Solheim Cup brings intrigue to Iowa
Four years of Iowa preparation and two years of player qualification culminate in one week of tense drama at the Solheim Cup, a biennial team competition matching the USA against Europe that is the showcase event in women’s golf.
Some key topics:
THE COURSE
Des Moines Golf and Country Club has called its 36-hole West Des Moines acreage home since renowned architect Pete Dye put his final touches on the property in the late 1960s.
The 1999 U.S. Senior Open brought record crowds to the rolling parkland course, and Solheim Cup officials are hoping for similarly eye-popping turnstile figures almost two decades later.
The championship layout will combine nine holes from each of the two courses. It can be stretched to 6,894 yards, which is the second-longest test in the 15 editions of the Solheim Cup.
A blazing start to the summer and a mild, dry last month have the course primed to present a potentially punishing, fast track.
“(The players) are going to find a nice course, challenging and difficult,” said Rick Tegtmeier, the club’s director of grounds. “And looking ahead — you can never believe the forecast — if we get rain, the rough will just get thicker.”
THE FORMAT
The Solheim Cup is unlike many of the golf events you’ll see play out on television. Like the Ryder Cup for the men, the competition is all about match play.
The USA and Europe each field 12-member squads for three days of matches beginning Friday. There will be two sessions of team matches on Friday and Saturday, while Sunday is made up entirely of singles matches.
Eight team matches take place on each of the first two days of competition. Four of the matches are called four-ball matches. Teams of two square off, each playing their own ball on every hole. The better of the two scores is taken.
The others are called four- somes. Those matches still involve teams of two, but each team plays just one ball. Teammates alternate shots until completing the hole. One team member hits the tee shot on odd-numbered holes, the other on even-numbered holes.
In match play, the number of individual holes won calculates how a match is scored. A team/ individual is victorious when it is ahead by more holes than there are holes remaining in the match.
If a team wins an 18-hole match, it gains a point. A match that ends in a tie results in half a point for both teams. The first team to reach 14.5 points wins the Solheim Cup. In the event of a
14-all tie, the team that most recently won the Cup retains possession. In this case, that would be the USA.
The 2017 matches feature perhaps the most decorated pair of team leaders in the Solheim Cup’s
27-year history.
On the U.S. side, seven-time major winner and World Golf Hall of Fame member Juli Inkster leads the way. She oversaw a memorable comeback for the Americans two years ago in Germany and she owns the U.S. record for points in Solheim Cup play (18.5).
The Europeans will be spearheaded by Annika Sorenstam, who is the most accomplished women’s golfer in the modern era. She amassed 10 major wins and 72 LPGA tour victories (third all time) before retiring at 37. Sorenstam is second all time in Solheim Cup points earned with 24.
Inkster defeated Sorenstam both times they crossed paths as Solheim players.
THE CONTROVERSY
The USA holds a 9-5 lead in the matches, but the Solheim Cup had never been more contentious than it was on the final day of the
2015 event in Germany.
It was presumed that Suzann Pettersen and teammate Charley Hull, both members of this year’s European side, had conceded a
2-foot putt on the 17th hole of their four-ball match after Alison Lee had picked up her ball.
Pettersen denied she had given the putt to Lee, and when she had picked up her ball, she lost the hole to Europe, which went on to win the match.
The incident left Hull and Lee in tears, and all-time Solheim Cup points leader Laura Davies said on television she was “dis- gusted” by Pettersen’s actions.
Pettersen was roasted on social media and later apologized. The USA used the incident as a rallying point from a 10-6 deficit to a 14.5-13.5 victory.
You can bet the incident will come up a time or 50 this week.
“Make no mistake, Suzann will have thought this through and will realize that the subject is going to come up and come up probably more than once,” said Judy Rankin, a former U.S. Solheim Cup captain and the Golf Channel’s lead women’s analyst. “She’s totally prepared for that.”
THE ALTERNATE
Much was made of the decision by Inkster to not include Solheim Cup veterans Morgan Pressel and Paula Creamer on this year’s team.
Inkster said she hadn’t seen enough form to pick either major champion over rookie wild-card selections Austin Ernst and Angel Yin.
But when automatic qualifier Jessica Korda withdrew because of a forearm injury, Inkster revealed that she had Creamer in mind in case of an emergency.
The 31-year-old and 10-time LPGA tour winner played the an-
chor match in the Sunday singles matchups two years ago in Germany.
“They have a bond that’s just unbreakable, and I think a mutual respect for each other,” Golf Channel on-course reporter Kay Cockerill said of Inkster’s and Creamer’s relationship. “Juli trusts Paula implicitly because of what she’s seen through the years and what Paula is capable of doing.”
THE ROOKIES
Speaking of those first-timers, there will be a whopping seven rookies among the 24 participants.
For the USA: Ernst, Yin and Danielle Kang, the reigning Women’s PGA Championship winner, will make their debuts. On the European side, Emily Pedersen, Madelene Sagstrom, Georgia Hall and Florentyna Parker will be testing their intercontinental nerves.
THE ATMOSPHERE
Inkster wants a color-coordinated home-course advantage with red attire Friday, white clothing Saturday and blue outfits for Sunday singles.
Tournament director Chris Garrett says he has seen a considerable local uptick in ticket sales this last week.
“If you just come out here and get caught up in the atmosphere, you’re going to have a great time,” he said. “And I can’t harp on this enough. This isn’t New York City. … You’re not going to get the Ryder Cup and a bunch of PGA Championships at (world-famous courses). This is your time to shine. Enjoy it.”
Lawhon writes for The Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network.