2017 Solheim Cup

The 2017 Solheim Cup was the 15th edition of the Solheim Cup matches, held August 18–20 at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa. 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. Juli Inkster captained the U.S. team for the second time and Annika Sörenstam captained the European team for the first time.[1]

2017 Solheim Cup
DatesAugust 18–20, 2017
VenueDes Moines Golf and Country Club
LocationWest Des Moines, Iowa
Captains
16½ 11½
United States wins the Solheim Cup
Des Moines
Location in the United States
Des Moines Golf and CC
Location in Iowa

The United States won by a score of 16½ to 11½, retaining the cup they won in 2015.[2]

Course layout

The Solheim Cup did not use either of the venue's two courses, North and South, in the configurations played by club members. Instead, it used a composite course, made up of nine holes from each of the two courses, that played to 6,894 yards (6,304 m) par 73.[3] The average elevation is approximately 950 feet (290 m) above sea level.[4]

HoleYardsPar  HoleYardsPar
13064103864
24104115635
31683124244
45615134464
54765141633
64094155365
73314163854
81713171863
95625184164
Out3,39437In3,50036
Source:[3]Total6,89473

Format

The Solheim Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The format is as follows:[5]

  • 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 (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 3 (Sunday): 12 singles matches. All 12 players from each team participate.

With a total of 28 points,[6] 14½ points are required to win the Cup, and 14 points are required for the defending champion to retain the Cup.[5] All matches are played to a maximum of 18 holes. If the score is even after 18 holes, each team earns one-half point.[7]

Team qualification and selection

Eligibility criteria

The United States and European teams have different eligibility criteria:

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.[8]

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". To be a "European national", the player must satisfy the criteria set out in the "Nationality Policy" issued by the International Golf Federation.[9]

Team selection

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

Team USA
Team USA consisted of the leading eight players from the LPGA Solheim Cup points rankings, the top two players in the Women's World Golf Rankings not already qualified via the points rankings and two chosen by the team captain. LPGA Solheim Cup points were earned for top-20 finishes on the LPGA Tour over a two-year period beginning with the 2015 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic and ending with the 2017 Women's British Open. Points were doubled in major championships and top-20 finishes during the 2017 LPGA Tour season earn more points than those in 2015 and 2016.[10]

Team Europe
Team Europe consisted 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 who were not already qualified via the Solheim Cup standings, and four captain's selections.[11]

Teams
Team USA
PlayerAgePoints
rank[12]		Rolex
ranking		Previous
appearances		MatchesW–L–HWinning
percentage
Juli Inkster57Non-playing captain
Pat Hurst48Non-playing assistant captain
Nancy Lopez60Non-playing assistant captain
Wendy Ward44Non-playing assistant captain
Lexi Thompson2212273–2–257.14
Stacy Lewis322193124–7–137.50
Gerina Piller32324273–2–257.14
Cristie Kerr3941483415–14–551.47
Danielle Kang246210Rookie
Michelle Wie277294157–7–150.00
Brittany Lang318414145–6–346.43
Brittany Lincicome319455185–11–233.33
Lizette Salas281246261–3–233.33
Austin Ernst2511570Rookie
Angel Yin1822510Rookie
Paula Creamer311611062714–8–561.11

Creamer replaced Jessica Korda, who withdrew with a forearm injury after finishing fifth in points.[13]
Ages on first day of matches, August 18; Rolex rankings at team selection on August 7.
Captain's picks shown in yellow.

Team Europe
PlayerCountryAgePoints
rank[14]		Rolex
ranking		Previous
appearances		MatchesW–L–HWinning
percentage
Annika Sörenstam Sweden46Non-playing captain
Marta Figueras-Dotti Spain59Non-playing assistant captain
Maria McBride Sweden43Non-playing assistant captain
Suzann Pettersen Norway36Non-playing assistant captain^
Georgia Hall England211440Rookie
Florentyna Parker England2821060Rookie
Melissa Reid England29397284–3–156.25
Jodi Ewart Shadoff England29428132–1–066.67
Carlota Ciganda Spain27520274–1–271.43
Charley Hull England21625286–2–075.00
Karine Icher France3823423105–4–155.00
Anna Nordqvist Sweden30–134168–7–153.13
Caroline Masson Germany28849272–3–242.86
Emily Kristine Pedersen Denmark2191150Rookie
Madelene Sagström Sweden2433700Rookie
Catriona Matthew^ Scotland47289883315–10–857.58

^ Matthew, previously named an assistant captain, replaced Suzann Pettersen, who withdrew with a back injury after qualifying for the team by her Rolex ranking.[15]
Ages on first day of matches, August 18; Rolex rankings at team selection on August 7.
Captain's picks shown in yellow.

Day one

Friday, August 18, 2017

Morning foursomes

In the opening match, Europe was dormie-2 before Cristie Kerr and Lexi Thompson won the last two holes to halve the match.[16] In the last match, the United States was two up after 12 holes until Karine Icher and Catriona Matthew won three of the next four holes and won the match by 1 hole.[17]

Results[18]
Reid/Hull halved Kerr/Thompson
Ciganda/Masson 1 up Kang/Salas
Nordqvist/Hall 3 & 1 Creamer/Ernst
Icher/Matthew 1 up Lewis/Piller
2½ Session 1½
2½ Overall 1½

Afternoon four-ball

The United States won all four matches of the afternoon session. The Europe pairs never led at any stage in any of the matches. This was the first time United States swept a session in Solheim Cup history.[19]

Results[18]
Sagström/Ewart Shadoff 3 & 1 Wie/Kang
Ciganda/Pedersen 6 & 5 Yin/Salas
Parker/Masson 3 & 2 Lincicome/Lang
Hull/Hall 2 & 1 Lewis/Piller
0 Session 4
2½ Overall 5½

Day two

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Morning foursomes

After heavy defeats in the first two matches, Europe recovered to level the session by winning the last two matches.[20] The two European pairings who had won their foursomes matches on the first day were also the winning pairs in the second foursomes session.[18] By winning her match, Kerr became the leading United States points scorer, with 19, passing the 18.5 of Juli Inkster.[21]

Results[18]
Ewart Shadoff/Masson 5 & 3 Kerr/Thompson
Reid/Pedersen 5 & 3 Creamer/Ernst
Nordqvist/Hall 2 & 1 Lewis/Piller
Matthew/Icher 2 & 1 Wie/Kang
2 Session 2
4½ Overall 7½

Afternoon four-ball

The United States won three of the four matches to take a commanding lead, needing just 3½ points in the singles to retain the Solheim Cup.[22] Kerr and Thompson were paired together for the sixth time (3 in 2015 and 3 in 2017), and remained undefeated as a pair, with four wins and two draws. In 16 holes, the two posted a combined score of 12 under par.[23]

Results[18]
Reid/Ciganda 2 up Lang/Lincicome
Nordqvist/Ewart Shadoff 4 & 2 Salas/Yin
Icher/Sagström 2 & 1 Creamer/Ernst
Matthew/Hall 4 & 2 Kerr/Thompson
1 Session 3
5½ Overall 10½

Day three

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Singles

In the opening singles matchup, Anna Nordqvist won the first four holes against Thompson and held a four-hole advantage with nine holes remaining. Thompson rallied to take a late 1-up lead, shooting eight under par over the following seven holes. Her run included eagles at the 11th and 15th holes. On the 18th hole, Nordqvist hit her approach shot within a foot of the hole for a birdie that earned Europe a half-point.[24] In the next two matches, Paula Creamer defeated Georgia Hall by a 1-up margin and Kerr concluded an undefeated week with a 2 and 1 victory over Melissa Reid.[18] Americans Lizette Salas and Angel Yin went dormie in their matches, ensuring that the U.S. would win the 14 points necessary to retain the Solheim Cup. Yin and Karine Icher went on to halve their match, while Salas won against Jodi Ewart Shadoff to clinch an outright victory for the U.S.[25]

Results[18]
Anna Nordqvist halved Lexi Thompson
Georgia Hall 1 up Paula Creamer
Melissa Reid 2 & 1 Cristie Kerr
Catriona Matthew 1 up Stacy Lewis
Karine Icher halved Angel Yin
Caroline Masson 4 & 2 Michelle Wie
Jodi Ewart Shadoff 1 up Lizette Salas
Charley Hull 1 up Brittany Lang
Carlota Ciganda 4 & 3 Brittany Lincicome
Florentyna Parker 4 & 2 Gerina Piller
Madelene Sagström 3 & 2 Austin Ernst
Emily Kristine Pedersen 3 & 1 Danielle Kang
6 Session 6
11½ Overall 16½

Individual player records

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

United States
PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomesFourballs
Paula Creamer33–1–01–0–01–1–01–0–0
Austin Ernst22–2–00–1–01–1–01–0–0
Danielle Kang33–1–01–0–01–1–01–0–0
Cristie Kerr3.53–0–11–0–01–0–11–0–0
Brittany Lang22–1–00–1–00–0–02–0–0
Stacy Lewis11–3–00–1–00–2–01–0–0
Brittany Lincicome22–1–00–1–00–0–02–0–0
Gerina Piller22–2–01–0–00–2–01–0–0
Lizette Salas33–1–01–0–01–0–01–1–0
Lexi Thompson32–0–20–0–11–0–11–0–0
Michelle Wie11–2–00–1–00–1–01–0–0
Angel Yin1.51–1–10–0–10–0–01–1–0

Europe
PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomesFourballs
Carlota Ciganda11–3–01–0–00–1–00–2–0
Jodi Ewart Shadoff11–3–00–1–00–1–01–1–0
Georgia Hall22–3–00–1–02–0–00–2–0
Charley Hull1.51–1–11–0–00–0–10–1–0
Karine Icher2.52–1–10–0–12–0–00–1–0
Caroline Masson11–3–01–0–00–2–00–1–0
Catriona Matthew33–1–01–0–02–0–00–1–0
Anna Nordqvist3.53–0–10–0–12–0–01–0–0
Florentyna Parker00–2–00–1–00–0–00–1–0
Emily Kristine Pedersen00–3–00–1–00–1–00–1–0
Melissa Reid0.50–3–10–1–00–1–10–1–0
Madelene Sagström11–2–01–0–00–0–00–2–0
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gollark: I mean, maaaaaybe strategy stuff generalizes to, say, military things somewhat.
gollark: Consider the implications for Macron.
gollark: ↑ Macron
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References
  1. "Annika Sorenstam named 2017 European Solheim Cup captain". ESPN. Associated Press. March 31, 2016.
  2. "Cristie Kerr, Paula Creamer help U.S. to Solheim Cup win in Iowa". ESPN. Associated Press. August 20, 2017.
  3. "Course map". Solheim Cup. 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  4. Chapman, Jeremy (August 17, 2017). "Well-backed USA team look booked for Solheim glory". Racing Post. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  5. Berhow, Josh (August 16, 2017). "What to know and how to watch the 2017 Solheim Cup". Golf Magazine. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  6. "USA Wins 2017 Solheim Cup Over Europe". LPGA Tour. August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  7. "Solheim Cup format, terminology". ESPN. September 9, 2003. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  8. "Solheim eligibility criteria changing for U.S. team". Golf Channel. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
  9. "The 2017 Solheim Cup European Team Selection" (PDF). Ladies European Tour.
  10. "How to qualify". Solheim Cup.
  11. "The Solheim Cup Team Europe rankings". Solheim Cup.
  12. "2017 Solheim Cup Team USA Standings". U.S. Solheim Cup. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  13. Lawhon, Danny (August 8, 2017). "Paula Creamer named as U.S. Solheim Cup replacement". USA Today.
  14. "2017 Solheim Cup – Team Europe – Rankings". Solheim Cup Europe. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  15. Mell, Randall (August 16, 2017). "Pettersen out of Solheim, replaced by Matthew". Golf Channel.
  16. Habel, Steve (August 18, 2017). "LPGA: Team USA sweeps fourball, leads after Day 1 at Solheim Cup". United Press International. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  17. "Golf: Underdogs Europe seize early one-point lead in Solheim Cup". Reuters. August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  18. "Match recaps: U.S. wins Solheim Cup, 16 1/2 to 11 1/2". Golf Channel. August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  19. "U.S. gets its first-ever session sweep". Golf Channel. August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  20. Habel, Steve (August 19, 2017). "LPGA Solheim Cup: Team USA holds lead after foursomes". United Press International. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  21. "Cristie Kerr breaks American record for most Solheim Cup points earned". Golf Magazine. August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  22. Murray, Ewan (August 19, 2017). "USA take firm grip in Solheim Cup but Georgia Hall shines for Europe". The Guardian. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  23. Coffin, Jay (August 19, 2017). "Winner, winner: Kerr–Thompson stay undefeated". Golf Channel. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  24. Mell, Randall (August 20, 2017). "Lexi: From awful start to halve with Nordqvist". Golf Channel. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  25. Murray, Ewan (August 20, 2017). "Lexi Thompson's 'weirdest round' helps US to beat Europe in Solheim Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved August 22, 2017.

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