2015 Solheim Cup

The 2015 Solheim Cup was the 14th edition of the Solheim Cup matches, held 18–20 September at the St. Leon course of Golf Club St. Leon-Rot, St. Leon-Rot, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Solheim Cup is a biennial team competition between the top women professional golfers from Europe and the United States. It is a three-day match play event between teams of twelve players with a similar format to the Ryder Cup.

2015 Solheim Cup
Dates18–20 September 2015
VenueGolf Club St. Leon-Rot,
St. Leon Course
LocationSt. Leon-Rot, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Captains
13½ 14½
United States wins the Solheim Cup
Golf Club
St. Leon-Rot
Location in Germany

The United States won by a score of 14½ to 13½; the closest score in the history of the Cup.[1][2]

Course layout
Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Yards4194511674301844923473994243,3133884851582623801626024274153,2796,592
Par453435444364534435443672

Format

The Solheim Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The format is as follows:

  • Day 1 (Friday): Four foursome (alternate shot) matches in a morning session and four fourball (better ball) matches in an afternoon session. A total of eight players from each team participate in each session.
  • Day 2 (Saturday): Four foursome matches in a morning session and four fourball matches in an afternoon session. A total of eight players from each team participate in each session.
  • Day 3 (Sunday): 12 singles matches. All 12 players from each team participate.

With a total of 28 points, 14½ points are required to win the Cup, and 14 points are required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches are played to a maximum of 18 holes. If the score is even after 18 holes, each team earns one-half point.

Team qualification and selection

Eligibility criteria

The European and United States teams had different eligibility criteria:

Team Europe
Members of the European team must:

  1. be current members of the Ladies European Tour in any category or membership;
  2. have played in six Ranking Events during the Qualifying Period as a member of the LET, unless selected as a Captain's pick (provided she is otherwise eligible);
  3. must be a "European national", defined by Solheim Cup rules as someone:[3]

Either:
(i) born in a European country; and
(ii) holding a current passport of that European country;
Or:
(i) having been naturalised as a citizen of a European country;
(ii) having held a current passport of that European country for the immediately preceding four consecutive years;
(iii) having resided in that European country for the immediately preceding four consecutive years.

A European country is a nation situated in the continent of Europe and is recognised as an independent state by the United Nations.

Any player who holds dual nationality (of which one shall be the nationality of a European country) shall elect on joining the LET in each of 2013 and 2014 whether she wishes to be eligible for selection for the 2015 European Solheim Cup Team.

Team USA
Members of the United States team must be current members of the LPGA Tour and meet one of these three citizenship criteria:

  • U.S. citizens by birth, regardless of their birthplace.
  • Those who were naturalized as U.S. citizens before age 18.
  • Those who became U.S. citizens by adoption before age 13.[4]

Team selection

The European and United States teams were selected by different methods.

Team Europe
Team Europe consists of the top four players from the LET Solheim Cup standings, followed by the top four LET members on the Women's World Golf Rankings as of 24 August who were not already qualified via the Solheim Cup standings, and four captain's selections. Qualifying points for Team Europe were awarded weekly to the top-10 finishers at official LET events.[3]

Team USA
Team USA qualifies by earning points for wins and for top-20 finishes on the LPGA Tour over a two-year period. Points were earned beginning with the 2013 CN Canadian Women's Open (25 August) and concluding with the 2015 Canadian Pacific Women's Open (23 August). Points were increased in 2015 and doubled in the five major championships. The eight players with the highest points are automatically selected for Team USA. Two additional players will qualify based on their position in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings and two were selected as wildcards by the team captain from among all eligible players.[5]

Teams
Team Europe
PlayerCountryAgePoints
rank[6]		Rolex
ranking		Previous
appearances		MatchesW–L–HWinning
percentage
Carin Koch Sweden44Non-playing captain
Sophie Gustafson Sweden41Non-playing assistant captain
Maria McBride Sweden41Non-playing assistant captain
Annika Sörenstam Sweden46Non-playing assistant captain
Suzann Pettersen Norway341772914–9–658.62
Gwladys Nocera France402633105–3–260.00
Charley Hull England19345132–1–066.67
Melissa Reid England27477141–3–025.00
Anna Nordqvist Sweden285103126–5–154.17
Azahara Muñoz Spain271023284–3–156.25
Sandra Gal Germany303443130–2–116.67
Carlota Ciganda Spain25652133–0–0100.00
Catriona Matthew Scotland46185372912–9–855.17
Karine Icher France362457273–3–150.00
Caroline Masson Germany261771142–1–162.50
Caroline Hedwall Sweden2647107297–1–183.33

Age at the start of the 2015 Solheim Cup matches on 18 September 2015. Reid had her 28th birthday on the second day.
Rolex rankings as of the date of team selection on 25 August 2015.
Maria McBride played in the Solheim Cup as Maria Hjorth.

Team USA
PlayerAgePoints
rank[7]		Rolex
ranking		Previous
appearances		MatchesW–L–HWinning
percentage
Juli Inkster55Non-playing captain
Pat Hurst46Non-playing assistant captain
Nancy Lopez58Non-playing assistant captain
Wendy Ward42Non-playing assistant captain
Stacy Lewis3013282–5–131.25
Lexi Thompson2028131–2–033.33
Cristie Kerr3731473012–14–446.67
Michelle Wie254203126–5–154.17
Brittany Lincicome295134145–7–242.86
Morgan Pressel276244158–5–260.00
Angela Stanford377335173–11–326.47
Gerina Piller30838130–2–116.67
Alison Lee2015290Rookie
Lizette Salas26932130–1–233.33
Brittany Lang3010423115–4–254.55
Paula Creamer29114052312–6–563.04

Age at the start of the 2015 Solheim Cup matches on 18 September 2015. Lincicome turned 30 on 19 September.
Rolex rankings as of the date of team selection on 25 August 2015.

Day one

Friday, 18 September – Saturday, 19 September, 2015

Morning foursomes

The opening match was all square after six holes. The USA team of Pressel and Creamer then won four of the next seven holes and went on to win the match 3 & 2. The second match alternated between all-square and 1-up for the European team of Hull and Reid through 16 holes. A birdie on the 17th sealed Europe's 2 & 1 win. The USA team of Kerr and Thompson led the third match throughout, extending the lead to 4-up by the sixth hole. Three birdies in a row on holes 13-15 by the European team of Icher and Muñoz closed the gap to 1-up before the USA team birdied the 17th hole to secure a 2 & 1 win. In the fourth match, the USA team of Lewis and Salas got off to a 1-up lead after two holes but the European team of Gal and Matthew pulled ahead, winning six of the next 14 holes to the USA team's two to win the match 3 & 2.[8]

Results
Pressel/Creamer 3 & 2 Nordqvist/Pettersen
Wie/Lincicome 2 & 1 Hull/Reid
Kerr/Thompson 2 & 1 Icher/Muñoz
Lewis/Salas 3 & 2 Gal/Matthew
2 Session 2
2 Overall 2

Afternoon four-ball

Europe's Nordqvist and Hedwall led the first match from the second hole on the way to a 4 & 3 victory; The USA team of Pressel and Creamer won only one hole in the match. Europe's Hull and Nocera were never behind in their match. A run of four birdies in five holes saw them take a 4-hole lead on the 12th. They closed out the match by a 3 & 2 margin on the 16th hole having been dormie three. Play had been suspended at about 4:30 pm CET because of a thunderstorm and, although play resumed an hour later at 5:30 pm, there was not enough daylight to complete the final two matches. Play was suspended 7:47 pm and resumed the following day at 7:45 am. After resuming Melissa Reid and Lexi Thompson both had birdies on the 18th to ensure that the third match was halved. In the anchor match Gerina Piller and Brittany Lang fought from a one-hole deficit back to secure a half a point.

Results
Pressel/Creamer 4 & 3 Nordqvist/Hedwall
Lee/Stanford 3 & 2 Hull/Nocera
Kerr/Thompson halved Reid/Ciganda
Piller/Lang halved Masson/Gal
1 Session 3
3 Overall 5

Day two

Saturday, 19 – Sunday, 20 September 2015

Morning foursomes

Because of the delay the previous day, the foursomes did not start until 9:15 am. Reid and Ciganda were never behind in their match and closed it out 4 & 3 on the 15th hole. In the second match Hull and Pettersen were 4 down to Creamer and Pressel before a run of birdies from the 12th hole saw the European team make the match all-square on the 17th hole. Pettersen holed the putt for the win on the 18th. Gal and Matthew always had a lead in the third match but it became a very tight affair and Stanford and Lincicome brought them to the 18th hole with Europe 1-up. The teams halved the 18th with fours to give Europe the win. In the anchor match, the American pairing of Lewis and Piller regained a one-hole lead at the 7th hole and eventually defeated the all-Swedish duo of Nordqvist and Hedwall by a 5 & 4 margin on the 14th hole.

Results
Lee/Wie 4 & 3 Reid/Ciganda
Creamer/Pressel 1 up Hull/Pettersen
Stanford/Lincicome 1 up Gal/Matthew
Lewis/Piller 5 & 4 Nordqvist/Hedwall
1 Session 3
4 Overall 8

Afternoon four-ball

Match 4 (Lewis/Piller v. Masson/Hedwall) started before Matches 2 and 3. The table below reflects the official order. Play was suspended at 7:40 pm because of darkness and resumed on Sunday.[9]

The match between Pettersen/Hull and Lee/Lincicome generated some controversy. On the 17th green, with the match all square, Lee missed a putt to win the hole. Taking for granted that the next 18-inch putt was conceded, she picked up her ball. However, Pettersen pointed out that it was not conceded, and the Europeans won the hole. The European team captain Carin Koch and vice captain Annika Sörenstam tried to convince Pettersen to change her mind and concede the putt, but as it was a fact that Lee had picked up her ball without the putt being given to her, it wasn't a possibility within the rules of golf, to agree on another outcome of the hole and change the sequence of events afterwards. Pettersen/Hull eventually won the match and Europe took a 10–6 lead going into singles. Pettersen, criticized as unsportsmanlike by USA captain Inkster and European golfer Laura Davies, among others, initially refused to back down from her decision.[10] The following day, Pettersen posted an apology for her actions on Instagram, saying "I've never felt more gutted and truly sad about what went down Sunday on the 17th at the Solheim Cup."[11]

Results
Thompson/Kerr 3 & 2 Muñoz/Ciganda
Salas/Lang 2 & 1 Icher/Matthew
Lee/Lincicome 2 up Pettersen/Hull
Lewis/Piller 1 up Masson/Hedwall
2 Session 2
6 Overall 10

Day three

Sunday, 20 September 2015

Singles

The start of the singles matches was delayed until 10:40 am.

Going into singles, the United States trailed 10–6 and needed 8½ more points to win back the Cup. The Americans did just that, with Creamer winning the final match to give the USA a one-point victory. It was the biggest comeback in the history of the Solheim Cup.[12]

Results
Lexi Thompson halved Carlota Ciganda
Morgan Pressel 2 up Catriona Matthew
Brittany Lincicome 3 & 2 Karine Icher
Brittany Lang 2 & 1 Melissa Reid
Alison Lee 3 & 1 Gwladys Nocera
Gerina Piller 1 up Caroline Masson
Stacy Lewis 2 & 1 Anna Nordqvist
Lizette Salas 3 & 1 Azahara Muñoz
Angela Stanford 2 & 1 Suzann Pettersen
Cristie Kerr 3 & 2 Charley Hull
Michelle Wie 6 & 4 Caroline Hedwall
Paula Creamer 4 & 3 Sandra Gal
8½ Session 3½
14½ Overall 13½

Individual player records

Each entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player.

Europe
PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomesFourballs
Carlota Ciganda21–1–20–0–11–0–00–1–1
Sandra Gal2.52–1–10–1–02–0–00–0–1
Caroline Hedwall11–3–00–1–00–1–01–1–0
Charley Hull44–1–00–1–02–0–02–0–0
Karine Icher22–1–01–0–00–1–01–0–0
Caroline Masson0.50–2–10–1–00–0–00–1–1
Catriona Matthew33–1–00–1–02–0–01–0–0
Azahara Muñoz00–3–00–1–00–1–00–1–0
Gwladys Nocera11–1–00–1–00–0–01–0–0
Anna Nordqvist22–2–01–0–00–2–01–0–0
Suzann Pettersen22–2–00–1–01–1–01–0–0
Melissa Reid3.53–0–11–0–02–0–00–0–1

United States
PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomesFourballs
Paula Creamer22–2–01–0–01–1–00–1–0
Cristie Kerr3.53–0–11–0–01–0–01–0–1
Brittany Lang0.50–2–10–1–00–0–00–1–1
Alison Lee11–3–01–0–00–1–00–2–0
Stacy Lewis22–2–00–1–01–1–01–0–0
Brittany Lincicome00–4–00–1–00–2–00–1–0
Gerina Piller3.53–0–11–0–01–0–01–0–1
Morgan Pressel22–2–01–0–01–1–00–1–0
Lizette Salas11–2–01–0–00–1–00–1–0
Angela Stanford11–2–01–0–00–1–00–1–0
Lexi Thompson32–0–20–0–11–0–01–0–1
Michelle Wie11–2–01–0–00–2–00–0–0
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References
  1. "Solheim Cup 2015: USA roar back to win after bitter row on 17th green". The Guardian. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  2. "Fired Up by Disputed Call, U.S. Rallies for Solheim Cup". The New York Times. 20 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  3. "Team Qualification Criteria". Solheim Cup. Archived from the original on 27 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  4. "Solheim eligibility criteria changing for U.S. team". Golf Channel. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  5. "Team USA Standings". Solheim Cup. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  6. "2015 Solhiem Cup – Team Europe – Rankings". Solheim Cup Europe. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
  7. "2015 Solheim Cup Team USA Standings". U.S. Solheim Cup. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  8. "Solheim Cup 2015 Leaderboard". LPGA.
  9. Europe lead going into final day of Solheim Cup
  10. Coffin, Jay (20 September 2015). "U.S. rises above controversy to win Solheim Cup". Golf Channel. Archived from the original on 10 September 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  11. Rice, Simon (21 September 2015). "Solheim Cup 2015: Suzann Pettersen says sorry for controversial incident, hopes Alison Lee and US team will forgive her". The Independent. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  12. Tays, Al (20 September 2015). "U.S. rallies to win Solheim Cup". Golf Channel. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.

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