A Head Scratcher

SUGAR GROVE, Ill.-- It's still tough not to question Beth Daniel's decision to bench two of her best players, Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster in the morning fourball. Especially 23-year-old Creamer, who went 2-0 on Friday, is the fourth-ranked player in the world, and had expressed great desire to play all five sessions.Â

Obviously, the "rest" these players were supposed to get by sitting out the day's first session hasn't helped. Creamer and Inkster were on fire after yesterday afternoon's foursomes, in which they teamed to beat Catriona Matthew and Janice Moodie 2&1. But in this afternoon's repeat performance, they can't seem to turn the heat back on. They've bogeyed four out of 11 holes and are currently 3-down to Sophie Gustafson and Janice Moodie. Creamer's putter has been particularly cold.

Perhaps Daniel should have made an exception to her strict "no player plays five times" rule when it came to Creamer. The girl has made it clear she thrives on playing every match and likes to keep her momentum going.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

In the other three Saturday afternoon matches, the U.S. leads one and is down in two. Perhaps Europe will get that desperately needed two-point lead going into Sunday's singles after all. (For live scores, click here.)

--Stina Sternberg Â