Big names at Killeen as Solheim Cup countdown continues

Killeen Castle Golf Club in Dunsany has been busy over the past week with visits from leading international golfers, including Nick Faldo, who made a surprise call to the Solheim Cup venue. With six Majors and a record-breaking Ryder Cup career, as well as a total of 92 weeks as the world's number one golfer, Faldo has more recently turned his attention to nurturing the next generation of players through the Faldo Series, as well as creating a legacy of world-class golf course designs throughout the world. Faldo was in Meath to see the much-heralded golf club and Jack Nicklaus Signature Course in Dunsany, which will host next year's Solheim Cup. Graeme McDowell, winner of this year's USPGA Open at Pebble Beach, also just happened to be at Killeen Castle for some quiet practice before his battle with the Americans this week in the Ryder Cup in Wales. Also last week, Annika Sorenstam, the greatest woman golfer of all time, and 2011 Solheim Cup captain Alison Nicholas arrived as part of their ongoing preparations and planning for the biannual Europe versus USA battle which takes place at Killeen Castle in exactly 12 months' time. Sorenstam has agreed to be one of Nicholas's vice-captains. Nicholas, a feisty Yorkshire woman, is single minded in her determination to win back the trophy she lost to the Americans in Chicago in 2009. She has managed to convince Annika Sorenstam to come out of retirement to be one of her two vice-captains and mastermind the course strategy at Killeen Castle for the European team. "The knowledge, strategy and experience Annika brings to our team will be invaluable and significant in us achieving the 14½ points we need to win," she said. "She will not be playing next September but Annika's influence will be crucial; she is like our secret weapon," said Nicholas. Having walked the course for the first time, Swede Sorenstam was hugely impressed with the layout and strategy of Nicklaus's design. "We were hugely disappointed to lose in Chicago last year and we are all extremely determined that that result will not happen in year's time here at Killeen Castle. "I am humbled at Alison's confidence in me to help bring home The Solheim Cup back to Europe. I believe I can help with the strategy of the course set up and, from my past experience and the way I approached it, especially with the younger players," Sorenstam said.