The great Kathy Whitworth’s pairing philosophy for the inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990 was to partner players with similar personalities. That made the bulldog duo of Dottie Pepper and Cathy Gerring a no-brainer.
Leading up to the first day of competition, the two close friends decided that Gerring would tee off on the first hole at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club. Pepper had the even holes.
“She had ripped into me every day of the practice rounds, saying ‘If you leave a putt short, I’m going to kick your ass. If you lay up and you just don’t have the guts to go for it, I’m going to kick your ass,’ ” recalled Pepper with a laugh.
But on the way to the first tee for Day 1 Foursomes, the spirited Gerring looked over at Pepper with an ash grey face.
“Pards, I can’t do it,” Gerring said.
“Can’t do what?” Pepper asked.
“I can’t hit the first tee shot,” replied Gerring, who felt like she was hyperventilating.
Gerring had won three times that season on the LPGA, and she wasn’t alone when it came to the terror of the first tee.
Future LPGA Hall of Fame member Patty Sheehan had a similar talk with Rosie Jones 34 years ago.
“She and I were walking to the first tee, and I just turned to her and said, ‘Well, Rosie, you’re going to hit the first tee shot,’ ” recalled Sheehan. “She’s like, ‘Oh man, partner, really?’ I said ‘Yeah, I can’t even breathe right now.’ ”
England’s Laura Davies, who was in the first match out that Friday, was standing on the first tee with Pat Bradley when she turned to countrywoman Alison Nicholas and said, “God, I’m a bit nervous.
“Well don’t turn around now,” Nicholas advised. “Nancy Lopez is walking onto the tee.”
The way Davies remembers it, she made Nicholas hit that first tee shot. Except that’s not what happened. Davies – using a pastel pink wood – hit the first shot for Team Europe, though she apparently has blacked it out.
As for who struck the first shot in Solheim Cup history, that honor goes to Bradley, who hit a beauty down the middle for the Americans. Bradley’s partner, Lopez, has long regretted that she turned down the chance.
“To think that Nancy Lopez passed on history,” marveled Bradley, “and she has not forgotten it.”
Portrait of Team USA (top row, L-R:) Dottie Mochrie, Patty Sheehan, Pat Bradley, Nancy Lopez, and captain Kathy Whitworth, and (bottom row, L-R:) Betsy King, Cathy Gerring, Beth Daniel, and Rosie Jones posing for…
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