The 2024 Solheim Cup tees off on Friday, with US golf stars looking to topple three-time defending champs Europe in the team tournament's 19th iteration.
Alternating between European and US host courses each edition, teams compete in three days of match play, collecting one point for every win and a half-point for every tie. The US needs a total of 14.5 points to take this year's Cup outright, while Europe needs just 14 to retain it.
Team USA spans 12 of the sport's top-ranked and most decorated athletes, including Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Lauren Coughlin, Megan Khang, Ally Ewing, Lilia Vu, Rose Zhang, and the soon-to-retire Lexi Thompson.
US golfers on a mission to reclaim Solheim Cup dominance
Team Europe has held the Cup since 2019, but the margins have been razor thin. The 2023 event actually ended in a 14-14 tie, but as reigning champions, Europe retained the title in what the team considers their eighth victory over the US.
While the US holds the advantage over Europe in overall Solheim Cup wins, they haven't raised the trophy in seven years. And unlike other competitions with continuously swelling prize purses, only international bragging rights are on the line here.
Neither team has ever won four consecutive titles, and the US will aim to keep Europe from claiming that historic victory on home soil in Gainesville, Virginia, this weekend.
Star US golfer Nelly Korda sees Solheim Cup as "unfinished business"
All eyes are now on Team USA's Korda, who's coming off a banner 2024 after winning six different LPGA Tour events, including her second major.
"Whenever you get to wear the red, white, and blue and stars and stripes, there's a different meaning to it," the world No. 1 golfer told the BBC earlier this week. "You're playing not just for yourself, but for your captains, for your teammates, and your country, and there's just nothing like it. We have got some unfinished business."
How to watch the 2024 Solheim Cup women's golf tournament
The Solheim Cup starts Friday, September 13th, at 7:05 AM, with live coverage across NBC, the Golf Channel, and Peacock.
Stacy Lewis has been named captain of the 2023 USA Solheim Cup Team. The two-time major champion will lead a group of 12 American women’s golfers as Team USA seeks redemption against Team Europe, who defeated the U.S. 15-13 in September to win the 2021 Solheim Cup.
The 2023 event will take place at Finca Cortesin in Spain from Sept. 22-24.
“To be named captain for the USA Solheim Cup Team is an incredible honor and I’m beyond grateful to the Committee for choosing me,” Lewis said this week. “I have so many amazing memories from my years on the team and the two opportunities I’ve had to work alongside the team. I absolutely love the Solheim Cup, and I want 2023 to be as great an experience for my team as my years wearing Red, White and Blue have been for me.”
Lewis has earned 13 victories on the LPGA Tour, including the 2011 Chevron Championship and the 2013 AIG Women’s Open. The American golfer has also spent 25 weeks as the world No. 1 and was named the 2012 and 2014 Rolex LPGA Player of the Year.
The 36-year-old has represented the U.S. as a member of the 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 Solheim Cup Teams, and in 2019 acted as an unofficial assistant captain under Juli Inkster after withdrawing from the event due to injury. In 2021, she officially took on the role of assistant under captain Pat Hurst.
Lewis says she will reflect on those experiences as an assistant as she molds her own leadership style.
“I want to create a really positive, fun environment where the girls can be successful,” she said. “That’s trying to figure out how to make the practice schedules a little bit more accommodating, build in some more free time in the week, which I don’t know if that’s possible, but just being a little bit more accommodating to all the different personalities … Juli kind of started that with the pods and the personality test and that kind of stuff, and she certainly got us on a good path there.”
At 38 years and 7 months old when the tournament begins next year, Lewis will be the youngest American captain in Solheim Cup history and the second-youngest captain in tournament history.
“I obviously knew this was going to happen at some point in my career,” Lewis said. “Obviously earlier than I thought, but it’s OK. I feel like it’s the right time for Team USA and it’s the right time for me to step in.”
Lewis will go up against Norwegian golfer and Team Europe captain Suzann Pettersen, a two-time major champion on the LPGA Tour.
Team Europe, behind strong performances from Leona Maguire and Mel Reid, will take a 9-7 lead over Team USA into the final day of the Solheim Cup.
If Europe holds won, it would be just the second time in 31 years that they have captured the Cup on foreign soil.
Maguire and Reid finished the weekend unbeaten in three matches after dominating world No. 1 Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing in alternate-shot play Sunday morning. In the afternoon, the two tied Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas in four-ball to maintain the lead.
On Monday, the Europeans need just five out of a possible 12 points to maintain their lead and keep the Cup. Meanwhile, the Americans need 7 ½ points to complete the comeback.
But history may not be on the side of the Europeans. After 16 matches, the Europeans have found themselves in the lead eight times. They’ve won only half of those competitions, with the last one coming in 2013 — their sole triumph on U.S. soil at Colorado Golf Club.
There is some hope for Team USA. If the Korda sisters — who are just 1-3 at Inverness — find their game, they could be a key factor in the comeback. Nelly Korda will face Georgia Hall and Jessica Korda will play Charley Hall in the penultimate match.
U.S. captain Pat Hurst remains confident in their abilities.
“I need them for my singles matches,” Hurst said Sunday. “That’s where we usually shine.”
Hurst isn’t wrong. In nine out of 16 Solheim Cups, the U.S. has posted the better singles mark.
“It’s going to be tight,” said Team Europe captain Catriona Matthew, who guided Europe to victory at Gleneagles two years ago. “It always seems to come down to the singles. Every little half-point here or there is going to be crucial.”
Nelly Korda was fighting to give Team USA the lead in the Solheim Cup on Saturday, going head-to-head with the European duo of Nanna Koerstz-Madsen and Madelene Sagstrom on the 13th hole.
The American was putting for eagle on the par-5 hole when her seemingly perfectly executed putt stopped just short of the cup. Sagstrom then picked up Korda’s ball and tossed it to her, conceding the tap-in.
Shortly after the incident, the players were confronted by a rules official. According to the sport’s rules, Korda’s ball was slightly overhanging the hole and she should have been allotted 10 seconds to reach her ball and make sure it had stopped moving.
The Europeans contested that the ball was not overhanging the cup, but the official review determined the move violated Rule 13.3 A. As a result, Korda’s putt was considered holed and the U.S. went 1 up on Day 1 of the competition.
Korda and teammate Ally Ewing maintained the narrow lead throughout the match, giving Team USA a slight edge heading into Sunday’s round.