Edina, Minn. ? The first time she played in the Solheim Cup, Helen Alfredsson stepped up to the No. 1 tee box and glanced over at her opponent.

It was Nancy Lopez.

“I just wanted to ask for an autograph and go home,” Alfredsson said.

Twelve years later, Alfredsson is the voice of experience, something the American and European teams can use in a Solheim Cup full of first-timers.

Granted, this is only the seventh playing of what is best described as the women’s version of the Ryder Cup. Still, the numbers speak volumes.

When the teams begin play today with four alternate-shot matches in the morning and four best-ball matches in the afternoon, 11 of 24 players six Europeans and five Americans will be getting their first taste of the Solheim Cup.

That’s the most rookies since the inaugural event, in 1990, when everyone was a first-timer.

The teams play another four alternate-shot and best-ball matches Saturday, and conclude with 12 singles matches Sunday. As defending champs, the Europeans must capture 14 of 28 points to retain the cup. The U.S. needs 141â2 points.

Europe’s youngsters Pauli Marti, Suzann Pettersen and Iben Tinning are in the lineup for the openers today. They’re leaning on players like Annika Sorenstam and Alfredsson, the 37-year-old Swede they’ve grown fond of calling “Mom” during this week of practice and parties leading to the main event.

The American rookies who play today Wendy Ward, Laura Diaz and Kelli Kuehne are looking to veteran Juli Inkster, who has taken over the role as the emotional center of the team, now that the injured Dottie Pepper is out of the lineup.

“We all have experience, we all have played some type of team competition,” said American Pat Hurst, in her third Solheim Cup. “I know when game time comes around, they are not going to play like rookies.”

Still, this is unique. It’s three days of match play a series of one-on-one and two-on-two showdowns that winners can brag about and losers must live with for the next year. Making it even more of a big event is the boost of American pride that has developed among the U.S. players in the year since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“I think it’s very personal,” Kuehne said. “You’ve got 12 Americans here, and this is our Olympics. We don’t have the opportunity to play for our country very often. There is nothing that compares to the week I’ve had so far.”

For every first-timer, the enormity of the moment hits home in different ways. Some figure they’ll recognize it when they step onto the first tee box on the opening morning; others when they hear the national anthem. Still others surely felt it at the opening ceremonies late Thursday afternoon.

For American rookie Emilee Klein, though, it came when she checked into her hotel room and saw thousands of dollars worth of gifts, clothes and other Solheim Cup paraphernalia spread out around her room.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, what happened?”‘ said Kuehne, who was there when Klein saw the haul. “We’ve been here 30 minutes, and she’s in there bawling. I’m thinking, what have we done?”

Pepper has been the player Europeans most loved to hate since a few years ago, when she said that were it not for the LPGA Tour, most of the European players would be bagging groceries.