The European Team consists of Linn Grant, Carlota Ciganda, Anna Nordqvist, Madelene Sagstrom, Gemma Dryburgh, Emily Kristine Pedersen & Caroline Hedwall
Just as the men have the Ryder Cup between Europe & the United States, which is coming up in Rome at the end of September, so the ladies compete for the Solheim Cup, named after Karsten Solheim, the founder of the PING equipment brand.
The 18th edition of the Solheim Cup will be played from Sept. 22-24 at the magnificent hilly Finca Cortes in Golf Club near Malaga, Spain. This biennial bash between the United States and Europe began in 1990 and features the 12 best European players and the 12 best U.S. players.
Solheim Cup Team USA consists of Lilia Vu, Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Megan Kang, Jennifer Kupcho, Danielle Kang, Andrea Lee, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang & Ally Ewing
The format is identical to that of the men’s Ryder Cup. Players compete in fourballs and foursomes over the first two days, with the final day devoted to singles.
Europe are the defending cup holders, having won by 15 points to 13 in 2021. Both teams have first time captains this year: Stacy Lewis for the U.S. and Suzann Pettersen of Sweden for Europe.
Here are 10 things to know about the Solheim Cup ahead of this week’s clash:
- The U.S. has a winning record of 10-7-0 all time but since 2000, the teams have split the last 10 Solheim Cups. As with the Ryder Cup, more recent history favours the Europeans, who have won four of the last six events.
- Dame Laura Davies, an assistant captain for the European Team his week, holds the records for most cups played with 12; most matches with 46; and is tied for the most wins – 22- with Annika Sorenstam. Davies has also earned the most points with 25. The American with the most points is Christie Kerr with 21.
- The Largest margin of victory for Europe is eight points set in 2013, when they won 18-10. The largest margin for the United States is seven points set in 1990, when they won 11.5 to 4.5 (the teams played fewer matches back then).
- The United States posted the largest comeback in the history of the cup in 2015. The Europeans led 10-6 heading into the singles, but the Americans rallied to claim 8.5 of the final 12 points to reclaim the cup 14.5 to 13.5.
- The European team is attempting to win three consecutive cups for the first time ever. The Americans have won three in a row twice, from 1994-1998 and again from 2005-2009.
- Traditionally, the U.S. team has been more experienced but this year the Europeans have a substantial edge as a team. They have collectively played in 31 Solheim Cups while the U.S. team has collectively played in 17 cups. That said, the average world ranking for the American side is 24.42 compared to Europe’s 42.58.
- Given the edge in experience, it’s no surprise that Europeans are the older team as well. Five of the players on the European side are 30 years or older, with Nordqvist at 36 being the oldest player on either side. In contrast, the U.S. has only two players aged 30 and eight of their players are between 24 to 26 years of age.
- The most experienced player on the U.S. team is Lexi Thompson, who has played 19 matches across five cups. Her totals are matched by Charley Hull and Carlota Ciganda and exceeded by Anna Nordquist, who has played 27 matches across nine cups, making her the most experienced player on either side.
- Nordquist and Hull are the leading points getters for the Europeans with 15.5 and 12.5 points respectively. Thompson leads the US. with 9.5 points with Nelly Korda next with 5.5 points.
- The U.S team has five rookies while the Europeans have three rookies. The U.S. Rookies are Lilia Vu, Allison Corpuz, Rose Zhang, Cheyenne Knight and Andrea Lee. The European rookies are Maja Stark, Linn Grant and Gemma Dryburgh.
Vu actually led the U.S. qualifying table, having won two majors this year while Corpuz finished third and won a major as well.
Credits:-
Photo – LPGA/LET