for you to interact with not only a past Solheim Cuper, past Solheim Cup captain, but someone as legendary to American golf as Pat is to us on the LPGA?
ANGELA STANFORD: We had a blast talking to her. The four of us and Pat Bradley just hanging out and the Mass Golf house right here. Talked about Keegan a lot. She's so nervous for him. It was so cute. It was fun just to hear -- like just to hear her talk.
She talked about 2000 Solheim Cup and we got to walk through her room. We talked about some of the history of the LPGA. It's just so important. Like we talked about that the LPGA hasn't always had a qualifying school. Like used to you could just pay your dues and somebody would accept you.
I never knew there were two parts. They had one Q-school in the beginning of the year and another one in July. I didn't know that. So I think it's really important for the greats of our tour to be visible. I kind of wish we could figure out how we could get more of them to tournaments.
I feel like I have a pretty good idea of our history, but I learned a lot today. So I love any time I get to talk to Pat Bradley, and I love that she's here and wants to be involved. Hopefully get more veterans to come out.
Q. I'm going to change subject a little bit. Earlier this week you got a nice first. You got to head to Queens and go to the U.S. Open tennis thanks to our friends at Rolex. What was that experience like?
ANGELA STANFORD: That was awesome. Rolex was nice enough to invite me. That was the first time I had been to a professional tennis tournament. Everybody was really nice. I thought being in the suite and sitting kind of at the net I had the perfect seat.
Then we were allowed to go down and sit on the baseline, first row baseline, and I quite frankly was nervous. Felt like I was right in the middle of it. Felt like I was standing on the first tee with somebody teeing off.
I'm like I got get out of here. I'm so nervous. It was intention. You honestly felt like you were in it. It was so cool. To see the different angles, that's the one part I love about tennis, how you can move somebody around. It was fun watching the players kind of move and like why they were hitting it to whether it was their backhand or forehand.
It was a once in a lifetime memorable experience that so grateful I got to be a part of.
Q. And then you're here wearing the USA hat now. Come Thursday that halt gets swapped out and you are going to be on the golf course. Spending time with ESPN+. How has this been working on in this year and seeing yet another side of this job?
ANGELA STANFORD: I love the featured groups and what ESPN+ does. I think a really interesting part of golf is seeing the entire round. Like you get to watch them from start to finish; you get to see the ebbs and the flows of a round.
I think a lot of times you turn on golf and you're turning on the back nine and really the front nine could influence what's happened the entire day. Why is somebody playing good or why is somebody playing bad?
I really enjoy that part of it. That I get to follow them the whole round. You start off knowing okay maybe we're going to talk about this and then you can go so many different ways by how the course is playing, their mood, their body language, are they hitting it right or left.
There are so many things you can talk about from start to finish and you get to see it if you turn on ESPN+.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, captain, we appreciate your time. Have fun out there.
ANGELA STANFORD: Thank you.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports