After losing the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017, the European captains certainly felt the pain of defeat. But in that pain, they also found tenderness, an understanding that while the shots hit in the moment seem like everything, they’re really a piece of something more than the match at hand.
Zhang joins Dottie Pepper (1998) and Morgan Pressel (2011) as the only US players to ever score 4 points in a Solheim Cup. She bettered Pepper and Pressel’s record, however, by never having a match get to the 17th hole. That’s a Solheim Cup record.
LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan met with the media on Saturday, US time, to address the shuttle transportation problems from Friday that had more fans in line to get to the Solheim Cup than on the first tee – historically one of the best experiences the sport has to offer.
If the US side doesn’t win this week, the Americans could go to the Netherlands in 2026 trying to snap an almost decade-long winless streak with no players potentially having ever won a Solheim Cup.
Thompson’s impact goes beyond her 9-7-7 career record, as multiple captains lauded her for how she sets a tone for the American’s ethos with her team-first attitude.
US Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis felt the game missed a chance to promote itself with the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup being held in the same year in 2023. Her next big suggestion for the two tours to grow the game is to make the Presidents Cup a blended event.
The AIG Women’s Open concluded the 2024 Solheim Cup qualifying period for both Europe and the US, finalising 17 of the 24 players headed to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club next month.
The course in Louisville, Kentucky, is the fourth venue to have a Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup, alongside Gleneagles, Muirfield Village and The Greenbrier.
It’s early, but if the Swede happens to win she’d be eligible for Ladies European Tour membership, which would mark the third consecutive Solheim Cup where a player won tour membership to be allowed to qualify for the matches.
US Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis announced that Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, Morgan Pressel and Angela Stanford will be her four assistant captains for this year’s Solheim Cup.
Ahead of a consequential year – with not only the five majors but another Solheim Cup and the Olympics – here are five bold predictions for the season.