It’s been two years of waiting, but the 2023 Solheim Cup is finally here. Two 12-player teams from the US and Europe, led by LPGA legends Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen will compete in three days of riveting competition – two days of foursome and fourball matches and a final. day of head-to-head singles matches – for the crystal trophy and the honor of winning for their respective countries.
Three Peat
The Solheim Cup has long been dominated by the United States, with the Americans holding a 10-7 record over Team Europe history, but this year the competition is closer than ever. En route to those 10 victories, the Americans successfully won three consecutive Solheim Cups twice, with consecutive victories from 1994 to 1998 and from 2005 to 2009. However, the US squad did not touching the crystal trophy since 2017, and with back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2021, the Europeans have a chance for their first ever three-peat this week. With many members returning from the two winning teams, Team Europe has all the momentum. Captain Pettersen set the European victory mark at Gleneagles in 2019, taking a 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 victory with a famous final birdie putt before announcing his retirement. Major champions Celine Boutier and Georgia Hall, competing in Spain this week, both went 4-0-0 on the year. In 2021, the European team found only its second victory on American soil, led by a 4-0-1 performance from Leona Maguire in her Solheim Cup debut. The first Irishwoman to compete in international competition, Maguire returns this year as a two-time LPGA Tour winner after victories in the 2022 LPGA Drive On Championship and the 2023 Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give. The Americans will have their work cut out for them trying to prevent the Europeans from a third consecutive Solheim Cup victory, especially on foreign soil as the US has only won three times in Europe since the start of the Cup.
Elite Eight
Although the Europeans and Americans will gain more experience, the rookies of the Solheim Cup will always be at Finca Cortesin this week. There are three rookies on the European Team and a big five on the US Team for a total of eight players making their Solheim Cup debuts this year. Gemma Dryburgh, Linn Grant and Maja Stark will wear blue and yellow for the first time this week while Allisen Corpuz, Cheyenne Knight, Andrea Lee, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang will wear red, white and blue. But don’t be fooled by their rookie status because these elite eight are some of the best and brightest on the LPGA Tour. Dryburgh, Grant and Stark all took their first Tour win in the last two seasons and have found consistent success since. The US cohort is led by former world No. 1 Vu, who recorded three wins this year, including two major wins at The Chevron Championship and the AIG Women’s Open. Americans also own another major champion in Corpuz, the 2023 US Women’s Open champ who became the Rolex First-Time Winner at Pebble Beach Golf Links in July. Knight, Lee and Zhang have found wins in the past two seasons. Although they are not feeling the pressure of competing for the coveted Solheim Cup, these eight are more than ready to face the task ahead of them this week.
Two in One
On the other side of the spectrum, no player in the field this week has more Solheim Cup experience than Anna Nordqvist. In seven appearances – the Swede hasn’t missed a Solheim Cup since 2009 – Nordqvist has scored 15.5 points for Team Europe. He has an overall record of 14-10-3, recording an unbeaten performance in the 2017 edition of the event, and has helped the Europeans to four victories in his season. With his vast experience, Nordqvist was chosen to be Pettersen’s vice captain early on and just as quickly announced his intention to become a playmaker when he qualifies. In No. 38 in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Nordqvist has quickly made the team and is sure to have an impact at every level of competition this week. A three-time major champion, Nordqvist has found some consistency on Tour after an up-and-down 2022 season. In 14 starts this year, the Swede has earned three top-10 finishes and six more top-20 results.
Young Roster
The US fielded one of the youngest teams ever and it’s not just because there are so many rookies on the roster. This year the US team combined for an average age of 25.83, just shy of the all-time record: 25.5 years set in 2019. The youngest member of the squad, and currently the youngest player in competition, it was 20-year-old Rose Zhang who shocked the world when she became the second player in history to win their professional debut at the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open. Corpuz, Megan Khang, Knight, Nelly Korda, Jennifer Kupcho, Lee, Angel Yin and Vu are all 26 years old or younger. With an average Rolex Ranking of 24.42, the US roster reads like a who’s who of Gen-Z golf talent. The oldest members of the group, Danielle Kang and Ally Ewing, can hardly be called old at only 30 years old, and the undisputed veteran of the team with five appearances and 9.5 points on his Solheim Cup resume, Lexi Thompson, just 28 years old.
Getting Swedish
Sweden is the best represented country on the European roster with four Swedes competing in Finca Cortesin this week. Nordqvist will join fellow women Caroline Hedwall, Grant and Stark in the blue and yellow of their uniforms marked by the likeness of their home country’s flag. Nordqvist’s record speaks for itself, and Ladies European Tour member Hedwall also boasts plenty of experience with four Solheim Cup appearances and an 8-6-1 record for 8.5 points. The two have matched up in previous Cups and own a 3-2-0 record throughout their partnership. On the other hand, Grant and Stark are true rookies in every sense of the word. Both are making their first Solheim Cup appearance after impressive rookie seasons in 2022 and have an LPGA win each on their resumes. After receiving immediate LPGA Tour Membership following her victory at the 2022 ISPS Handa World Invitational, Stark has quickly fallen into the LPGA’s footsteps with five top-10 results this season in 17 starts. Grant found his first win of the season at the Dana Open and has carded three more top 10s in 12 starts. With an equal balance of veterans and rising stars, this week’s European team performance will provide a neat cross-section of Swedish golf’s heritage. And with so much talent packed into these four players, this weekend will be a source of Swedish national pride for years to come.