Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/165363
iG1308--proof2 8/29/13 1:33 PM Page 1 CN CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN Solheim Cup Hangover For Americans, Party On For Europeans If they played the Solheim Cup in Edmonton, it s a pretty sure bet that the Europeans would win again. Swede Caroline Hedwall, 5-0 in Colorado and Norway's Suzann Pettersen, the bulldog spiritual leader of the victorious European team, played in the final group for the final round of the CN Canadian Women's Open and while they didn't win, they showed the form that contributed to Europe's 18-10 pasting of the Americans a week earlier. But as good as their golf was, what people wanted to know was how late they partied after their win. "They're still partying," joked American Brittany Lincicome. "I heard some people went to bed at 4 a.m., but that's just me." "Usually when we lose, we win the party," said Pettersen. "But this time, when we won on American soil, I definitely think we won the party." "I was a little tired on Monday Tuesday and also Wednesday," said Hedwall. "I think I needed nine hours of sleep and I was back. … I'm young though." Compare that ease and the low scores from the Europeans with two of the top Americans who played the Solheim. Stacy Lewis was nowhere to be seen Friday and actually predicted her own fate. On Thursday afternoon, after shooting a +4 74, a tired and irritable World No. 2 gave a pretty honest assessment of her golf. "I played terrible all day," said Lewis. "I didn't make any putts. I didn't hit the ball very good and the start just didn't help. … Honestly I need to get away from it right now. Probably the best thing I could do is walk away." Several hours later, she did just that and the true toll of the Solheim Cup was on full display. Lewis' teammate, Michelle Wie, also saw the pressure of the Solheim turn into physical sickness. "I am completely under the weather," said Wie, after Friday's round of 76 that left her 9-over par and heading home after only 36 holes. "Just struggling, could not get out of bed. Just felt really sick today. That's no excuse. I just didn't IMAGES CREDIT JURGEN KAMINSKI Bruce MacMillan's MasterCard Experience Bruce MacMillan called it his "MasterCard experience. It's priceless." The Royal Mayfair member now lives in Victoria, but he wanted to be involved in the 2013 CN Canadian Women's Open so he asked the caddiemaster if a good bag became available, he would fly in and volunteer his services. The good 60 SUZANN PETERSEN play well. I kind of lost it on the back nine. Didn't hit the ball really well and missed a couple of putts here and there. It adds up to a 6-over par. I'm really bummed out that I didn't play well this week. It's a great golf course and a great event. I'm completely bummed that I didn't play well at all." Compare Wie and Lewis' travails with World number 1 Inbee Park's August. "I had to do some things for sponsors, I did some charity work, I did some TV stuff, I did some media, I spent time with family," said Park, who then added, "I was just really busy." Even the victorious Europeans were feeling the strain, including the bubbly 17-year-old Charley Hull, who gained a lot of notoriety and fans for beating Paula Creamer in the singles at the Solheim and then asking Creamer for an autograph. bag he got was repeat winner Lydia Ko, who shot rounds of 65, 69, 67 and a closing 64 to win the tournament by five strokes over France's Karine Icher. But just like the Vancouver Golf Club's Brian Alexander a year before him, MacMillan found himself at the centre of the action, which was clearly out of his comfort zone. The shy, soft-spoken MacMillan, retired from a career in construction and real estate, moved to Vancouver Island three years ago but said he still considers Edmonton home. Even as he struggled with collecting his emotions and talking to the press, MacMillan knew that he was lucky to be part of something historic. "It's been unbelievable," MacMillan said. "She was calming me down. … The great takeaway … the mother-daughter relationship is unparalleled." MacMillan said Ko and mother Tina Hyon are truly a team and the calm that's created by that relationship gives Ko one of her greatest assets. MacMillan has carried the bag once before, for Pat Perez during a Canadian Tour event and MacMillan joked that there couldn't be two more different golfers, as Perez is known as one of the more volcanic players on the men's tour. "I only played one practice round on Saturday and I was pretty tired from the whole of last week," said Hull. "I've been away for like six weeks … and I've only been home for like four or five days." Hull's teammate, Karine Icher from France, also felt the fatigue. "I think it's normal. We're just human," Icher said of Wie and Lewis' fates. "Jet lag, we are in the same time zone as Denver, but just being tired from last week, … we had 36 holes to do (on Friday and Saturday). … It was a hard course and we spent a lot of time doing interviews and media and ceremonies and make-up and hair and everything." The final word goes to Wie, who found one positive out of missing the cut: "I'm going to take advantage of the two days I'm not playing, and just not leave my bed and just kind of sleep for 40 hours straight." Ko said MacMillan and Alexander were similar in that they were quiet at the start, but as they got to know her game, they became more vocal as the week went on. "The last couple of caddies, local caddies, we've kind of done club selection and stuff together, but this time I decided I wanted to make the decision so Bruce doesn't know what club I'm hitting," Ko said. "He's most of the time helping if the breeze gets up or looking at the slopes of the green." Ko said she made a conscious decision to take more ownership of her decision-making and course management. "The only different thing about the other local caddies is I was actually sharing what club to hit, and sometimes it was good and sometimes it wasn't," she said. "So I've decided I wanted to be more independent. Doing it this way, it actually helps me to learn to know my clubs better, so I think that's a really good opportunity that way." As for the soft-spoken caddy, MacMillan flew back to retired life the day after the tournament ended and his Victoria friends and family can enjoy one heck of a MasterCard priceless story." IMAGES CREDIT JURGEN KAMINSKI BY ALFIE LAU