Americans shine with Solheim Cup victory despite LPGA’s shortcomings
By Adam Woodard
The 2024 Solheim Cup could not have gotten off to a worse start.
Sure, the Americans won the first two sessions by a 3-1 margin and claimed a 6-2 lead overall against their European foes, but Friday’s matches were overshadowed by the LPGA’s ineptitude as logistical issues kept thousands of fans from entering the course until well into the morning session. Transportation shortcomings and unreliable shuttles have plagued the last two Solheim Cups, and this year’s event was par for the course.
After hours of silence on Friday, the LPGA released a half-hearted apology and got to work to resolve the issue for the weekend slate. Thankfully the shuttle situation was fixed and the focus was back on the golf. Over the next two days, the U.S. team held off a late European charge and stopped a three-event skid to claim the 2024 Solheim Cup on home turf on Sunday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, taking down their European foes 15.5-12.5.
This year marked a turning point for the American team. A seven-time member of Team USA at just 29 years old, stalwart Lexi Thompson played in her final match and passed the veteran leadership role to world No. 1 Nelly Korda, who was one of five players to earn 3 or more points for the red, white and blue. Rising stars Rose Zhang (4-0-0), Megan Khang (3-0-0) and Andrea Lee (2-0-1) went undefeated, as did 31-year-old rookie Lauren Coughlin (3-0-1).
Who knows what could have happened had the Europeans taken advantage of the quiet course and first tee on Friday? Maybe today we’d be asking “what’s wrong with Team USA?” had the Europeans become the first team to four-peat in the biennial bash. The LPGA often talks about wanting to grow the game and amplify its players and product, but they failed their players this week. Luckily for the tour, the players bailed out the LPGA and stepped up to avoid what could have been a disaster of a weekend in the shadow of the nation’s capital.
The motto for the U.S. team, captained once again by Stacy Lewis, was “Unfinished Business.” The Americans took care of said business, and will now set their sights on the Netherlands and Bernardus Golf, host of the 2026 Solehim Cup, Sept. 7-13, where they’ll look to win on foreign soil for the first time since 2015 in Germany.
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