Miss the Solheim Cup action on Friday? We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know.
CASARES, Spain — There’s a difference between good matches and close matches.
The early portion of Friday afternoon’s fourball session at the 2023 Solheim Cup was decidedly full of the latter as warm temperatures and high winds sped up the greens at Finca Cortesin, which seemed to perplex players. Then a switch was flipped early on the back nine.
The Europeans made their move and put blue across the leaderboard for nearly an hour before the Americans responded in kind. In the end the continental All-Stars took the session, 3-1, and cut into the American lead. The U.S. will hold a 5-3 advantage entering Saturday morning’s foursomes matches.
From rookie success to history made and some crazy fan support, here are five things we learned from the first day of play at the 2023 Solheim Cup.
The youngest captain in U.S. history, Stacy Lewis is looking like a genius early on at the Solheim Cup.
Stacy Lewis begins the 18th Solheim Cup looking like a genius. Team USA dominated the Friday morning session in Spain, sweeping foursomes for the first time in history. Europe led only four holes the entire session.
“I think everyone that paired together had really good chemistry,” said Nelly Korda of the 4-0 start. “Our captain, she paired us up really well.”
Korda’s partner, rookie Allisen Corpuz, drained a 6-foot putt on the final hole to fully shut out Europe and end the session.
Lewis raised plenty of eyebrows putting a struggling Lexi Thompson out first for the Americans, but the most experienced player on Team USA paired with Megan Khang to make an early statement, beating a strong rookie duo of Maja Stark and Linn Grant, 2 and 1. Stark and Grant had never lost a foursomes match together in previous competitions and begged European captain Suzann Pettersen to stay together.
Lewis said she’d heard from team helpers all week how good Thompson was hitting the ball early at Finca Cortesin. She looked at the stats put together from their practice rounds and gave Thompson the nod. She’ll go back out in the afternoon with two-time major winner Lilia Vu in fourball.
Lexi Thompson of Team USA warms up during Day One of The Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 22, 2023 in Casares, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
“It’s not the be all,” said Lewis. “There’s certainly personalities of people do or don’t want to play together, maybe it’s a golf ball issue, but analytics are a huge part of what we’re doing and it’s helped justify things to me in my head and it’s helped justify things with the players as well.”
Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight put the first point on the board, drumming a formerly successful duo of Charley Hull and Emily Pedersen, 5 and 4. The Americans were 6 up at the turn.
“We were ready to take on the day,” said Ewing, a captain’s pick Lewis has leaned on for experience.
Andrea Lee was the third American rookie to score a point in the morning, pairing with Danielle Kang, who’s like a sister to the former Stanford standout. The pair were 3 under on the day in alternate shot.
“I don’t think my heart ever pumped that fast before in my life,” said Lee of a 10-footer down the stretch that helped the U.S. defeat a decorated European partnership of Celine Boutier and Georgia Hall, 1 up.
It all added up to a shocking start for the Americans, who came to Spain having lost the past two Cups.
“It’s huge,” said assistant captain Angela Stanford. “But we have to understand it’s Friday morning. Hopefully by Sunday night we can look back and talk about the history.”
“They have won the last two, we’re on their soil, they have a great team that has a ton, a ton of experience.”
The Solheim captains aren’t shying away from the obvious in Spain.
This is the strongest team Europe has ever fielded, and with the momentum of winning the past two Solheim Cups and the advantage of a home crowd, Suzann Pettersen’s team comes in as the favorite at Finca Cortesin.
“I don’t think there’s anything to hide under a chair that if you look on paper, we have the strongest team that I’ve ever been a part of,” said Pettersen, “and that’s based on great performances over the last few years from all the players. So with good results, there’s also expectations, but these girls are so up for it, so we can’t wait.”
While the American’s average Rolex Ranking of 25 is actually lower than Europe’s 43, two of Pettersen’s captain’s picks ranked outside the top 100 – Emily Pedersen and Caroline Hedwall – are experienced Cuppers with plenty of years on the LPGA. Hedwall, in fact, went 5-0 a decade ago in Colorado.
“I think Europe’s the favorite,” said Lewis on Wednesday. “They have won the last two, we’re on their soil, they have a great team that has a ton, a ton of experience in this event. So you look at history, you know, it doesn’t bode well for us. But I love our chances. I love these rookies. I think they’re going to have a great week and hopefully surprise a lot of people.”
Both teams have been doing a lot of winning of late on the LPGA with five players on Team USA combining for seven titles in 2023. The Europeans, led by France’s Celine Boutier, have a combined five titles among three players.
“I can’t remember another time, another year, where so many Americans and Europeans were winning leading up to the Solheim Cup,” said assistant captain Angela Stanford. “I can’t remember a time where it just felt like all year long it was back and forth.”
Angel Yin of Team USA reacts during practice prior to the Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 21, 2023 in Casares, Spain. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
When asked if the team vibe felt different this year with so many considering Europe the favorite, American Angel Yin said that was the first she’d heard of it.
“I think we’re just going to kill it,” said a smiling Yin. “I mean, I haven’t heard anything other than that, other than we’re just going to kill it.”
Do they feel like underdogs?
“Honestly, I think both teams are stacked very well,” said Megan Khang. “I know – I think we have a little more rookies on our team …”
“Our rookies also have three major championships,” Nelly Korda quickly added, referring to Lilia Vu (Chevron, AIG Women’s British) and Allisen Corpuz (U.S. Women’s Open).
It’s no doubt a changing-of-the-guard year for Team USA, with so many top players making their debut. The last time the Americans went into a Cup on foreign soil off two losses was 2015 in Germany. Lexi Thompson is the only American player on this year’s team who was part of that historic comeback at St. Leon-Rot.
Juli Inkster introduced Paul Azinger’s pod system to that 2015 team, and they bought in. Lewis, however, isn’t carrying on the pod tradition, relying more instead on a new stats system backed by KPMG.
“It’s been my start point for everything,” said Lewis.” It’s not the be all. There’s certainly personalities of people do or don’t want to play together, maybe it’s a golf ball issue, but analytics are a huge part of what we’re doing and it’s helped justify things to me in my head and it’s helped justify things with the players as well.”
Pettersen, meanwhile, has been the most transparent captain to date, according to players, asking especially for input on pairings.
“I do think she’s taking communication to a whole different level within Team Europe,” said the team’s eldest player, Anna Nordqvist, “discussing with players what everyone feels comfortable with and who wants to play with who. So I feel like this week it’s been a big team effort.”
“We are enthusiastic supporters of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team and are promoting the Solheim Cup in a number of ways.”
Stacy Lewis didn’t hold back on Wednesday when asked if she thought more could’ve been done to promote the first back-to-back Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup in Europe.
“I think it was a missed opportunity for the sport of golf,” said Lewis, who said she worked hard trying to get some synergy between the organizations.
The first Solheim Cup ever contested on Spanish soil gets underway Friday at Finca Cortesin, where Team Europe looks to win three in a row. Next week, the Ryder Cup will be held in Rome for the first time.
The PGA of America gave Golfweek the following statement in response to Lewis’ comments:
“We are enthusiastic supporters of the U.S. Solheim Cup Team and are promoting the Solheim Cup in a number of ways. For starters, we are creating digital assets and collaborating with our friends at the LPGA on our social media channels. For the first time, we produced a U.S. Ryder Cup Team video in which the players and our Captain expressed their support for the Solheim Cup Team.
“We are also supporting the Solheim Cup with editorial content on PGA.com and by engaging with Solheim Cup content across PGA of America channels. Finally, our CEO Seth Waugh will be onsite in Spain to cheer on the U.S. Solheim Cup Team for all of us. While scheduling and logistics challenges precluded some other joint activations, the PGA of America will help to raise awareness in a meaningful way through our digital and social media efforts.”
The U.S. Ryder Cup Twitter account released a good luck video on Thursday at 10 a.m. with the likes of Wyndham Clark wishing luck to fellow 2023 U.S. Open winner Allisen Corpuz, and Brian Harman giving a shoutout to fellow British Open winner Lilia Vu.
The Solheim Cup has been contested in odd years since 2003. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Ryder Cup officials to cancel in 2020, the biennial men’s event opted to stay with odd years after the 2021 contest at Whistling Straits.
The Solheim Cup moves back to even years next year at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.
“I thought this could have been marketed together as two weeks in Europe, two Cups for play.”
It’s Solheim Cup week, but it’s also the eve of the Ryder Cup. There’s been so much buzz about the lead-up to Rome, that it’s been difficult for the biggest event in women’s golf to enjoy the spotlight it deserves.
Many believed that back-to-back Cups in Europe would generate more interest in the women’s game with a dramatic fortnight of team golf.
But before Judy Rankin boarded a plane for Spain last week, the legendary commentator and LPGA player lamented that media outlets hadn’t done more to promote this unique time in the game, telling Golfweek, “all I have heard about basically is the Ryder Cup.”
During her Wednesday press conference, U.S. captain Stacy Lewis was asked about what little connection there’s been between the Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. She called it a “massive missed opportunity” for golf.
“I thought this could have been marketed together as two weeks in Europe, two Cups for play,” said Lewis. “I think it was a missed opportunity for the sport of golf. I wish that, you know, people could get the sponsorship things out of their head and let’s figure out how we can work together, because this may not ever happen again of the two Cups being in the same year.”
The Solheim Cup has been contested in odd years since 2003. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing Ryder Cup officials to cancel in 2020, the biennial men’s event opted to stay with odd years after the 2021 contest at Whistling Straits.
The change gave the two Cups a chance to go back-to-back for the first time on European soil and gave golf organizations a unique opportunity to work together.
“I tried. I tried really hard, actually,” said Lewis. “I probably spent more time on it than I should have. But whether it was timing or it was too late in the process, I don’t know. I mean, to really market it correctly, like, this probably had to happen two years ago. So it’s something that going forward, I think the game of golf needs to get on the same page and do better with.”
What if, for example, last week Nelly Korda had been joined by Scottie Scheffler or Justin Thomas on NBC’s “Today” to promote the two Cups? Joint commercials promoting the two events and cross-promotion on social media platforms could’ve grown interest. The official Ryder Cup USA Twitter account has more than 300,000 followers compared to Solheim Cup Team USA’s 17,000. The gap is similar on Instagram.
Any kind of bump from the men’s game would be beneficial.
With the USGA hosting its men’s and women’s U.S. Opens in California this year, the organization once again held back-to-back media days to maximize coverage for both events. The USGA went so far as to charter a flight for the media, making it seamless to get from Los Angeles Country Club to Pebble Beach last May for championship previews.
The women’s preview day felt every bit as important as the men’s.
The United States team pose for their team picture (front L-R) Megan Khang, Lexi Thompson, Stacy Lewis (captain), Danielle Kang Ally Ewing and (back row L-R) Lilia Vu, Allisen Corpuz, Rose Zhang, Jennifer Kupcho, Nelly Korda, Alison Lee, Angel Yin, Cheyenne Knight during the official photo-call prior to The Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin Golf Club on September 19, 2023 in Casares, Spain. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
With the Solheim Cup moving to even years again in 2024, this kind of opportunity isn’t likely to come around again. Lewis really liked the potential that came with having the events in the same year.
But if 2023 is any indication, this likely would hurt the Solheim Cup in the long run, given the lack of connection between the events and how much Ryder Cup news largely overshadows.
With so much of the golf world already focused on storylines in Rome, imagine what Monday will look like once the Solheim Cup has finished. How many will still be talking about what happened at Finca Cortesin?
“Think what a big deal these two weeks are and the first week I won’t say has been ignored,” said Rankin, “but almost.”
“Somebody missed the proverbial boat, and whoever somebody is, I hope I never hear again ‘for the good of the game.’ ”
“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?”
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.
Stacy Lewis, Lexi Thompson and more answered a handful of questions in a wide-ranging Q&A with Rolex.
Every two years one week in particular is circled on the calendar for women’s professional golfers, and we’re now just a handful of days away.
In a little more than a week 12 of the best players from both Europe and the United States will square off in the latest edition of the Solheim Cup as the Americans look to reclaim the Cup after a two-match skid in the last two playings of the biennial bash.
Ahead of the 18th Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin in Spain, five players – three on Team Europe and two from Team USA – participated in a wide-ranging Q&A through a partnership with Rolex that covered their excitement for this year’s event, what they’d tell a younger version of themselves and more.
SPRINGFIELD, N.J. — Stacy Lewis didn’t want to pile on to the craziness that followed Rose Zhang’s breakout victory earlier this month, but the U.S. Solheim Cup captain had one request for the rookie this week: She needed her to try on clothes.
Lewis was eyeing Zhang for the 2024 Solheim Cup team, knowing that she’d need to win on the LPGA to be eligible for this year’s event in Spain. Needless to say, she’s following Zhang a little more closely now.
“I’d love for her to make it on her own,” said Lewis, “and take the decision out of my hands.”
Zhang, 20, makes her major debut as a professional at this week’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and comes to Baltusrol hot off a slate of final exams at Stanford. The computer science class that’s been giving her fits all quarter was the toughest.
“Once I came back, I just felt all the – I don’t know, I was stressed about it, but at the same time, I wasn’t stressed because I honestly couldn’t care at that point about what my grades were,” Zhang told a packed press conference area on the eve of the championship.
“As long as I passed the class, as long as I completed what I needed to, I was pretty much done with sophomore year.”
Rose Zhang of the United States walks with her caddie up the 18th hole during a practice round prior to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club on June 21, 2023, in Springfield, New Jersey. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Zhang won the Mizuho Americas Open earlier this month in her professional debut, becoming the first player to win an LPGA event in her pro start since Beverly Hanson in 1951. It’s been a whirlwind since, with Zhang embarking on a media tour in New York City before heading back to Palo Alto where her non-golf friends helped keep life in perspective.
“Once I got back on campus, all my friends were like, ‘Yo, congrats,’ ” said Zhang. “After that, we spent time just talking about random things and how they have been surviving campus life.”
The first time Lewis captained Zhang was a couple years ago at the Spirit International in Texas. Zhang shot 10 under that week to win the individual title.
“And if you had watched her play,” said Lewis, “you’d probably say she played bad. It was very impressive with her demeanor and the way she carries herself.”
After Zhang met with media in the flash area, she headed over to Golf Channel’s onsite set where she humbly declared that her goal this week was to make the cut. She said something similar at Mizuho. Before leaving the set, she made sure to compliment analysts Amanda Blumenherst and Paige Mackenzie on their playing careers.
In the days leading up to the KPMG, Zhang spent time at home playing with her 2 ½-year-old niece, who has no idea, of course, that her aunt now has a grown-up job and is a rising star in women’s sport.
The biggest adjustment, so far, she said would be that she hasn’t been able to work on her game as much as she did as an amateur. Zhang’s daily grind at Stanford was legendary.
“I feel like as an amateur, you take it for granted,” she said, “where you can just be out on the range, no one is talking to you. You can hit balls for like four hours. You can chip, putt, do whatever you need to.
“But I can’t really do that anymore.”
Few in the game know what it’s like to play under the microscope at a young age more than Lydia Ko, though the Kiwi’s path to the LPGA was decidedly different, winning on the tour as an amateur at the age of 15 and turning professional at 16 – by then a two-time winner on the LPGA.
“I think you guys like to talk about first this, last this, this-this,” Ko told the media. “There’s always titles.”
The 26-year-old 19-time LPGA winner noted that she and Zhang are really not that far apart in age – six years – though she wonders if people think she’s 35 by now.
“She’s a very special player,” said Ko. “I don’t think you need me to say she’s special … her accolades and everything speak for itself.”
“We’ve already got plans to make this so much bigger and better.”
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — As the sun magnificently lit up The Club at Carlton Woods for Saturday’s third round of the LPGA’s Chevron Championship, adding a hue of green that previously hadn’t been seen by TV audiences, the biggest concern tournament organizers faced was an overload of patrons waiting for the shuttle bus at a nearby park-and-ride.
Too many fans. That was the biggest takeaway after the first few rounds of play after the event moved from sacred ground in California to its new Texas home.
Steve Salzman, the general manager and chief operating officer of the club, knew many were sensitive and sentimental about the move away from Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage after 51 years. So he knew to give players a reason to keep circling the date, tournament organizers would need to dig deep into a bag of Texas hospitality.
The reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Stipends of $5,000 were added for players who missed the cut, marking the first time in the tournament’s history that was offered. Players received courtesy cars for the week, with returning champs rolling around town in Bentleys and Rolls-Royces.
Patty Tavatanakit picks up her ball after finishing the 18th hole during the second round of the 2023 Chevron Championship. (Photo: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports)
And those are just some of the perks the new partnership between Carlton Woods and Chevron has cooked up. LPGA players often aren’t given an option when it comes to practice balls, meaning they often have a different feel on the range. Salzman and his staff reached out to ball manufacturers and while some did provide extra balls for the range, a few did not.
“That didn’t sit really well with us,” he said. “So we contacted all the ball manufacturers to get balls. Most of the big ones came through, but there were a few that didn’t, so we dug into our own stock and made sure that was the case, so that they can practice with the balls that they play with. And I think that’s the first time that’s ever been done. The gals are walking up there and seeing their balls in boxes and they’re really happy.”
Players noticed
Many said the LPGA pros were excited about the new roots the event put down, even though it was painful to move away from the Coachella Valley. Brittany Lincicome, for example, was impressed with the treatment the players received.
“It’s been spectacular. From when we got here, picked up at the airport on Sunday, the Past Champions Dinner on Monday was spectacular, getting my Bentley on Tuesday, just the golf course even, too,” said Lincicome, who won the event twice, in 2009 and again in 2015. “You walk up to the range where the practice facility I’d probably practice more if I had that practice facility. I’m so jealous.
“But the golf course is perfect. It’s so beautiful. … it’s a long-hitter’s course. It’s narrow. There’s a lot of water and trouble. You really kind of have to work your way around the course, don’t short-side yourself. That’s where you’re going to be in big trouble.”
In terms of the practice range, Salzman said the organizers of the Chevron wanted to borrow ideas from perhaps the world’s most well-respected tournament, the Masters, even using the same technology on the range as those seen at Augusta National.
“This is the first time Toptracer Range has ever been at an LPGA event,” Salzman explained. “That package here was at the Masters and as soon as the Masters was done, we got it on a semi and they brought it here to set it up. First time in the history of the LPGA that arranged product has been available.”
Korda: ‘Crowds were amazing’
So most everything went well during the initial move, aside from some lengthy lines at the shuttle bus stop. Even the historic jump into the lake off 18 for winner Lilia Vu went off without a hitch. Fans were treated to a captivating playoff as Vu edged Angel Yin on the first hole. Nelly Korda was third after she buried a long eagle putt on the 18th hole to get within a shot of the playoff.
“The crowds were amazing. The crowds that we have gotten and followed my group were really great. They’re treating us really well. I like the golf course, too,” Korda said. “It’s challenging. I think the difference between Palm Springs that we played for so long and this golf course is that there’s just more water. It’s a little bit more wide open, let’s say, off the tee, but there are a lot of trees, so you kind of have to play within. The greens are pretty tough, as well. I would say Palm Springs is a little tighter off the tee, but they’re both really great golf courses, and I’ve heard, I’m not sure if this is true, that they’re going to be redoing the greens for next year, so we’ll see.”
“Chevron put together a player advisory group, just they wanted to know what was important to us to make the championship special,” said Stacy Lewis, who is a product of The Woodlands. “There’s obviously a lot of traditions with this event, and what was the traditions that were most important to us. They asked current players, they asked retired players, they asked everybody.
Lilia Vu holds the trophy after winning the 2023 Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. (Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
“Chevron crushed it. You see it with the trophy. Dinah’s Place on 18. Everything was about Dinah this week, and that’s what we tried to tell them over and over again is what was important.”
Fans also got an enhanced experience as just behind the ninth green sat an impressive structure named the Inspiration Dome, half of which housed a virtual reality experience sponsored by Accenture tapping into the life of an LPGA pro.
Among those who took part in the exhibit was LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan.
LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan engages herself in the Putt Like A Lady virtual reality experience during the final round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
It was all part of a plan to make a splash in the first year of the event. Salzman understood the tradition the tournament built and wanted to stay true to the roots, but he said organizers were also shooting to make this an even larger spectacle, and insisted the plans for the future are to go even bigger.
“If the players need something, they get it. If they want it, they get it,” he said. “There are so many things about an event like this that I’ve heard, ‘Well, they don’t expect this or they typically don’t get that.’ But I ask, but they’d like it, right? Then let’s get it. I’ve already heard this is incomparable to anything they’ve experienced and I’m thinking, ‘Oh boy, then I’m really going to blow them away next year.’
“We’ve already got plans to make this so much bigger and better.”
“Someone asked me if it is more pressure, and I don’t think so.”
THE WOODLANDS, Texas — Gene Knight was headed to the range one day at The Woodlands Country Club when his wife said, “You’re not leaving here without a kid.” After Jayna handed him daughter Cheyenne, Gene set her up with a cut-down hybrid and the promise of $1 for every ball she hit past the 100-yard marker. Gene lost $10 pretty quick that day.
He couldn’t have known then that 26-year-old Cheyenne would grow up to not only win her first LPGA title in Texas, but contend in her first major championship back home in The Woodlands, where the Chevron Championship is being staged at The Club at Carlton Woods for the first time.
Knight’s 3-under 69 on a muddy day in Texas puts her 4 under for the tournament and three shots back of leader Lilia Vu. Tournament officials gave Knight 10 tickets for the week, and she asked friends for about 15 more. After such a strong start, a request for more might be in order as she’s poised to contend in a major for the first time.
“Someone asked me if it is more pressure, and I don’t think so,” she said of playing in her former hometown.
“They’re going to love and support me no matter what. I think it’s just being comfortable just seeing familiar faces and trying to give them some water on the golf course, so they don’t pass out.”
Boyfriend Easton Stick, a back-up quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers will be in the gallery supporting. Knight met Stick at the Palos Verdes Championship last year when he played in the pro-am.
Knight grew up about 2 miles down the road from the Nicklaus Course on the second hole of the Palmer Course. She played the Nicklaus Course with family friends a time or two but was too young to remember much about it.
“I would play from the red tees,” she said, “and we would be here for snacks or running in the bunkers.”
Cheyenne Knight plays her second shot on the first hole during the second round of the 2023 Chevron Championship at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Stacy Lewis was the local legend when Knight was a kid. Lewis graduated from the local high school and went on to become the No. 1 player in the world.
In 2003, Lewis’ high school team had 30 girls on it. It was the same for Knight, who said there were A and B teams for the girls as well as a JV team her freshman year. The boys B team at the Woodlands, in fact, was so good when Knight was a freshman that they won the state title.
“I actually have a signed flag from when (Lewis) won in Mobile,” said Knight.
This week, Lewis, a 13-time LPGA winner, including two majors, is staying at her childhood home about three and a half miles from the Nicklaus Course. The 2023 and 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup captain opened with a 73 and is hovering around the cut line.
“It’s something that definitely growing up here I thought would never happen,” said Lewis, “to bring a championship like this to The Woodlands. But it’s been awesome. There’s so many people walking around, so many people that I know.”
After her freshman year, the Knights moved to Aledo, Texas, just west of Fort Worth. That’s where her golf career really blossomed with a golf scholarship to Alabama. In 2019, at age 22, Knight won her first LPGA title at the Volunteers of America Classic, 65 miles from Aledo.
With her parents now building a house back in The Woodlands area, Knight will be forced to move out, and recently bought a townhome in Fort Worth about a mile and a half from where she practices at Shady Oaks.
“It’s an off-week thing,” said Knight as she signed electronic mortgage documents after Tuesday’s pro-am round, “just buying a house because there’s no time to do it.”
Cheyenne Knight poses with the trophy after winning the Volunteers of America Classic golf tournament at the Old American Golf Club on October 6, 2019 in The Colony, Texas. (Photo by Chuck Burton/Getty Images)
Knight never had the chance to attend an LPGA event until she qualified for one her freshman year of college. She marvels at what a women’s major in a golf-centric place like the Woodlands might do for juniors.
Knight’s tournament career started with three-hole competitions from the middle of the fairway. Gene said first instructor, Donnie Massengale, nicknamed her “one more” because she always wanted to hit one more shot.
