Ladies of the Links: Solheim Cup Preview
Aug 25th 2021
The 17th Solheim Cup matches are set to take place at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio from September 4-6. The three-day event is held on a par 71 layout of 6434 yards. The first two days of the event will feature fourball and foursome matches, with twelve singles matches on the final day to determine the winner.
Team Europe won the 2019 event at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland by the score of 14 ½ to 13 ½. Suzann Pettersen drained a seven-foot putt for birdie on the last hole to seal the victory. Despite the win, the United States leads the overall event, 10 to 6. Let’s take a look at the breakdown of the two teams.
Team Europe
Emily K. Pedersen
The 25-year-old from Denmark is currently ranked 68th in the world. Although she hasn’t won an LPGA event, she has 5 victories on the Ladies European Tour (LET). After struggling in her only Solheim Cup appearance in 2017, going 0-3-0, Pedersen went winless until 2020. After the win, Pedersen notched three times and a team event over a four-month period from August through November of 2020.
Georgia Hall
A two-time Solheim Cup member, the 25-year-old from England is currently ranked 29th in the world. She has won twice on the LPGA Tour and added a third professional victory on the LET. Hall was instrumental in Europe’s win in 2019, going 4-0-0, including a win over Lexi Thompson in singles. She is entering the event playing her best golf, finishing tied for second at the AIG Women’s Open.
Anna Nordqvist
The 34-year-old from Sweden ended a three-year winless drought with her third major title at the AIG Women’s Open. Ranked 16th in the world, Nordqvist has 9 LPGA victories and 4 LET titles. A mainstay on Team Europe, Nordqvist has a 12-9-2 record over six appearances starting in 2009. This will be Nordqvist’s seventh consecutive appearance on the team, making her the senior leader.
Sophia Popov
Making her Solheim Cup debut, the 28-year-old from Germany is currently ranked 30th in the world. After winning her first title at the AIG Women’s Open last year, Popov has three top ten finishes this season. However, she isn’t playing her best golf coming in to the event, having missed five cuts in her last eight tournaments. In 2009, Popov played for Team Europe in the Junior Solheim Cup.
Charley Hull
At just 25 years of age, Hull has already played in the last four Solheim Cup matches, posting a record of 9-3-3. Her appearance in 2013 at the age of 17 made Hull the youngest to ever tee it up in the Solheim Cup. Ranked 39th in the world, Hull has one LPGA win and two LET titles. Hull posted a record of 2-0-2 in 2019 while paired with Azahara Munoz three times.
Carlota Ciganda
Ranked 41st in the world, Ciganda has played in the last four Solheim Cup matches. After posting a 3-0-0 record in the 2013 matches, Ciganda has gone only 3-6-4 since then. Ciganda is one of the longest off the tee among all participants in this year’s Solheim cup. Despite the length, Ciganda has struggled this season, with only one top ten finish in 17 starts. She has 4 LPGA and 2 LET victories in her career.
Leona Maguire
Still looking for her first victory on the LPGA Tour and LET, the 26-year-old from Ireland is becoming one of the best all-around players on tour after finishing tied for 13th at the AIG Women’s Open. Ranked 43rd in the world, Maguire is one of six picks by European captain Catriona Matthew. Maguire enters the Solheim Cup having finished in the top 15 in each of her last seven events.
Madelene Sagstrom
Sagstrom made her first Solheim Cup appearance in 2017, winning her singles’ match after losing both of her team matches. The 28-year-old from Sweden earned her first LPGA win in January 2020. Ranked 46th in the world, Sagstrom nearly earned her first major title, finishing tied for second at least week’s AIG Women’s Open. Sagstrom has a great combination of power and feel around the greens.
Matilda Castren
Before this season, Castren was a relatively unknown name outside of her native Finland. The 26-year-old won her first LPGA Tour event in June, followed by an LET event in Finland a month later. She was named to the Solheim Cup team as a wildcard pick. Ranked 47th in the world, Castren is entering the Solheim Cup with three top 20s, including a win, over her last six starts.
Nanna Koerstz Madsen
The 26-year-old from Denmark is currently ranked 48th in the world and has one career LET victory. Koerstz Madsen tied for ninth at the Olympics, and finished in the top five in both the ANA Inspiration and AIG Women’s Open. She had a chance at her first major title last week in Carnoustie before succumbing to a double-bogey on the 72nd hole. Koerstz Madsen is making her rookie appearance in the Solheim Cup.
Mel Reid
A three-time veteran of the Solheim Cup with a record of 4-6-2, the 33-year-old from England is ranked 53rd in the world. She has 1 LPGA and 6 LET victories under her belt. Reid went just 1-6-1 in matches in 2011 and 2017, but was 3-0-1 in 2015. She is a fierce competitor with the perfect demeanor for the Solheim Cup.
Celine Boutier
Making her Solheim Cup debut in 2019, Boutier went 4-0-0, going 3-0 while teamed with Georgia Hall. Despite missing the cut at the AIG Women’s Open, Boutier posted four top-10 finishes over the previous six starts. The 27-year-old from France is ranked 65th in the world and has 1 LPGA and 2 LET victories in her career.
Team USA
Nelly Korda
At just 23 years of age, the Florida native has 36 career top ten finishes and six victories. Korda qualified for the team by ranking first on the Solheim points list. Ranked number one in the world, Korda has eight top 10 finishes, including three wins this season. She won the Olympic gold medal as well as the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship. Korda made her Solheim Cup debut in 2019, posting a record of 3-0-1.
Danielle Kang
A rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2012, the 28-year-old from Las Vegas is making her third Solheim Cup appearance. She posted a combined 4-4-0 record in Solheim Cup play in 2017 and 2019. Ranked seventh in the world, Kang has 45 career top 10 finishes and 5 wins. Despite not earning a win this season, Kang has 7 top 10 finishes. Her long major win came at the 2017 Women’s PGA Championship.
Ally Ewing
Ranked 22nd in the world, the 28-year-old from Fulton, Mississippi qualified for her second consecutive Solheim Cup appearance through the points list. Ewing went 1-3-0 in the 2019 event, won by Team Europe. Ewing has 12 top 10 finishes and 3 wins in her LPGA career. Her best finish in a major is tied for 6yh and the 2019 ANA Inspiration.
Austin Ernst
The 29-year-old from Seneca, South Carolina is making her second appearance in the Solheim Cup. A rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2013, Ernst went 2-2-0 in the 2017 Solheim Cup. She is ranked 27th in the world and has 29 top ten finishes and 3 wins in her career, including 3 top ten and one win in 2021. Ernst’s best finish in a major is tie for 2nd at the 2018 Evian Championship.
Lexi Thompson
Although only 26-years-old, Thompson is a 4-time Solheim Cup veteran, posting a career record in the event of 5-4-6. A rookie back in 2012, Thompson has 74 top ten finishes and 11 victories on the LPGA Tour. Ranked 12th in the world, Thompson has four top finishes this season. She is a major champion, having won the 2014 ANA Inspiration.
Jessica Korda
Korda has been a member of the LPGA Tour since 2011 and made her first Solheim Cup appearance in 2013. The 28-year-old from Jupiter, Florida made her second appearance in 2019 and has a career record of 4-2-2 in Solheim Cup play. Ranked 17th in the world, Korda has 43 top 10 finishes and 6 wins during her LPGA career. Her best finish in a major is tie for 4th at the 2018 ANA Inspiration and Women’s PGA Championship.
Megan Khang
The 23-year-old from Rockland, Massachusetts is making her second Solheim Cup. She is looking to rebound after an 0-2-1 record in 2019. Khang was a rookie on the LPGA Tour in 2016 and has 23 top ten finishes in her career. Currently ranked 36th in the world, Khang has three top 10 finishes this season including a tie for 4th at the U.S. Women’s Open.
Lizette Salas
Salas is a veteran in Solheim Cup action, having posted a 6-6-2 record in four consecutive appearances. She qualified this year, ranked 14th in the Rolex Rankings. The 32-year-old from Azusa, California has 34 top ten finishes and one win since her rookie season in 2012. Salas has three second-place finishes in majors, including this year’s Women’s PGA Championship and AIG Women’s Open.
Jennifer Kupcho
A rookie in 2019, Kupcho already had nine top ten finishes on the LPGA Tour, including four this season. The 24-year-old from Westminster, Colorado qualified for the Solheim Cup based on the Rolex Rankings. Her best finish is a major is tie for second at the 2019 Evian Championship.
Yealimi Noh
Noh was a rookie on the LPGA Tour just a year ago and was a captain’s pick for this year’s team. The 20-year-old has already posted seven top ten finishes in her brief professional career, including three this season. The highlight of Noh’s season is a third-place finish at the 2021 Evian Championship. She is currently 31st in the Rolex Rankings.
Mina Harigae
Harigae has been a member of the LPGA Tour since 2010 and has 18 top ten finishes in her career. She’s played her best golf this season, recording four top ten finishes and a tie for 13th at the AIG Women’s Open. Harigae, who is 61st in the Rolex Rankings, is making her first appearance in the Solheim Cup as a captain’s pick.
Brittany Altomare
Altomare made her first appearance in Solheim Cup play in 2019, posting a 2-1-1 record. The 30-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts is 54th in the Rolex Ranking and has three top ten finishes this season. Since becoming a rookie in 2014, Altomare has 15 top ten finishes with a tie for 2nd at the 2017 Evian Championship.