The Solheim Cup begins Friday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club and if it’s truly Thompson’s last as a player, she’s going out on top – at least in the eyes of American fans, teammates and captain Stacy Lewis.
There was never a doubt that Lewis would select Thompson to play in her seventh consecutive Solheim Cup.
Although the 29-year-old hasn’t won on the LPGA Tour in five years, she brings power, proficiency in the tricky foursomes format (alternate shot) and – rare on this U.S team – memories of hoisting the trophy in the biennial team competition against Europe.
Thompson and Alison Lee are the only players on the American squad who’ve won a Solheim Cup, which the U.S last captured in 2017 in Iowa. Europe won in 2019 in Scotland and 2021 in Ohio and retained the cup last year with a 14-14 draw in Spain.
The event returns a year later with Lewis and European captain Suzann Pettersen reprising their roles to move back to even-numbered years and avoid the Ryder Cup.
The Solheim Cup dates to 1990, and no team has captured it four straight times. Also, neither side has won twice in a row on foreign soil.
The U.S are favoured statistically, with the top two players in the world in Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu and an average world ranking of 26.75 to Europe’s 40.5. While Europe’s biggest margin of victory in the past three events was two points, it has gotten strong contributions from the likes of Carlota Ciganda (4-0 last year) and Leona Maguire (7-2-1 in the last two).
Lewis made “Unfinished Business” her team’s motto this year, and Pettersen, too, has tweaked her approach after neither side was fully satisfied with the performance in Spain. The U.S got off to a strong start in alternate shot, typically a strength for Europe, but were unable to maintain that advantage.
“I think it is her legacy, her and the Solheim Cup. Just the way she is with the crowd and the fans, this event is Lexi to a T. … She plays better golf here.” – Stacy Lewis.
Lewis shook things up with her foursomes pairings for Friday morning’s opening session. She announced she would send out rookies Lauren Coughlin (with Rose Zhang) and Sarah Schmelzel (with Vu) and bench Thompson, who is 9-7-7 overall in six Solheim Cups and 5-2-1 in alternate shot.
Korda was tapped for the leadoff match alongside Allisen Corpuz, with Charley Hull and rookie Esther Henseleit as Europe’s opening team.
Four better-ball matches will be played Friday afternoon, with more alternate-shot and better-ball matches on Saturday and 12 singles matches on Sunday. Europe needs 14 points to retain the cup, while the US needs 14 1/2 to win it.
Thompson’s career could be remembered just as much for near-misses in major championships as for her 11 LPGA victories and one major.
“I’m just going to take it day by day, take some time for myself, and see how I feel after that,” Thompson said.
The team format, where success isn’t measured by individual strokes and she can contribute to others’ success, brings out the best in Thompson.
“I think it is her legacy, her and the Solheim Cup. Just the way she is with the crowd and the fans, this event is Lexi to a T. … She plays better golf here,” Lewis said.
“She’s going to do whatever it takes to win, and I wish I had 12 of them.”
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