Albane Valenzuela is loving being part of Team Europe as she prepares to make her Solheim Cup debut.
The 26-year-old is making history this week as becomes the first player from Switzerland to play in the Solheim Cup.
It’s been something Valenzuela has dreamt of since she was a child and to now be living out those dreams is something special.
“It’s an incredible honour to be here, to be part of Team Europe,” she said. “The energy we have inside of the team room and the car rides in the morning is just incredible. It’s electric.
“We’re all really excited for the week. We know that foreign soil is never easy, but at the same time, I think it gives us extra motivation, and we’re ready for competition to start.
“This is a little girl’s dream for me. The Solheim Cup is the biggest stage in golf. It’s the most prestigious events. You have the 12 best Americans against the 12 best Europeans. There’s no better stage in golf.
“I couldn’t be more excited. It’s been hard to take the smile off my face this entire week. It’s just incredible. There’s no bigger honour, and I couldn’t be more excited for the week.”
Valenzuela knows she is about to have a week she will never forget as she makes her Solheim Cup debut at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
Playing on American soil provides a different atmosphere with the majority of the crowd rooting for the home team.
European fans may be few and far between but the Swiss star is going to use her experience from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and lap up all the European support, while playing fearlessly.
She continued: “I think you know from hearing my fellow teammates’ experiences, nothing really prepares you for a Solheim Cup unless you tee it up on the first hole, but I think I’m going to rely on those Olympic experiences.
“I think Golf National this year really brought great crowds. That 1st tee was intimidating, not an easy first shot, but also an incredible experience, electric. The crowds were unreal.
“I know this week will be a little bit different. We’ll have people rooting also against us. I know I’m relying on my teammates. I have a lot of people supporting me, and we’re going to come in super united, and you know we have all of Europe having our backs.
“The best piece of advice has been probably just to play fearless and really enjoy the week. I think that’s really something that defines European players. I see players like Anna Nordqvist, Leona Maguire, and even Carlota and Madelene standing here, and they’re all extremely aggressive and determined players.”
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