In her fourth Solheim Cup, Paula Creamer understands the nature of the challenges ahead, writes JOHN O'SULLIVAN

IT’S difficult to escape the platitudes that envelop the preamble to many occasions in sport. The Solheim Cup is no different. There is still an appreciable gulf in time before a ball is struck in earnest tomorrow morning at Killeen Castle.

The players can offer only generalities as the specifics of partnerships and team selection are not for public consumption at this point. How excited are you to be excited? How happy are you to be happy? It’s a gentle verbal waltz. The players and captains are unfailingly polite, positive and friendly.

They talk about the weather, bonding, possible alignment in pairings and what the Solheim Cup means to them, from both an individual perspective and team dynamics. It’s in explaining the latter facet of the biennial match between Europe and the USA that a flavour of the upcoming contest can be gleaned: for a week every two years rivals become team-mates and the key to success lies not just in the quality of their respective golf games but an ability to gel as a team.

Paula Creamer may be only 25 years of age but she is a ‘veteran’ of three Solheim Cups. The American, affectionately known as ‘the Pink Panther’, understands the nature of the challenge on and off the course. “The big thing about this golf course and this event is your match-up and your pairings. I think we all get along so well. It’s things like Cristie (Kerr, team-mate) is saying; doing dinners, and getting everybody to become one. That is something that I’ve learnt in the past three Solheims I’ve been on,” she says.

“I love this format, I love match play, I love playing against somebody else. You’re not playing the golf course this week, you’re playing your opponent, and there is nothing better than going out and just grinding out pars to win matches, grinding out birdies.”

The body language of the American team, the smiling and laughter on the course, prompted an inquiry as to why they seemed more at ease in each other’s company than their fellow Americans and male counterparts in the Ryder Cup.

Creamer explains: “I think that you can see when we’re walking around, when we’re playing practice rounds, we have a lot of fun. It’s kind of a difficult question. I think that we’ve made it our priority to become one. Our games – we all have control over that. But becoming a team-mate and becoming a partner, there is a whole other strategy to that.

“I think that we all have the same mindset. We love representing our country, not saying that they (the European team) don’t or the men don’t, but really we do things together. We try and make dinners. We try and make time because this is such a big week for us.”

And what does Creamer, a player with an unblemished 3-0 singles record in the Solheim Cup, make of the Irish weather? She smiles: “I don’t know how many of their players went out and played, but we were all out there playing nine holes: getting used to the wind, getting used to the rain, wearing rain jackets.

“Normally we have lightning storms and we go in. So for us it’s an adjustment. But we’re all grinders. You grind it out if it’s blowing 40 miles per hour or not. It’s the Solheim Cup. We do have experience in the British Open and things like that.

“But like I said, at Solheim, you don’t even feel it’s raining. A normal practice round ... I’m not sure we’d all be out there playing in this, but we have to do it for this week. Playing in Ireland, this is my first time over here. I just can’t get over how nice the people are. They are just so supportive of all of us, and I think that’s very nice when you are coming on foreign soil.”