GAINESVILLE, VIRGINIA | Is it possible for both teams at this year’s Solheim Cup to play the role of the underdog? Those involved in this weekend’s competition at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, about 35 miles west of the nation’s capital, are taking that approach.
“I think playing away, you’re always an underdog. I think that’s how we’ve always looked at it,” European team captain Suzann Pettersen said.
“I feel like, this year, we kind of have to go into it with an underdog mentality, almost like there’s nothing to lose,” said Andrea Lee, who is making her second consecutive appearance for the U.S. team.
So, who really is the underdog? (For the record, DraftKings lists the Americans as the favorite at -215, meaning that a bettor would have to wager $215 to win $100. Conversely, a $100 wager on Europe could be worth a $200 haul.)
The U.S. team includes the top two ranked players in the world, three of the top 10 and six of the top 25. Europe has just three in the top 25 but hasn’t lost grip of the cup since winning it in 2019 at Gleneagles in Scotland. The Europeans prevailed again in 2021 at Inverness in Toledo, Ohio, and retained the cup two years later with a 14-14 draw at Finca Cortesín in Spain, trimming the Americans’ series lead to 10-7-1.
“Obviously, when you look on paper, the U.S. team is very strong,” said Sweden’s Linn Grant, who is making her second appearance for Europe and went 3-2-0 last year.
Four of the American players have combined for 10 wins on the LPGA Tour this season. None of the Europeans has won, although Grant and Ireland’s Leona Maguire won once apiece on the Ladies European Tour in 2024.
“I definitely think the U.S. team is favored by quite a bit this year,” said Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist, who has been on every European team since 2009.
Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee are the only Americans who have been on a winning Solheim Cup squad, while 10 of the 12 European players have either won a Solheim Cup or earned a tie. Moreover, the European players are a combined 71-53-17 in Solheim Cup matches, and the Americans are 30-36-17.
U.S. captain Stacy Lewis said the lack of victories was a concern last year, too, when she had nine of the same players she has this time around.
“That’s the one thing we have going against us, but at some point, they’re going to win one and at some point, they’re going to get over the hump,” she said of her squad.
Last year, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda gave the Europeans a fairytale ending, beating Nelly Korda, 2 and 1, in Sunday singles to clinch the point that allowed her side to retain the cup.
Lewis noted many of her players have been on winning teams at the junior or amateur level.
“So, they know what it’s like [to win],” she said.
However, it’s been since 2017 at this level, when the Americans beat the Europeans, 16½-11½ at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa.
Last year, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda gave the Europeans a fairytale ending, beating Nelly Korda, 2 and 1, in Sunday singles to clinch the point that allowed her side to retain the cup.
“Obviously, it was amazing to finish like that in my home country with my family, my friends, a lot of home crowd watching,” said Ciganda, who capped a 4-0-0 week to lead Europe in points. “Very, very special.”
It was just the opposite for the Americans. Last year’s result left them with a bad taste in their mouths and led them to adopt the motto “Unfinished Business.”
Lewis said it came to her naturally.
“I just felt like the way things ended in Spain … like that’s it? That’s the way this thing is going to end?” she said.
Captains Suzann Pettersen (left) and Stacy Lewis will roll the dice at the Solheim Cup.
Shortly after her team was announced, Lewis presented the players T-shirts with the motto on them.
“Just to get it in their head: It’s business. We’ve got work to do,” she said.
The Solheim Cup, traditionally a biennial competition, is moving to even-numbered years to avoid conflict with the men’s Ryder Cup, which switched to odd years after the 2020 event was postponed until 2021 because of the pandemic. Both events were held last year. There was a similar switch when the 2001 Ryder Cup was postponed a year because of the terrorist attacks in the United States.
So, who could be this year’s Ciganda, who was the only player to win every match a year ago?
For the Europeans, Céline Boutier of France is their highest player in the world rankings at No. 9 and making her fourth appearance. She went 4-0-0 in 2019. Charley Hull of England is ranked No. 12, making her seventh appearance and has a 12-7-3 record. Maguire is 7-2-1 in two previous appearances and was 4-0-1 in 2021.
Somehow, the Europeans always seem to play better than their individual parts, probably giving them an edge. Even if their captain prefers the other role.
On the American side, the obvious choice is Korda, ranked No. 1 in the world and a six-time winner on the LPGA Tour this year, including a major. She’s making her fourth Solheim Cup appearance and has a 7-4-1 record. Another obvious choice for the U.S. is Lilia Vu. She’s ranked second in the world and has one LPGA win in 2024.
The sentimental choice on the U.S. side must be Thompson, who in May announced that she no longer would play a full LPGA schedule after this year. She has 11 LPGA career victories, including one major, and is making her seventh Solheim Cup appearance. Her cup record is 9-7-7, including 3-1-0 last year.
Then there is Lauren Coughlin, the 14th-ranked player in the world who broke through this year at age 31 with her first two LPGA titles. She’s making her Solheim Cup debut, and it’s in her home state. She grew up in Chesapeake (about three hours away) and went to college at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (about 90 minutes away), where she still lives. She’s the oldest player on the U.S. team.
Somehow, the Europeans always seem to play better than their individual parts, probably giving them an edge. Even if their captain prefers the other role.
“I’m very happy to kind of leave the pressure to the Americans to say they are the home favorites,” Pettersen said.