Tag: Solheim Cup

Nine 2023 Solheim Cup players have a winning record (and six are European)

If you look at past records, the advantage at the 2023 Solheim Cup lies with the home side Europeans.

CASARES, Spain — Who are the favorites at the 2023 Solheim Cup?

The gambling experts in Las Vegas currently have the host Europeans as the favorites at -115, but it’s a close bet with the Americans at +100. A tie is currently +950.

The Rolex world ranking gives the U.S. side a slight advantage as all 12 Americans are ranked inside the top 50. Nine Euros are inside the top 50, with two outside the top 120.

If you ask United States captain Stacy Lewis, she’ll say Suzann Petersen and her European counterparts have to be favored. After all, Team Europe has claimed the last two Cups and will be playing on home soil.

“And that’s not to doubt my team. I just think Europe is really, really strong. They have got all the momentum in this event right now,” said Lewis last month when she made her captain’s picks for the biennial event that begins on Friday at Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast. “That’s going to be our biggest thing is we are going overseas, and we don’t have the momentum on our side. And so we are going to go try to flip it.”

“We have a lot of new blood that has not experienced the last two years,” Lewis continued. “They don’t know what it’s been like, and I think that’s going to be to our advantage, as well.”

Sure, ignorance can be bliss, but the other side of that coin is a lack of high-pressure experience in a truly unique event. That could be an issue for the U.S., who fields a 12-player team this week that features five rookies.

Not only is Team Europe two-time defending champions, but of the 24 players competing, nine have winning records in the event, and six are European.

MEET THE TEAMS: USA | Europe

Best Solheim Cup captain’s picks of all time

Team Europe has made twice as many captain’s picks as the United States (and they usually deliver).

CASARES, Spain — Often debated by fans and the media, captain’s picks can make or break a national team.

Do you go for the hot hand or a player with past success in the event? What about the team room, how will a player fit in? Who can they be paired with? It’s an intriguing additional element to already exciting events.

The history of captain’s picks is different for each national team event. The Solheim Cup, for example, began in 1990 but it wasn’t until 1998 that both the Americans and Europeans used a team format of automatic qualifiers and captain’s picks to determine their 12-player rosters. Different styles have been used across the 13 matches since, but there’s been one constant: the Europeans use far more picks.

Since 1998 the Europeans have made 56 captain’s picks compared to the 27 made by the U.S. The Americans made only two captain’s picks from 1998-2021, where they took three. This year’s matches at Finca Cortesin in Spain, Sept. 22-24, mark the first U.S. team to use six captain’s picks, whereas their European counterparts began making six captain’s picks in 2021.

That got us thinking, who have been some of the better selections over the years, and how crucial a role have they played?

Lost and found: Danielle Kang now has two sets of clubs at 2023 Solheim Cup after travel issues

Kang’s original set arrived in time for Wednesday’s practice round in Spain.

CASARES, Spain — Danielle Kang went from having zero sets of golf clubs to two sets at the 2023 Solheim Cup.

After two days of practice at Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast, the 30-year-old still didn’t have her golf clubs, but on Tuesday she addressed how her putter made the trip because she packs it separately in a rifle case so that it doesn’t get bent.

On Wednesday morning, U.S. captain Stacy Lewis shared on social media that not one, but two sets of clubs had arrived for Kang, who is set to make her fourth appearance for the Americans this week.

MORE: Get to know Team USA at the Solheim Cup

Kang plays Titleist clubs, but the folks at Ping who are on-site put together a set for her on Tuesday so she could play during the morning practice round. Titleist shipped a second set that was scheduled to arrive late Tuesday night.

Regarding the use of a rifle case for storing and traveling with her putter, Kang said she took an idea to famed club designer Scotty Cameron and then watched excitedly as it came to life. Together they made three different molds to safely hold the club.

“My putter is a different model, so we don’t have the bending machine for it,” Kang said on Tuesday in Spain. “It bends a lot during travel, so I put it in a separate case to travel with because I don’t have the means to get my putter checked every week. And, yes, the clubs do get bent on the plane and, yes, they matter, to all the people wondering.”

Kang, for the record, ranks second on tour in putts per green in regulation. Cameron stamped “DK Special” on the bottom of their one-of-a-kind creation.

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Contributing: Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols

2023 Solheim Cup format schedule, how to watch, team rosters

Here’s everything you need to know for the week in Spain.

The 2023 Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in Andalucía, Spain, gets underway Friday morning with foursome (alternate shot) matches. In the afternoon, the United States and Europeans will face off in a fourball (best ball) session.

Two years ago, Team Europe bested Team USA on American soil at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, 15-13. Leona Maguire, making her first appearance in the biennial bash, led the way, earning 4½ points for the Europeans with a 4-0-1 record.

Maguire will once again represent Europe in Spain alongside stars like Celine Boutier, Charley Hull and Linn Grant.

Here’s everything you need to know for the 2023 Solheim Cup, starting with the format schedule.

Check out official Solheim Cup team photos and where fans can buy what players will be wearing

Check out the official Solheim Cup team photos and where fans can buy what players will be wearing this week.

The 2023 Solheim Cup teams came together on Tuesday afternoon for official photos in the courtyard entrance of the five-star Hotel Cortesin.

Team USA is outfitted for the first time in Dunning apparel, an American brand. Captain Stacy Lewis delegated most of the uniform decisions to assistant captain Morgan Pressel. With temperatures forecasted in the low- to mid-80s all week in Spain, it will likely be the warmest Cup to date on European soil.

“Dunning is truly the only brand in golf that utilizes cool mesh yarns in all of our polos and actually all of our bottoms as well,” said Mike Elliott, CEO of Dunning Golf. “So it not only does it provide maximum performance, but cooling to the body, so it truly is more comfortable.”

Team Europe, meanwhile, will be outfitted once again in Ping apparel. With this marking the first time the Cup is being contested on Spanish soil, players will wear a “Euro Stripe” print, made from a combination of red and yellow, from the Spanish flag, and European blue.

Fans can purchase the official team uniform for Suzann Pettersen’s squad here.

Team USA fans can buy Solheim team gear here.

Here’s a look at the official 2023 Solheim Cup team photos:

Here’s the story behind the ducks on the bottom of Team USA’s bags at the Solheim Cup

Team USA is honoring legends this week in Spain.

From the start of her captaincy, Stacy Lewis wanted to make sure her team had a deep understanding and appreciation of the past. The hope, of course, is that the passion so many have felt for this event for decades lives on in the next generation.

“I had Meg (Mallon) and Juli (Inkster) and that age of players – they brought that to me,” said Lewis when she was named captain. “I saw their passion for the event, and that’s what I want to convey to them, and in myself and the assistants that I do bring in, they’re going to have a passion for this event, and that’s one of the biggest things I want to do.”

To that end, there’s a yellow duck on the bottom of each player’s bag and an “88” on the back of their hats.

The “88” is in memory of Kathy Whitworth, whose 88 LPGA titles is a record that might not ever be broken. Whitworth, who died last year on Christmas Eve, captained Team USA to victory at the inaugural Solheim Cup in 1990.

2023 Solheim Cup
The 88 on the back of the Team USA hats at the 2023 Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club in Casares, Spain. (Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Solheim Cup: Photos

The yellow duck is in memory of LPGA founder Shirley Spork, who died last April. The Solheim Cup didn’t begin until 40 years after Spork helped found the tour, but she was an ardent fan, even making the trip to Scotland in 2019 at age 92.

Spork often looked for ducks when she played to her take her mind off competition. The strategy helped keep her relaxed.

Though Spork never played for Team USA, she had her own goosebump moments at places like the Old Course and Turnberry.

“That was my Solheim because at every exhibition on the first tee, they raised the American flag and played the national anthem,” said Spork back in 2019. “That was really special for me.”

Spork asked fans at the end of each session to throw shillings onto the 18th green for junior golf. It was always about growing the game for Spork.

“This event, gosh, it’s everything for our tour,” said Lewis. “It’s everything for women’s golf.”

Lexi Thompson dishes on Solheim Cup leadership role, puts 2023 struggles in the past

“Might not have been the year that I wanted, but this is this week I’m not focusing on the past,” said Thompson.

CASARES, Spain — When United States Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis made her picks for this week’s event at Finca Cortesin she didn’t shy away from addressing automatic qualifier Lexi Thompson’s struggles this season.

“There are definitely some concerns about her game, a hundred percent,” said Lewis last month. “Talking to her, though, she’s been handling all of this remarkably well. I’ve said it before, but you see her off the golf course and you would never know that she’s struggling like she is right now.”

By Thompson’s lofty standards, struggling is an understatement. Over 11 starts this season on the LPGA the 28-year-old has missed eight cuts, with three finishes of T-31, T-47 and most recently T-19 at the Kroger Queen City Championship earlier this month, where she was coming off a streak of five missed cuts. Thompson qualified for her sixth Solheim Cup, this time off her world ranking, and will be the most-tenured player for Team USA this week at the beautiful Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast. After making her debut as an 18-year-old in 2013, Thompson has earned a 6-6-7 record (1-1-3 in singles).

“She is not going to quit and she is not going to give up on the golf course, and sometimes I think that’s the most important thing in Solheim Cups and team events,” added Lewis.

“Might not have been the year that I wanted, but this is this week I’m not focusing on the past,” said Thompson during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “I’m here with my team this week and going to represent my best.”

“It’s like Justin Thomas said, any shot, any moment can change your game,” chimed in Danielle Kang, who has her own personal struggles this week.  “Can’t rely on an entire player’s career on just how she’s been playing lately, right?”

MORE SOLHEIM: Photos | Meet Team USA | Check out Finca Cortesin

Kang will make her fourth appearance for the Red, White and Blue this week, an honor she cherishes every two years when the event is hosted. Thompson agreed and noted how her No. 1 goal is to make the team. Lewis is going to rely on their passion and leadership this week as the American team rolls out five rookies to make their debut.

“I didn’t even know we had that many rookies,” admitted Kang. “Throughout the entire year for two years everyone plays their own game and competes against each other, competes against the field, but rookies or veterans or not, I think our team is really strong and they have been playing really great golf.”

Lilia Vu won two majors this season at the Chevron Championship and AIG Women’s Open. Allisen Corpuz claimed the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open. Andrea Lee won last year, Cheyenne Knight is a two-time winner on tour, and 20-year-old Rose Zhang won her professional debut earlier this year.

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a rookie or a third time on Solheim Cup,” said Kang, “they all act like their own leaders and they know how to approach their own games, and I think it’s very inspiring to see, no matter who it may be.”

“I believe that we’re all leaders in our own way,” echoed Thompson. “We come into this week and we bring a strength of ours to the whole team and the captains and assistant captains. It’s not somebody overpowering the other. It’s all about just coming together as a team.”

Modest and supportive of her teammates she may be, Thompson will be heavily relied upon this week in Spain. The stroke play form hasn’t been there this year, but the Solheim Cup poses a different question compared to weekly LPGA stops and it’s one she’s answered correctly in the past. The 11-time winner has been undefeated in two different Solheim Cups (while playing at least four matches) with a 2-0-2 showing in both 2015 and 2017.

As an amateur for Team USA, Thompson was undefeated for three consecutive years: 3-0-1 at the 2010 Curtis Cup and 3-0-0 at both the 2009 Junior Solheim Cup and 2008 Junior Ryder Cup.

This week she has another chance to do what she does best: score points for Team USA.

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Photos: 2023 Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in Spain

Here are some of the best images from the week in Andalucia.

One of the biggest events in the women’s game, the 2023 Solheim Cup, went the European way once again.

The Stacy Lewis-led United States team tied the Suzann Pettersen-led European squad at Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, on Sunday but a tie wasn’t good enough to wrest the Cup away from the Euros, who did just enough to retain it.

The U.S. squad was up 4-0 the morning matches on the first day but couldn’t hold on. In Sunday singles, each side won five matches and two were tied.

Check out some of the best photos from the 2023 Solheim Cup in Spain below:

Only one of Danielle Kang’s clubs made it to Spain for the Solheim Cup because she packs it separately in a rifle case

Titleist shipped a second set that’s scheduled to arrive late Tuesday night.

Two days into practice at the 18th Solheim Cup and Danielle Kang still doesn’t have her golf clubs. Well, technically she has one club. Kang packs her putter separately in a rifle case so that it doesn’t get bent.

But the rest of her clubs, well, they never made it to Spain. While Kang plays Titleist clubs, Ping put together a set for her on Tuesday so that she could play Finca Corestin during the morning practice round. Titleist shipped a second set that’s scheduled to arrive late Tuesday night.

One silver lining: Competition doesn’t begin until Friday.

As for that putter, Kang took an idea she had to famed club designer Scotty Cameron and then watched excitedly as that idea came to life. Together they made three different molds.

“I do travel with my putter separately, yes, in a rifle case,” said Kang on Tuesday in Spain, “because my putter is a different model, so we don’t have the bending machine for it, and it bends a lot during travel, so I put it in a separate case to travel with because I don’t have the means to get my putter checked every week and, yes, the clubs do get bent on the plane and, yes, they matter, to all the people wondering.

“So thankfully the putter didn’t get lost. But it’s OK. The other 13 are coming. It’s coming. We have faith. Stacy (Lewis) is on it. I mean, she’s putting out fires, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only one causing fire right now.”

Kang, for the record, ranks second on tour in putts per green in regulation. Cameron stamped “DK Special” on the bottom of their one-of-a-kind creation.

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Photos: Best (and worst) Solheim Cup team uniforms over the years

Take a scroll through the Solheim Cup team uniforms of the past and present.

Since the event’s debut in 1990, golf fans have seen an array of Solheim Cup uniforms.

The Americans are usually rocking some display of red, white and blue (of course with a little pink and some stars and stripes) while the Europeans are normally in blue and yellow (with their own fair share of wild accent colors). Even for the 1990s the fashion and style for some of the team uniforms is quite out there.

As the 2023 Solheim Cup in Spain approaches, take a scroll through some of the best (and worst) team uniforms in the competition’s 33-year history.