Wednesday 16 August 2017 22:20, UK
Anna Nordqvist is hopeful of being able to play two sessions in one day at the Solheim Cup as she continues to recover from a bout of glandular fever.
The European team are reeling from the loss of the injured Suzann Pettersen, who has been forced to swap roles with assistant captain Catriona Matthew after the Norwegian aggravated a back injury at the weekend, while Nordqvist is not 100 per cent fit following her illness.
Nordqvist, the highest-ranked European player in Iowa this week, emerged as a doubt for the 15th staging of the contest at Des Moines when she was forced to pull out of the Ladies Scottish Open.
But the Swede was fit enough to play in the Ricoh Women's British Open at Kingsbarns and, although she was tired after completing 72 holes, her impressive top-seven finish cemented her as one of Annika Sorenstam's four captain's picks.
The world No 13 remains cautious over the prospects of her being able to play two matches in one day as she is still feeling the effects of the virus, but she is happy with the progress in her recovery.
"I felt it was important for me to tee it up or at least give it a try at the British Open, just to be fair to my team-mates and to kind of see where I was at," said Nordqvist. "It was definitely a bit of a struggle getting through 18 holes in the weather.
"But since then I've had a lot of rest, and the last two weeks have been a lot better, although obviously I haven't been able to do as much practice as I usually do. But I'm pretty happy where I'm at and so far I've been making it through 18 holes, and as the week goes on I can hopefully play even two matches in one day.
"So I'm happy with the process, but we'll have to stay patient, just not pushing it too hard, too quick and walking up some hills you have to take a few extra breaths because I was a little more tired than normal. It's been an interesting last few weeks but I'm definitely feeling better and I'm excited to be here."
Meanwhile, world No 2 Lexi Thompson has given cause for concern for Team USA captain Juli Inkster as she has been struck down with a virus over the last week.
Thompson was also forced to cancel her Tuesday press conference and issued a statement which read: "Unfortunately, I have been battling an illness for the past few days and am having difficulty sleeping.
"I have been advised to focus on getting some rest in order to make a full recovery. I'm looking forward to getting healthy and having an amazing Solheim week. Thank you for your support and understanding."
