It's 'still too early to tell' who will make U.S. team

As the final threesome of LPGA players holed out their putts on No. 18 at Rich Harvest Farms, the cheers and whoops coming from just right of the green weren't from a gallery or the assembled media.

Nope, it was their fellow tour players cheering from their carts in a sort of preview of the camaraderie one might expect come Solheim week.

But with so many important tournaments on the horizon and a number of Cup points still to be won, there is no guarantee that the eight players in attendance Monday - including Angela Stanford, Brittany Lang and Christina Kim - will be teammates on the U.S. team come selection day.

"It's still too early to tell," U.S. captain Beth Daniel said. "We have five tournaments left, and two are majors. It's so early to tell. The bottom part of the team - we have a few here who are fighting it out to stay in the top 10."

They didn't appear to hurt their chances by making the trek to Sugar Grove fresh off the LPGA Championship in Maryland.

"The day after a major championship - we all woke up at 4 a.m. and caught a flight here - that's a big sacrifice for them, and I appreciate it," Daniel said.

But still no guarantees.

Calling them home? Might a successful Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms be just the ticket for the Chicago area to resume its rightful place as a regular stop on the LPGA Tour?

Laura Diaz sure hopes so.

"I think that would be incredible," Diaz said. "The Chicago market is a huge market, and they were great to us when we were here a couple years ago for the Kellogg-Keebler Classic."

Diaz, who was sporting a CME shirt for Monday's practice round, thinks her sponsor would be a perfect fit as a tournament sponsor.

"They would make an incredible sponsor to an event," she said. "(CME president) Terry Duffy is a huge golfer and would really love to do something with the tour, so I think that if at all possible he'll do his best to bring us back to the Chicago area."

She said it: U.S. captain Beth Daniel on Michelle Wie's chance to make the team: "She's 18th (in Solheim points) and she's played what, six tournaments? That's impressive. But she needs to prove a little more. She still has the time to do it, though."

She said it II: Morgan Pressel on what kind of player a course such as Rich Harvest Farms favors: "It favors a smart player. Not a long hitter, not a short hitter, not a straight hitter - a smart player. Someone who can think their way around the golf course."