There’s still plenty of talk about who didn’t make the field in Naples, Florida.
NAPLES, Fla. — While nine players are making their debut at this week’s CME Group Tour Championship, there’s still plenty of talk about who didn’t make the field.
Throughout the season, players earn points toward the Race to CME Globe, which is used not only to determine the field at Tiburon Golf Club but also to determine what kind of status – if any – players have for the next season.
The top 60 players and ties after The Annika driven by Gainbridge event qualified for the Tour Championship, which features a $7 million purse and $2 million payout to the winner.
Stacy Lewis will captain once again in 2024 but don’t expect her to try to play at the same time.
BELLEAIR, Florida — Stacy Lewis left the door open to be a playing captain in 2023. She had a plan in place in case she automatically qualified. In the end, captainship duties took a toll on her personal game. Once she actually got to Spain and went through a Solheim Cup in that role, well, let’s just say it won’t happen in 2024.
“After experiencing Spain,” said Lewis. “I really don’t think you can captain and play.”
Lewis then proceeded to detail for reporters at The Annika what a typical day looked like for her at Finca Cortesin, noting that she had one day the entire week that she actually sat down for lunch. The rest of the time her cart driver, Megan Francella, kept handing her half of a peanut butter sandwich.
It was important for Lewis to be on the first tee for all the players because she liked it when captains did that in the past.
“Because of that, those morning matches finish and then there is basically probably about 20 or 30 minutes before the next matches are starting,” she said. “Then you finish in the evening and you have got an hour to get pairings in and then have to do media and come back and the team has eaten dinner and they want to go to bed.
“You meet with the team and it’s 9 p.m. or 9:30 p.m., and it’s oh, I get to eat dinner now.”
Captain Stacy Lewis of Team USA and Danielle Kang of Team USA plan a shot from the first tee during Day One of The Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 22, 2023 in Casares, Spain. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
On practice days, Lewis divided up the team so they could play when they wanted do. Some played early and some teed off around noon. It made for great flexibility for the players, but long days for Lewis.
“There is definitely no way to captain and play,” she reiterated.
Lewis came into The Annika off a four-week stretch at home, the longest she’s enjoyed in quite some time. She appreciated having two full weeks to hone her game, much needed after five consecutive missed cuts.
Lewis came into the week 83rd on the CME points list and likely won’t make it into next week’s CME Group Tour Championship. The former No. 1 will once again lead Team USA at the 2024 Solheim Cup Sept. 13-15 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
Lewis will play Friday’s first round alongside one of her Solheim Cup captain’s picks.
When Stacy Lewis gives her word, it means something.
Despite dedicating a massive chunk of time over the last two years to her job as captain of the American side in the Solheim Cup, Lewis has boasted in the past that she’s proud that Northwest Arkansas — where she honed her craft in college as a member of the Arkansas Razorbacks golf team — is home to an LPGA event.
So even though she’s dragging quite a bit after her team drew last weekend in Spain — meaning Team Europe got to retain the coveted trophy — Lewis is back at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship this week, keeping alive a streak that dates back to the inaugural event in 2007. It was during that magical week in this plush part of the state that she secured her first LPGA victory, pulling off the feat as an amateur as she edged out Katherine Hull, Teresa Lu and Kristy McPherson.
And while Lewis might be still licking her wounds, at least she’s doing so at a place that’s long felt like a second home. She grew up in The Woodlands, Texas, just outside Houston, and still lives there, but maintaining a strong presence in this corner of Arkansas still means plenty to the two-time major champion.
“That’s part of why I’m here. I want to keep the streak alive and support the event. Yeah, I mean, I’m running low on energy, haven’t played a whole lot of golf, so who knows what this week will be like,” Lewis said. “Just to be back and see all the people that you know, in a familiar place, and try to get my body and brain back into normal routine and what I normally do.
“That’s really what this week is about.”
Since she was leading the American side at the Solheim, Lewis’ preparation for this week’s event has been minimal. She hadn’t played a full round of golf for four weeks before taking part in the pro-am this week, and she admits she might be rusty when the action starts at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas, on Friday.
Lewis is still close with Arkansas women’s golf coach Shauna Taylor, who was an assistant with the Razorbacks in 2007 when the former captured the NCAA individual title, marking the first time it had been done in school history.
But while she’s eager to relive some distant memories this week, she’s still working through the recent pain of tying the European side after holding a large early lead at the Solheim. Even with the results, Lewis is still pleased with the way she and her team prepared for the event.
Captain Stacy Lewis of Team USA holds her daughter on the first tee on Day One of The Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 22, 2023, in Casares, Spain. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
“I guess I was proud of myself of how much I trusted the process and what we had in place. It’s very easy to second-guess yourself or you kind of get under the gun and you have to make a decision in the moment,” Lewis said. “I really trusted our process of our stats and the facts and what we held as true. Really stuck to the plan. I guess I was most proud of myself. There are some moments where you’re kind of like do I go a different direction? No. This is what we talked about, what we’ve worked on. This works. You need to stick to it.”
One thing Lewis has been mulling over is the lack of a tiebreaker, something that’s been in the rules since the event began in 1990, even though this year marked the first tie. Originally, Lewis sided with history and tradition, but she’s since changed her mind.
“They asked me about that on Sunday when we finished. At the time I was kind of torn on it, of what should you do. The more I thought about it, it’s just we put so much work into this, so much time and so much energy, to end in a tie it’s like a terrible finish. Just a blah finish,” Lewis said. “I do think there needs to be a playoff. I would do a team format. Like one of the first two days where you got to send your best two players and let them go duke it out.
“I think the event deserves that. It would be a cool way to finish on Sunday other than just a team retaining the Cup.”
Lewis will tee it up in the first round Friday alongside one of her Solheim Cup captain’s picks, Cheyenne Knight, as well as a member of the victorious European squad, Georgia Hall.
For the first time in Solheim Cup history, the 2023 matches ended in a 14-14 tie.
Stacy Lewis sat next to LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan during the Solheim Cup’s closing ceremony in Spain and the topic of a playoff came up.
For the first time in Solheim Cup history, the matches ended in a 14-14 tie. Because Europe won in 2021, they retained the cup. While members of Team Europe carried Spanish hero Carlota Ciganda around Finca Cortesin on their shoulders, Lewis’ squad had a good cry.
Captain and commish got to talking: Should the Solheim Cup institute a playoff?
“I don’t know, I mean, it obviously would be better TV,” Lewis told the media when it was over. “It would be a better experience for the fans if there was a – whether it was a team playoff or something like that, I think that would be pretty cool.
“But if you want to stick with the history of the event and history of what the men do as well, you probably stick with retaining the Cup.
“I don’t know how I feel about that either way, to be honest.”
Team Europe captain Suzann Pettersen celebrates with the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club in Casares, Spain. (Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
While this was a first for the Solheim, on two different occasions the Ryder Cup has ended in a tie. In 1969, the United States retained against Great Britain, and in 1989, Europe retained at The Belfry.
After the 2003 Presidents Cup ended in a 17-17 tie in South Africa, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els went into a sudden-death playoff to determine the winner. After three holes, it was decided between captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player that the two teams would share the Cup.
Woods called the playoff one of his most nerve-wracking experiences in golf.
“To have two guys decide the fate of the whole team in extra holes like that, I don’t think any of the sides felt comfortable with that to begin with,” said Woods 20 years ago. “It’s just part of the captains’ agreement and part of the rules of the competition.
“But we didn’t like it. It’s a team event, not an individual event. We’re here as a team together and we’d like to decide as a team together and not on an individual basis.”
Nowadays, if the Presidents Cup ends in a 15-15 tie, the two teams will share the trophy.
In the aftermath of the Solheim, players and fans weighed in on social media. Juli Inkster, a three-time captain for Team USA, said the captains should have to play for it.
In a Golfweek Twitter poll that saw 2,513 votes cast, opinions were split on the implementation of a playoff, with 51 percent voting yes, including former Solheim Cupper Brittany Lincicome.
Should the Solheim Cup institute a playoff so the whole thing can’t end in a tie?
This was a changing-of-the-guard year for Team USA.
On paper, the outlook might seem bleak. For the first time in history, the Americans have lost three Solheim Cups in a row. Scroll back a bit more, and it’s a whopping five of the last seven.
Stacy Lewis told her team they didn’t lose – it was a tie. And while the scoreboard indicated such with the first 14-14 finish in Solheim Cup history, one team celebrated on the 17th green and one team cried. The U.S. failed to accomplish what it set out to do, as Europe retained the Cup in dramatic fashion.
And yet, there’s no need to panic.
When the U.S. lost by eight points on home soil in 2013 in Colorado, it certainly felt like there needed to be a cultural shift. Enter Juli Inkster with her hard hats and lunch pails. She got rid of the hair ribbons and face paint and told her team to get to work.
Stacy Lewis came to southern Spain with a fresh-faced, hard-working team that’s naturally more reserved. They didn’t need rah-rah. They needed guidance and experience. The overprepared Lewis, stats book in hand, provided that in spades, leaving no detail to chance.
Lewis also worked hard to make sure this next generation understood what they’d become part of in Spain. From the stars and stripes on their bags to the “88” on their hats, each U.S. Solheim Cup player was a walking display of history.
Captain Lewis truly cared about more than results this week. She wanted her team to leave Spain with a deep passion for the Solheim Cup. The week represented a building block for the future.
“I mean, for me, the whole week in general feels like a win,” said Lewis. “Just where we were coming from out of Toledo to where this team is at now, it was a win, and that’s all that matters.
“I think it’s more about these girls, where they are mentally, how they felt about this. They were crying because it meant something to them, and that’s all I was trying to achieve this week.”
In less than one year, Team USA will get another chance to stop Europe’s streak at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Lewis said she won’t change much about her process going forward because it worked, and she likes the direction they’re headed.
Next time around, Lewis can build from first-time partnerships that found success in Spain, such as Nelly Korda/Allisen Corpuz (2-0 foursomes) and Lexi Thompson/Megan Khang (2-0 foursomes).
Solheim Cup team U.S. golfers Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee react during the 2023 Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in Casares on September 22, 2023. (Photo by JORGE GUERRERO / AFP)
Danielle Kang played her best golf all year in Spain and had nothing but praise for what Lewis put together.
“I know people like to decide on the process on whether we win or lose, but without Stacy’s process,” said Kang, “I think we could have gotten crushed.
“Because she gave us the best opportunity and best chance of percentages to go up against what they brought, and if we have to shoot 10 under to go up against Carlota Ciganda, we did. If we lost, that’s OK. Same thing with Linn Grant, same thing with Maja Stark. She put us up together with the probabilities and gave us the best chance to go up against them.”
Which brings up perhaps the most important point of all: These teams have never been more evenly matched. The quality of golf on display in Spain was exceptional. Birdies or bust.
Team USA has only lost on home soil twice since the Cup began in 1990: 2013 and 2021.
Many, if not all, of the rookies on the 2023 roster will be back next year and they’ll have a number of aspects in their favor: They won’t be rookies anymore; they’ll have the support of a home crowd; and they’ll have history with their partners.
Angela Stanford, an assistant captain who has been part of Team USA since her Solheim debut in 2003, wrote on Instagram in the aftermath that learning how to win in Europe is one of the most difficult things she’s ever done. There’s a reason, she noted, that the U.S. has only won three times on foreign soil in the Solheim Cup, and it’s been 30 years since a U.S. Ryder Cup team accomplished the feat.
This was a changing-of-the-guard year for Team USA. There’s been another shift.
“I watched something special happen this week,” wrote Stanford. “Looking forward to next year and years to come for this team.”
The Solheim Cup will remain in European possession for another year.
CASARES, Spain — For the fifth time since 2002 the Solheim Cup was all square entering the final day of play, setting the stage for a grand finale on Spain’s southern coast.
After the Americans swept the first session, it’s been all Team Europe ever since as captain Suzann Pettersen’s side took eight of the next 12 points across the last three sessions to climb back into contention.
Just 12 singles matches remained in the 18th edition of the biennial bash between the Americans and Europeans, held this year at the luxurious Finca Cortesin. When past Solheim Cups had been tied entering Sunday, both the U.S. and Europe had each claimed the Cup twice.
The U.S. and Europe each won five matches and two were tied as the event ended in a 14-14 tie, meaning the Cup would be retained by Europe for another year. Here’s a breakdown of each of the 12 Sunday singles matches at the 2023 Solheim Cup.
The U.S. and Europe are all tied at 8-8 with just 12 singles matches to go.
CASARES, Spain — After two days of play just 12 matches separate the champions from the heartbroken.
The final day of play at the 2023 Solheim Cup on Spain’s southern coast features the Americans and Europeans all tied at 8-8 for the fifth time since 2002 when the current format was implemented. Team Europe squared the biennial bash against the U.S. thanks to a second consecutive 3-1 session win in afternoon fourballs on Saturday.
Both U.S. captain Stacy Lewis and European captain Suzann Pettersen have made their selections for Sunday singles, which have produced some must-watch matches you won’t want to miss.
Miss the Solheim Cup action on Saturday? We’ve got you covered.
CASARES, Spain — Is it Sunday yet?
Some incredible golf was played in both foursomes and fourball sessions on Saturday at the 2023 Solheim Cup at the luxurious Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast, setting up for what should be a thrilling finale. After an enticing two days of play the 18th matches between the Americans and Europeans are all tied at 8-8.
Both teams came away with two points after a halved session in the morning foursomes, but in the afternoon the Europeans showed their fourball dominance once again with a second consecutive 3-1 session win at the expense of the Americans.
From future stars shining bright to a strategy battle between opposing captains, here are five things we learned from the second day of play at the 2023 Solheim Cup in Spain.
The Europeans carried the momentum into Saturday morning as they halved the session with the Americans.
CASARES, Spain — After a lively morning foursomes session at the 2023 Solheim Cup the pairings are set as both captains have made their picks for afternoon fourballs.
U.S. captain Stacy Lewis stayed true to her word that no player would play all five matches as she has once again rotated her lineup to include all 12 players on Day 2 at Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast.
Meanwhile European captain Suzann Pettersen has once again sat a player for both sessions in the same day as Gemma Drybrugh will be well rested for Sunday singles after the Scot wasn’t selected once again. Meanwhile, Caroline Hedwall will make her first appearance this week for Team Europe alongside the Blue-and-Yellow’s playing assistant captain, Anna Nordqvist.
Europe just barely leads the U.S. in all-time fourball play, 54-51-22.
Check out the four matches and pairings, as well as the eight players who will ride the pine pony for the fourth session of matches at the 2023 Solheim Cup. (Note: Spain is six hours ahead of Eastern Time in the U.S.)
U.S. captain Stacy Lewis and European captain Suzann Pettersen announced their pairings for the third session of the 2023 Solheim Cup at the luxurious Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast, and on paper it’s advantage Americans.
Check out the four matches and pairings, as well as the eight players who will ride the pine pony for the third session of matches at the 2023 Solheim Cup on Saturday morning. (Note: Spain is six hours ahead of Eastern Time in the U.S.)
Live coverage is on TV on Golf Channel and streaming on Peacock starting at 2 a.m. ET Friday until 1 p.m. ET.
