The 11th biennial Solheim Cup is currently taking place and two women affiliated with the United States team have close ties to SC Golf. One of the team's outstanding rookies, Kristy McPherson, is one of Conway South Carolina's own, and the team's captain, the legendary Beth Daniel is a Charleston native; these two ladies are making quite a name for the state in the international golf world. Both ladies handle the pressure well, with McPherson playing a fun role as a newcomer that likes to keep the team involved in team building stunts and hysterical road antics, and Daniel leads the 12 member team with the poise and confidence that is to be expected from this amazing golf pro and World Golf Hall of Fame member. Recently these ladies sat down with reporters to discuss how they first met, their golf influences, challenges to the team, and how they handle the enormous pressure of representing the United States in this competitive match play event that pits Europe's best and brightest lady stars against the finest women's players in the states. This year the ladies intend to retain a win for the United States, who also won the last cup.

While this may be the first Solheim Cup for SC Native McPherson, the young starlet is in her third year as a pro, having joined the LPGA tour just three years ago. She came in the fourth position on the U.S. team's points list as she finished as the runner up twice this year and had three top seven positions in the 2009 majors. These significant standings come after the local girl spent three years on the Duramed Features Tour and at the University of South Carolina playing as a standout member of their distinguished women's golf team. A knockout both on the links and in the beauty department, McPherson always watched future coach, Daniel, as she was starting out as a pro. Daniel equally respected a young McPherson as she was coming up and, recognizing the talent that the young star had, she pushed Furman's women's golf coach, Nick Potter, to heavily recruit McPherson to her beloved alma mater. While Potter and Daniel did not succeed in getting McPherson to Furman, the golf standout continued to rise in the rankings and improve her game each year. Today, she has gained a place on the 2009 US Team at the Solheim Cup and she recognizes all of the hard work it takes to make it to an event of this magnitude.

Discussing her thoughts on her first Solheim Cup with Alan Blondin of the Sun News, McPherson talked about how Daniel has long been one of her favorite players of the sport, and she feels privileged to have such pressure on her to perform well in the Solheim Cup. "She was always my favorite player growing up in South Carolina, so it's been really cool that my first Solheim, my favorite player is our captain," McPherson said. There is no doubt that having the same SC Golf background has forged a special bond between this rookie player and her seasoned team captain. Daniel remarked about McPherson fondly in the same interview saying, "I've known her since she was a teenager[…]. She is like one of the most fun people I've ever met in my life […]. She's keeping the team really loose." Most of McPherson's teammates also agree that McPherson has helped the team to form an immense bond through her fun games and interesting moments. In fact, the 12 member team regularly competes against one another in not only golf but also ping pong tournaments and pool.

The Solheim Cup is a renowned international women's golf competition that began in 1990 to showcase the best of women's golf in Europe and the United States. Team placement is based on a point system and McPherson joins two other rookies, Brittany Lang and Michelle Wie, to round out the U.S. 2009 Team. After learning that South Carolina native and mentor, Daniel, was to be the coach of the 2009 team, McPherson worked very hard for a year to earn a spot on the team. "Since last year when they announced Beth as the captain, it's been a huge goal of mine—my No. 1 goal this year—to play and earn my spot on the team," she says enthusiastically.

GolfSC.com is very proud of these two local girls and we will be watching the 2009 US Team heavily this year in the hopes of catching McPherson at the top of her game while mentor Daniels watches on. There is no doubt about it: coastal South Carolina and the SC Golf Communities in and around Hilton Head, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, and the wonderful areas in between are some of the best regions in which to grow up and play golf. Learn more about the fantastic Hilton Head Golf Courses, Charleston SC Golf Courses, and Myrtle Beach Golf Courses that these ladies grew up playing. GolfSC.com provides an extensive list of public and semi-private South Carolina Golf Courses throughout the best golf regions in the state, including Augusta, Columbia, Greenville and even the coastal courses near the Atlantic. Interested in Real Estate in South Carolina Golf Communities, or perhaps information on golf trip planning, we've got you covered.