Staged at Riyadh Golf Club for the first time, 84 players from 24 nations will tee up vying for their share of $1,000,000 in both the Team and Individual competitions.

Before play gets under way in Saudi Arabia, here are some takes to get you up to speed…

Carlota Ciganda. Angel Martinez

Solheim stars set for action

One month on from their historic retention of the Solheim Cup in Spain, four stars from Suzann Pettersen’s arsenal are in town looking to add further success to their 2023 seasons.

Still on a high after earning the all-important point for Team Europe at Finca Cortesin, Carlota Ciganda will be in action aiming for a second Aramco Team Series title following her Florida triumph in May.

Joining the Spanish heroine are the English duo of Charley Hull and Georgia Hall — the latter chasing more silverware in the Kingdom after winning the Aramco Saudi Ladies International in 2022.

Completing the European line-up is Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, while major winner Lilia Vu adds further Solheim star power to the field teeing up for the second Aramco Team Series event in a row.

Minjee Lee. Dylan Buell

Lee hot in form

Another world-class player competing this week is Australia’s Minjee Lee. The two-time major winner arrives in Riyadh in incredible form having just claimed her 10th LPGA title at the BMW Ladies Championship.

The world No. 7 has prior ATS experience finishing 11th in London two years ago and returns for tournament two at no better time after defeating Alison Lee in a playoff last week.

Talking of her namesake, the American Lee is also teeing up this week and will be hoping to go one better after falling agonisingly short in South Korea.

A regular feature in the Aramco Team Series, Lee has featured in six events winning the Sotogrande Individual title in 2021.

Battle on the bubble

With just three events left of the season, this week is a crucial one for many stars trying to play their way into the last two tournaments of 2023 and affirm their full LET card for next year.

Both the Mallorca Ladies Open and Andalucía Costa del Sol Open De España involve the top 64 in the Race to Costa del Sol (as well as eight invites), with the top-70 in the standings earning Category 4 status for 2024.

This means those competing in Riyadh who are currently outside the bubble face a potentially make-or-break week if they are to compete in Spain next month and cement their full status.

Those in question facing big battles include Leonie Harm (70th), Laura Beveridge (72nd), Sanna Nuutinen (74th), Elin Arvidsson (77th), Linnea Johansson (78th), Maggie Simmermacher (79th), Marianne Skarpnord (92nd), Michele Thomson (101st) and Becky Brewerton (117th).

Dagar on the brink

As the Race to Costa del Sol heats up, it looks like this could be the week France’s Celine Boutier finally gets knocked off top spot with India’s Diksha Dagar on the brink of moving into the highly sought-after position.

Fresh off a third-place finish on home soil at the Hero Women’s Indian Open, the left-hander has now leapfrogged Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson and sits just 78.27 points off the major winner who is absent this week.

A ninth-place finish or better would do the job for Dagar in Riyadh, while Gustavsson can also jump into top spot if Dagar fails to do so and she finishes inside the top three.

Chiara Noja. Image supplied

Teenage kicks

It was one year ago that German teenager Chiara Noja announced herself to the golfing world defeating her hero Charley Hull in a playoff to win the Aramco Team Series — Jeddah Individual event.

Now back in Saudi Arabia 12 months on, and having recently returned to action after an injury spell, the 17-year-old will no doubt be feeling nostalgic as she aims to put on a performance in the tournament where she claimed a historic maiden LET title.

Unique format

Once again the format is the same as other ATS events with the Individual and Team competitions being played simultaneously. The Team competition will be played over 36-holes over the first two days with the best two scores counting, while the Individual is a 54-hole stroke play competition with the last round just having the top-60 professionals and ties competing.

There are 84 professionals teeing it up this week and there will be 28 teams contending for the top prize. Each team will consist of three professionals and one amateur.

Main image: Warren Little/Getty Images

Story by LET

The post Aramco Team Series — Riyadh: All you need to know appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The star performer of the week at Finca Cortesin in Spain was stand-out home hero Carlota Ciganda, who won all four of her matches and took down world No. 3 Nelly Korda 2&1 with some stunning play on the Sunday along the way.

Ciganda marked her sixth appearance in the biennial contest between the best women golfers in Europe and the US in front of a (very) patriotic Spanish throng peppered with friends and family

“It was an amazing experience playing in Spain with all my family there and in front of a home crowd,” Ciganda said in a chat with Golf Digest Middle East on Thursday, having had a few days to let her achievement sink in. “It was such a fun week. The Solheim Cup is one of my favourite events, and to play for Suzann [Pettersen, the Team Europe captain], playing in Spain, it was really special and I am so happy how it ended up and it is a moment I won’t ever forget.”

While Sunday will long stay in the memory of both Carlota and her many fans, she pointed back to a moment on the Friday as a key to how events unfolded as she shared lunch with Ryder Cup legend — both as a captain and as a player with ‘Spanish Armada’ cohort Seve Ballesteros — Jose Maria Olazabal.

“Jose was with us,” Ciganda said. “He came to the opening ceremony with us and we had dinner with him, where he made a speech. I wasn’t playing on Friday morning so I stayed with Jose. He told us stories about Seve playing in the Ryder Cup and that was very inspiring. His message to all the girls was: ‘Never give up. If you still have a chance, just try your best. That’s what Seve used to say and do. Don’t give up and play until the end.’ That was really nice. He also sent he a message after we retained the Cup and it was very special to me to receive that.”

Next up for Ciganda is a trip to Hong Kong to play in the penultimate Aramco Team Series event ahead of the finale in Riyadh at the end of the month, and she hopes to put her now vast experience in team events to good use.

“I have never been to Hong Kong, but I have seen the course and it looks amazing,” she said. “The Aramco always plays quality courses and hopefully I can go and get another win there.

“Playing for a team means you are playing for something bigger than yourself. I think when you play for Europe in the Solheim Cup, or for Spain, or in the Aramco Team Series where you have teammates, you are just trying to help them and bring the best out of them. For me it is a fun week.”

The 14-14 draw in Spain has sparked a bit of debate and division among fans and players, many of whom have suggested some sort of a playoff to decide the winner should the scores be level after three days of play in both the Solheim and Ryder Cups. Ever the diplomat, Ciganda kept a foot in both camps.

“It was always been the way that they have been doing it throughout history [a tie means the previous event’s winner retains the trophy],” she said. “I think if you have 14-14 many years in a row it would be nice to see a winner but it doesn’t happen often so I think it is fine. I think the spectators want to see a winner — especially after three days of competing — so I understand and respect both sides… I don’t know. I think whatever is good for the golf, I am happy with that.”

So, with the men up next at Marco Simone in Italy, who does Carlota think will win that one?

“Ooooof. I’m gonna go with 15-13 for Europe,” she said after a moment of pondering. “I think the Americans are favourites with the players they have, but I think the course and the set-up and we are playing well, so I think we have a good chance. But I think it is going to be a competitive and close Ryder Cup.”

We need to wait for one more Sunday to see how that unfolds, too.

Main image: Carlota Ciganda. Angel Martinez

The post Carlota Ciganda reveals how Olazabal’s Ryder Cup tales of Seve inspired Team Europe to Solheim Cup success in Spain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“Fortunately, we only have to wait another year to go get this thing back,” Lewis said.

The LPGA moving the Solheim Cup to an even-year schedule starting next September means the 19th edition of the event is less than a year away, with Lewis and Suzann Pettersen back as captains of their respective teams. American players have been accumulating points since the start of this season at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and continue to earn them through to the end of the qualifying period, which has not yet been announced.

The 2024 system will use the same automatic qualifying categories as 2023, with seven players off a points list, the two highest ranked players on the Rolex Women’s World Rankings not already on the team and then three captain’s picks. Unsurprisingly, the two American major champions from this year, Lilia Vu (992) and Allisen Corpuz (866), are atop the points list. Nelly Korda (725), Megan Khang (667), Ally Ewing (591), Angel Yin (564) and Andrea Lee (394) round out the current top seven. That group, led by Khang’s 3.5-point performance at Finca Cortesin, combined to go 12-12-3 last week in Spain.

The closest chasers for the Nos. 8-10 spots are all fellow ’23 Solheim Cup players: Cheyenne Knight (386), Jennifer Kupcho (381) and Rose Zhang (322), respectively. Danielle Kang (295) remains in striking distance of a points position in 12th place, while Lexi Thompson (39) has work to make the 2024 on points even after having the second-most record of any American in Spain by going 3-1.

There is minimal movement in the two Rolex Women’s World Ranking spots, which makes sense given there have only been two tournaments between the end of the 2023 US team qualification period and the Solheim Cup. Thompson (No. 26) holds the first World Ranking spot, with Kupcho (29) taking the second one. Zhang (32) and Kang (34) are nearby.

Then Lewis will have her three captain’s picks, where she’ll no doubt apply the same analytics approach she took this year to choose Ewing, Yin and Knight to round out the team (the three picks went a combined 5-4-1). With Lewis’ system no longer just theoretical in determining who should partner with whom, the captain would likely be happy to have a similar group again.

“We now have some pairings actually going forward,” Lewis said. “There’s no trial-and-error again going into ’24.”

Main image: David Cannon

The post A (very) early look at the 2024 US Solheim Cup team appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Here’s how a see-saw Sunday played out with the lone Spaniard competing this week at Finac Cortesin — Carlota Ciganda — pulling out a singles win that meant she and her European teammates were holding the trophy at day’s end.

All times local

• • •

2.43pm — Leona Maguire’s comprehensive 4&3 victory over Rose Zhang in the second match moved Europe ahead in the contest for the first time this week.
United States 8, Europe 9

• • •

3.05pm — Not that it lasted long. Playing in six-under par with concessions and up all the way from first hole to last, the unbeaten Megan Khang was still only just good enough to see off a tenacious Linn Grant on the 18th green in the opening match.
United States 9, Europe 9

• • •

3.06pm — Moments later, Danielle Kang’s comfortable 4&2 win over a clearly out-of-sorts Charley Hull restored the US advantage.
United States 10, Europe 9
• • •

Anna Nordqvist. David Cannon

3.23pm — The European response was immediate, Anna Nordqvist recording her first point of the week to level the scores again.
United States 10, Europe 10

• • •

4.22-4.25pm — There followed a lull in the proceedings, one initially broken by a couple of turnarounds that could have gone a long way towards breaking European resistance. One-by-one, three of America’s middle order delivered for their captain. Andrea Lee came from 2-down with four to play to halve with Georgia Hall. Lilia Vu easily beat Madelene Sagstrom 4&3. And Angel Yin, 1-down with six to play, rallied to be Celine Boutier on the 17th green.
United States 12.5, Europe 10.5

• • •

4.32pm — Still the American surge wasn’t over, Cheyenne Knight coming from 2-down with four to play to deny Gemma Dryburgh victory.
United States 13, Europe 11

• • •

Caroline Hedwall. Stuart Franklin

4.48pm — Three down with six to play against Ally Ewing, things didn’t look too good for Caroline Hedwall, perhaps Pettersen’s most controversial captain’s pick and someone who had played only one match — a loss — before the singles. No matter. A spectacular run of five birdies in the next six holes put things right, the Swede claiming a crucial, and unlikely, point for her side.
United States 13, Europe 12

• • •

5.05pm — Playing the US Women’s Open champion brings with it a challenge, but that didn’t seem to much matter to Maja Stark. Up all the way from the seventh hole, the Swede defeated Allisen Corpuz on the penultimate green.
United States 13, Europe 13

• • •

5.15pm — Fittingly, the point that clinched retention of the trophy for Europe came from the only Spaniard in the team and the only player on either side to come away with an unblemished record. Step forward Carlota Ciganda, a 2&1 winner over Jessica Korda to cap a 4-0 week.
United States 13, Europe 14

• • •

5.23pm — And finally. Emily Pedersen started well against Lexi Thompson and was 2-up after four holes. Thereafter, the Dane, one of only three Europeans to play all five matches, seemed to run out of puff. Thompson won six of nine holes to take a 4-up lead with five to play. A late flurry briefly offered hope of a team Europe victory overall, but winning the last two holes proved to be beyond Pedersen’s flagging capabilities. The game ended on the 17th green.
United States 14, Europe 14

The post Solheim Cup 2023. A closer look at how Sunday’s singles shook out to let Europe ‘win’ with a tie at Finca Cortesin appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“Now I realise how important that point was and I’m just really proud that I could turn my match around,” Hedwall said afterward, noting that without her point, Europe lose 15-13.

Questioned for using a captain’s pick on the 121st-ranked player in the world, Pettersen’s decision became even more cloudy when she left Hedwall on the bench for the first three sessions. A five-time Solheim Cup veteran, Hedwall was the only player on either side who did not play in a session on Friday, as Pettersen felt pressure to play her best players after the Americans swept the opening foursomes session.

“We have to put our ‘A team’ out, and she’s [Hedwall] completely in with that,” Pettersen explained.

Hedwall does not profile as an A-team member. She was the second lowest ranked player on the European squad and made her last Cup appearance was in 2019, where she played two sessions and went 0-2. Her best Solheim Cup moment was a decade ago, when in 2013 she went 5-0-0.

Hedwall’s play on Saturday afternoon didn’t exactly foretell her becoming a Sunday hero. She lost in a fourball alongside Anna Nordqvist, 2&1, the only European loss of the final team session.

It made sense then that Hedwall trailed Ewing 3-down with six holes remaining in the eighth singles match out on Sunday, a path to Europe even retaining the Cup looking in doubt.

Georgia Hall and Gemma Dryburgh had squandered their 2-up leads with four holes to play, turning into only half points and nudging the US to 11.5 points. Hedwall and Emily Kristine Pedersen faced multiple-hole deficits against the Americans, and Celine Boutier, Maja Stark, and Carlota Ciganda were all in tight matches.

Instead, the Swede started a throwback performance with six holes left, beginning the crucial comeback with her second and third birdies of the day for wins on Nos. 13 and 14.

“I was just trying to stay patient,” Hedwall said. “I didn’t make any putts on the front and it was frustrating, for sure, and the wind was turning around. But somehow I just felt like it has to turn around at some point and it truly did, which I’m very happy for.”

After a tie on the 15th, Hedwall faced a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 16 to win her third hole in the last four, with the line going straight to the pavilion of European fans waiting to erupt. The Swede delivered, raising both arms like a conductor after draining the putt to send another roar pulsating throughout the back nine.

Pure emotion ???

Caroline Hedwall is heading to the 17th A/S#TeamEurope | #SolheimCup pic.twitter.com/EIZkcjVuYq

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 24, 2023

The importance of Hedwall completing the comeback increased as Yin took down Boutier, 2&1, putting the US at a 13-11 lead, and with Thompson holding a commanding lead in the anchor match. A half point from any other American else would yield a likely US victory. Yet Hedwall, headed to 17 tied up with Ewing, remained oblivious to what her match could mean for Europe’s chances.

“I wasn’t aware, to be honest, because Suzann told me this morning to just focus on myself and try to get my point, and that’s what I kept doing,” Hedwall said.

Hedwall’s head-down approach continued her triumphant comeback charge by hitting a dart at the par-3 17th’s flag. Hedwall drained her 12-foot birdie putt to take her first lead on Sunday, cleaning up an uneventful 18th after reaching the green in two to win her match, completing one of the Solheim’s best-ever comebacks and Hedwall’s first singles victory in a decade, a needed point for Europe to retain the Cup.

A massive, massive moment.

Caroline Hedwall goes 1UP heading to the 18th ??#TeamEurope | #SolheimCup pic.twitter.com/tLfEc5hPqv

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) September 24, 2023

“Somewhere I just found that power and I managed to finish this off and I’m just really proud of myself,” Hedwall said.

Main image: Stuart Franklin

The post Caroline Hedwall goes from unlikely captain’s pick to out-of-nowhere hero with incredible singles comeback appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It all just goes to show that golf is a game that can be played well in different ways, often very different. Marked by the advancement of tactical theories many and varied, the run-up to this week’s biennial event was, when it came to captaincy, the ultimate contrast in styles. On one side stood a numbers cruncher in the diminutive and relatively demure shape of America’s leader, Stacy Lewis. On the other, the glaring intensity of European skipper Suzann Pettersen spoke, among other things, to the Norwegian’s preference for (hopefully) timely inspiration.

Well, to paraphrase Lewis, the numbers do not lie. But it took them a while to make up their mind. And in the end, inspiration won. Sort of. But it was close. Boy, was it close. Couldn’t be closer really.

Throughout a seemingly endless Sunday singles session of fluctuations, both teams led more than once before the eventual climax. Some may say that a draw is unsatisfactory. But in this case, they would be wrong. For the third time in succession (after Europe’s narrow wins in 2019 and 2021), the Solheim Cup provided the sort of excitement that puts the recently predictable and rather pedestrian Ryder Cup to shame.

“My team played their hearts out,” Lewis said. “Just so proud of ’em, the way they fought. We played the back nine better all week, and they just hung in there and hung in there with every match. I just told ’em, we didn’t lose. It was a tie and there is so much to build off this week. I think the rookies learned a lot and that’s what it’s about. All week I thought we made really good decisions. These things come down to one shot or one putt, and it’s just amazing of all the matches that we played, that’s what it comes down to.”

Indeed, on the course at least at Finca Cortesin, this was everything that is best about golf, forgetting for a moment the glacial pace of play. There were team efforts on both sides. For the Europeans, Carlota Cignada of Spain fitting earned the point that officially allowed them to retain the Cup. Ciganda was the only player from the host country competing, and the win capped off a perfect 4-0 week.

Meanwhile, only Celine Boutier emerged pointless (a true surprise given the career year she has had in 2023), with Gemma Dryburgh the only other home player not to win a match. Then again, the Scot didn’t lose any either, halving both her games.

On the American side, all 12 players contributed to their 14-point total, with Rose Zhang and Jennifer Kupcho the only pair not to win at least a full point. And it was a message of unity Lewis passed on to her players in an impromptu huddle on the 17th green at the close of play.

“I made them all cry, which wasn’t my intent,” said the American captain. “Again, I told them how proud I was of them. I don’t want to sound like a sore loser, but it was a tie. We came into this environment with five rookies. This will be very good for them. These girls played their hearts out. it wasn’t looking good for a lot of the front nine. But they kept fighting. They did everything I asked of them. I’m so glad to be their captain.”

And the eternal question as to whether or not a draw is best left as it turns out, or should it be settled with some sort of playoff?

“At the closing ceremony we were talking about whether it should be a tie,” Lewis said. “Maybe it would be a better experience for the fans if there was some sort of playoff. But I don’t know. All I can say is that this feels like a win. Look at where we were two years ago in Toledo and where we are now.”

Fittingly too, both sets of players were full of praise for the contrasting jobs done by the two captains.

Stacy Lewis. Stuart Franklin

“I was playing for everybody on the team,” said Danielle Kang, who emerged with a 2-2-0 record. “Anytime I hit a shot, anytime I wanted to get down on myself, anytime I was mad, it wasn’t about me. It was bigger than me. It was about everybody who was working so hard to bring a point or a half a point for this team. So I played for everybody.”

That was surely the motto of the week for both sides and an indication that the most relieved people on the premises at close of play were Dryburgh and Georgia Hall. Had even one of them clung on to the two-hole advantages they enjoyed on the 15th tee, then victory would have been Europe’s.

Then again, in match-play golf, the ultimate game of ifs and buts and maybes, who would have predicted the five-birdie burst in six holes that carried Caroline Hedwall to an unlikely victory over a previously serene Ally Ewing? Maybe not even Pettersen, who neglected to play the Swede until Saturday afternoon’s fourballs. Although she did have something to say about that, albeit tongue-in-cheek.

“Does it get any better than this?” asked the Norwegian. “This is a dream come true. We had a massive challenge. These girls are legends. It’s been a lot of preparation leading up to this. We had an amazing team. Yes we got off to a rocky start. But it was a wake-up call for us.

“We’ve been doing so well for a few years now. But life can be tough, too. We showed character. Today I must give a lot of credit to Caroline Hedwall. She turned her match around just when we needed that to happen. That’s why I picked her, of course. Both Stacy and I knew it would go down to the wire. It seems like every Solheim comes down to one shot or putt here or there. I did feel a bit helpless standing there. The momentum when up and down. It really is so much easier to play.”

Still, in a match where there were no losers, just about everyone was able to enjoy the moment.

“It’s just been a blast,” said debutant Cheyenne Knight, whose 2-0-1 record was the best of the American rookies. “All the fans, even when they’re not rooting for me, made it just a really cool experience for me and for women’s golf in general.”

Dryburgh’s verdict was more to the point. “A regular event will be pretty boring now,” said the Scot.

Yes, it will. Thankfully, though a quirk in the schedule, the next Solheim Cup is less than a year away.

Main image: Stuart Franklin

The post Disappointed the Solheim Cup ended in a 14-14 tie? Why the outcome didn’t bother the Europeans … or the Americans appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Following a script even the most imaginative Hollywood script writer may have rejected as “too unlikely”, Ciganda marked her sixth appearance in the biennial contest between the best women golfers on either side of the Atlantic with golf of the highest standard in front of an adoring crowd packed with compatriots, never mind an army of pals and relatives.

World No. 28 Ciganda’s overall record in Solheim play now reads 11-8-4. In other words, 13 points from 23 matches. Pretty good but, to put things in perspective, just over half the points (25) accumulated by the legendary Laura Davies from 46 matches. So a long way to go before true immortality can be attained.

“It’s amazing,” was the University of Arizona grad’s predictable reaction to her new “national heroine” status. “All the support from my family, friends. I have a lot of people here. To play in Spain is always special. To play a Solheim Cup here has been just an unbelievable week. There is nothing like this. To play in Spain in front of your home crowd, and to have my name being chanted was really amazing, very special. It is something that I won’t ever forget.”

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Ciganda’s performance in her 2&1 singles victory over Nelly Korda was not just that she saw off the world’s third-best player, or that she was nicely under par in doing so. No, it was that she achieved all of that knowing the responsibility on her shoulders.

While the unpredictability of 18-hole match play is part of golfing lore, it was clear to all that, for Europe to win — or retain the trophy — Ciganda was going to have to win. For her teammates to amass at least six points from the other 11 matches was not something many would wager on. Indeed, confirmation of that weight on her shoulders was underlined late in the match when Pettersen appeared for a chat. Not that Ciganda was too coherent by the time she and her teammates sat down to talk to the press.

“This was a team effort,” she said. “I’m so proud of everyone here. I can’t remember what I thought when I holed the winning putt. I just went crazy. The Americans excel in singles, they are really good players. But we had a great team and I thought we could do this. The team was ready to go out there, fight and give their best. And we did.

“Suzann came to me on 16,” the two-time LPGA Tour winner LPGA continued. “She came to me, told me to go out and do this in front of your country and in front of your people. Then I hit a great shot. And then 17 was just amazing. To finish like that, I have no words. It’s a week that I’m going to remember forever. I knew what I had to do. I love the captain, I love Suzann and I just really wanted to play good for her. The Americans played amazing as well, so congrats to both teams.”

Fair enough. But special self-congratulation wouldn’t go amiss either. Spain has a new golfing hero to set alongside the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal, Sergio Garcia and Jon Rahm. A “cinco famosos” if you prefer.

The post Spain’s Carlota Ciganda starring role on her home turf ‘something I won’t ever forget’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Starting the day tied at 8-8, after two days of foursomes and fourballs, it all came down to an enthralling final day of singles and the teams tied the session with six points each.

Spanish star Carlota Ciganda holed the putt to win her match and secure the 14th point needed to retain the Cup, which meant that Europe claimed an historic three in a row.

Prior to this match, the overall scoreline was 10-7 in America’s favour. Since the contest began in 1990, Europe had never won three competitions in a row. The US team won three in a row in ’94, ’96 and ’98 and repeated the feat again in ’05, ’07 and ’09.

Speaking to Sky Sports, European Captain Suzann Pettersen, who made the winning putt four years ago at Gleneagles, said: “I think the tears have gone now. I think it was meant to be, Carlota holing the winning putt in Spain. Hedwall played her part. It came down to the wire.”

Hedwall was the player who changed the momentum for Europe. Three down after 12, she turned the match around, winning five of the last six holes against Ally Ewing to clinch a crucial point.

Pettersen said: “It’s going to be a big party tonight.” When asked how she would celebrate, she added: “The Spanish way.”

Here’s how the final day unfolded…

Leona Maguire def. Rose Zhang 4&3

Leona Maguire won her singles match against Rose Zhang 4&3 and put the first point on the board for Europe.

In the second singles match, Zhang won the first hole. The first blue on the board appeared after Maguire’s back-to-back birdies put the Irish star 1 up through 3 holes.

The American won the fourth, but Maguire made a long birdie putt to win the fifth and go 1 up again.

Zhang won the par-3 sixth with a birdie and the match was back to all square before Maguire sank a par putt to win the seventh, go 1 up again.

Maguire won the 10th and 11th before Zhang took the 12th, but on the 13th, Zhang found the penalty area short of the green and then took too much club with her approach and was looking at a five.

Maguire chipped to two feet in three and Zhang didn’t threaten the hole so told Maguire to pick up her marker and she was back to 3 up.

On the next, Maguire then holed an enormous eagle putt uphill from 14 paces to go 4 up after 14.

Her par putt on 15 was conceded and Maguire drew first blood for Europe with her point taking the score to 8-9, putting Europe up for the first time.

Maguire said: “Jessica Korda tweeted the other day that I was annoying at match play, so the goal this week was to be as annoying as possible.

“Suzann made it very clear a couple of months ago that I would be playing five [matches] but I think with the energy of this crowd I could have played 10.”

Megan Khang def. Linn Grant 1 up

The first point on the board for the US came courtesy of Megan Khang, who defeated Linn Grant 1 up.

Playing in the first match, Khang won the opening hole thanks to a birdie on the 299-yard par-4 first.

She led throughout the match and although Grant won the seventh and 12th holes, she handed two back at the 10th and 13th.

Grant holed a clutch birdie putt to win the 16th and was just one down, but, at 18, her eagle putt came up just short and Khang made a winning birdie putt from five feet to win 1 up.

Danielle Kang def. Charley Hull 4&2

Kang won the first hole, but Hull tied the match with a par on the third when Kang missed her putt from close range.

Kang won the sixth, eighth and ninth to go three up, and although Hull won the 10th, Kang went back to three in front thanks to a birdie on the 12th. Kang then won the 16th with a birdie for a comfortable 4&2 victory.

Anna Nordqvist def. Jennifer Kupcho 2&1

Tied through three holes, a par on the fifth was good enough for Nordqvist to take the hole and put Europe 1 up. The European vice-captain also won the sixth and seventh to make it three holes in a row and go 3 up. Kupcho won the eighth and 13th and 14th, but Nordqvist won the 12th and 16th to go 2 up.

On the 17th tee, Nordqvist fired her tee shot to the heart of the green and Kupcho mis-hit her iron under pressure. Nordqvist’s putt for the match was conceded resulting in a 2&1 victory for the playing Vice-Captain and taking the scores to 10-10.

Georgia Hall tied with Andrea Lee

In a closely fought match, Hall birdied the first hole to go 1 up. Lee won the sixth, Hall won the seventh and Lee won the eighth to bring the match back to level.

Although Hall won the 12th and 14th holes, Lee won the 15th and Hall missed birdie chances on the 16th and 17th. The match ended in a tie and the score moved to 10.5 each.

Lilia Vu def. Madelene Sagström 4&3

World number two Vu, pointless up until the singles, had a statement to make and she holed a long putt from five yards on the first to go 1 up against Sagström.

She won five of the first six holes with birdies to go 5 up. Sagström fought back to win the eighth and 10th holes, but Vu won the 11th to get back to 4 up. Sagström won the 13th but Vu closed the match on 15.

Angel Yin def. Celine Boutier 2&1

World No. 5 Boutier won the first to go 1 up, but Californian Yin was pumped, winning the second, third and seventh to go 2 up.

Boutier won the eighth, 11th and 12th, but Yin won 13 and 14 to go 1 up. Boutier won the 15th, but Yin won the 16th and 17th to take the point and the overall tally to 12.5-10.5 in favour of the USA.

Gemma Dryburgh tied with Cheyenne Knight

Scottish rookie Dryburgh holed an enormous putt from 20 yards to win the third hole and then took the fifth and sixth to go 3 up.

Dryburgh lost three holes at the eighth, 15th and 16th and suddenly the match was tied heading to 17. Ewing and Dryburgh matched each other’s scores on 17 and 18 and the match ended in a tie, with the overall scores 13-11 in America’s favour.

Caroline Hedwall def. Ally Ewing 2 up

Ewing had the momentum and was 3 up after 12. Three down with six to play, Hedwall won five of the last six holes to turn the match around in dramatic circumstances.

The heroine of the 2013 Solheim Cup holed a monster putt at the 16th to take the match back to all square.

She then holed another perfectly judged birdie putt downhill on the par-3 17th to go 1 up as a path to Europe potentially retaining the trophy opened up.

At the par-5 18th, Hedwall hit her second shot to the heart of the green. Ewing’s second found the bunker and after her third shot, her ball ran over the green and down a bank. Her fourth shot ran well past the hole and she conceded Hedwall’s eagle putt, the Swede winning 2 up.

With the scores at 13-12, Europe needed to win two of the last three matches to retain the trophy.

Maja Stark def. Allisen Corpuz 2&1

The duo tied the first six holes, but Stark won the seventh and 14th to go 2 up.

She lost the 15th after taking three to get out of a bunker and was back to 1 Up but won the 17th after her putt was conceded.

13-13

The Dream Team #VamosGirls | #SolheimCup2023 | @SolheimCupEuro pic.twitter.com/HO2Loyzn01

— The Solheim Cup (@TheSolheimCup) September 24, 2023

Carlota Ciganda def. Nelly Korda 2&1

At the 299-yard par-4 first hole, world No. 3 Korda, looking to silence the home crowd, played safe with an iron.

World No. 28 Ciganda’s tee shot at the first with a wood landed on the green and rolled over the back, but her chip to the green ran back down the hill. She made a par putt to tie the hole, but then won the second and third to go 2 up.

Korda won the ninth, 10th and 15th to tie the match. The American missed her birdie putt from five feet on 16 and Ciganda holed hers from three feet to go 1 up.

On the 17th, Ciganda hit the most magnificent tee shot to within four feet of the flag. Korda’s ball ended off the green and her chip narrowly missed the hole. She made her par.

After taking a deep breath, Ciganda made her putt to win her match 2&1 and took Europe to the 14 points needed prompting jubilant scenes on the 17th green.

Of all people, it was the popular Spaniard in front of her home fans which meant that Europe claimed a historic three in a row.

Proud of our team

We’ll go after it again in 2024. ?? pic.twitter.com/eEKaRVvLPT

— Solheim Cup Team USA ?? (@SolheimCupUSA) September 24, 2023

Lexi Thompson def. Emily Kristine Pedersen 2&1

In the last match, Pedersen won the first and third holes, but Thompson fought back, winning six holes to get to 4 up, before Pedersen won the 14th with a birdie to be 3 down.

Pedersen then won the 15th with a par after Thompson missed the hole, but 2 up with two to play, Thompson won her match 2&1 for the final score of 14-14.

Main image: LET

The post Team Europe retain Solheim Cup on dramatic final day in Spain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Tied on eight points apiece, the American and European teams really do have all to play for to settle a struggle that has morphed from a US rout into a closely fought battle that could go either way. All of which is in sharp contrast to 1998, 2000 and 2017, the three occasions when one side (both have done so) established an almost unassailable five-point advantage.

Indeed, the early 4-0 lead established by the visitors on Friday morning has gradually been eroded and finally eliminated by a 3-1 “victory” for the Europeans in the Saturday afternoon fourballs. There is much then to look forward to, a theme both captains were keen to embrace at the end of a long day in the Spanish sunshine.

“I am out of words but we have to remember we are not there yet,” said a still excited European captain, Suzann Pettersen. “There are 12 points up for grabs tomorrow. Now we must put it into fifth gear and keep going. The last match this afternoon (a 2&1 victory for Carlota Ciganda and Linn Grant over Danielle Kang and world No. 2, Lilia Vu) was unbelievable. The desire, the passion, the putts.

“It keeps happening every time,” she continued. “Linn is born for this and Carlota brings her A-game to Spain. Incredible. Now we have to get the singles line-up right. We went woman power today in the afternoon and it paid off. Look where it started. The way our team has pulled back from a rough Friday morning has been impressive. We’ve had three great sessions in a row. We gave them a head start, but now we’re even and have great momentum.”

As for Stacy Lewis, the American skipper was putting a brave face on the seemingly inexorable slide her players have endured since their heady beginning. Her faith in analytics when it comes to her pairings remains unbowed.

“We’re in a good spot,” she insisted. “We would like to have won a few more points today. But the girls played really good. The Europeans were just a shot or two better here and there. The stats have been so beneficial this week. We just have to keep believing in what we are working on. We have to trust that going into the singles. Yes, momentum goes to Europe. But I like our momentum too. It’s all a perspective thing. Internally, I’m really happy with how everyone played and the position we are in. My message tomorrow will be: go take care of your point.”

As an aside, the on-going mystery that has been the health status and actual whereabouts of Charley Hull since a not-so pretty outing in the opening foursomes on Friday morning took another turn. Finally showing face, the 28-year-old Englishwoman made a triumphant comeback to the proceedings by joining the redoubtable Leona Maguire in a rousing 4&3 fourball win over Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing. Finally revealing the source and extent of the rumored injury her captain has been consistently denying while leaving one of her star players on the sidelines, Hull told all.

“I sprained my neck earlier in the week, sort of facet sprain, and it still hurts a little bit,” she said. “I actually picked up my bag last week and that kind of started it. Then I done it from sleeping on the plane over here as well. So, yeah, it’s been pretty sore. It’s probably about 70, 80 per cent now and hopefully it’s good for tomorrow. I kind of had to change my swing a little bit to kind of account for it. But it’s gotten a lot better. I felt like playing with Leona today. It was great fun. She’s always in the game and making it better, so it was great.”

In conclusion, let’s go “all Stacy Lewis” for a few paragraphs of statistics that may or may not live up to their close relationship with lies and not actually mean anything at all. Then again, they just might. Be your own judge.

After roaring off to that now almost-forgotten 4-0 lead Friday morning, the US team have won only three of the 12 matches since. If ownership of momentum is to be what we see in our crystal ball, then it is firmly in the hands of the home team, no matter what Lewis says.

“Sometimes you just need a little bit of talking to, so then you know where to go and you get back to square one and then you start over,” said Emily Kristine Pedersen, who alongside Madelene Sagstrom was an approximate 10-under par in seeing off Rose Zhang and Andrea Lee on Saturday afternoon. “That’s what we did. I’m so proud of everyone on the team for picking ourselves up, picking each other up. At no stage has there been a down mood. There’s been no disbelief from the team, even after the first matches.”

On another hand, heading into the 12 singles matches, history offers only indistinct hints as to what may occur on the final day. While European teams have lost in head-to-head play at only one of the last six Solheim Cups, two of those matches ended 6-6 and, in total, the Europe holds only a slender one-point edge, 36.5-35.5, over the course of those 72 singles encounters. It could hardly be closer.

So we must look elsewhere for omens. Here’s one. Since the turn of the century, the team entering the singles with any kind of advantage has always gone on to claim the trophy. So America it is then. Or is it? Maybe. Maybe not, given the fact that 12 of the 16 matches — three in each series of play — contested over the last two days have gone to the 17th green or beyond. It really is that tight between two clearly evenly matched teams.

If we go even deeper, and even more contemporary, three members of the American team — Megan Khang, Allisen Corpuz and Cheyenne Knight — will enter the upcoming singles unbeaten over the last two days. That figure is matched by three Europeans who have yet to taste defeat: the relatively lightly used pair of Gemma Dryburgh and Madelene Sagstrom, as well as the home heroine, Ciganda.

The Spaniard is joint top-scorer for the European team so far alongside Grant, having achieved victory in each of her three outings. By way of comparison, only Khang and Corpuz on the US side have so far garnered more than two points. Both have two wins and a half from three outings.

Still, perhaps the most significant factor over the final 18 holes will be how much fuel each player has left in her tank over a course whose steeply-sloping reputation for heart-stopping energy-sapping is well-earned. Lewis lived up to her pre-match promise and sent none of her players out in all four of the pairs matches. Pettersen rode her strongest horses harder; Leona Maguire. Emily Kristine Pedersen and Linn Grant are all destined to tee up five times.

All of which tells us only one thing for sure. If 2023 follows the pattern set by the most recent Solheim Cups, the final day is definitely going to be fascinating to watch.

If only that was easier to do so without the aid of a Sherpa guide, strong ropes and cramp-ons. Which, sadly, is only a slight exaggeration.

Main image: Stuart Franklin

The post Europeans erase US lead, head into Sunday singles tied 8-8 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

That notion was confirmed when Hull was announced as being paired with Leona Maguire for the first game out of Day 2’s afternoon session, which was surely reassuring from a European point of view. Hull hasn’t been spotted on the mountainous Finca Cortesin course, inside the ropes at least, since the opening morning foursomes. Alongside Emily Kristine Pedersen the now six-time Solheim Cupper played notably poorly in a 5&4 loss to Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight. Since then, nothing, apart from conflicting and confusing news regarding Hull’s physical condition.

If European captain Suzann Pettersen is to be believed, those Friday morning foursomes pairings were revealed to the players as early as Monday evening. Yet, two full days later, Hull was telling Sky Sports that she was struggling with a shoulder injury and was at just “80 per cent or so” of her full capacity.

No matter, Hull duly appeared on the first tee Friday morning, albeit minutes after Pedersen marched past the excited throng gathered to see the players off. It was, to say the least, an odd situation, one Pettersen was clearly unaware of. The 42-year-old Norwegian was seen running back to find Hull, before reappearing maybe two minutes later, the slightly strained looking smile on the captain’s face complimented by a surely significant roll of her eyes.

The Hull mystery continued at the end of play Friday. Having left her out of the afternoon four-balls, Pettersen insisted that “Charley is fine” during the end-of-day press conference. But, minutes later when the pairings for the second morning were released to the media, the runner-up in this year’s US Women’s Open and the AIG Women’s Open was notable once more by her continued absence.

Anyway, the Europeans haven’t been doing too badly without Hull, fighting back from a disastrous 4-0 drubbing in the foursomes to level going into Sunday’s singles. But it is hard to imagine that the European cause has not been hurt by the strange behaviour of the woman who everyone thought would be a strong on-course leader.

The home side showed real character to come back from that opening-morning record thrashing, and have slowly pegged the visitors back, taking the final fourballs on Saturday 3-1 to mean we are all-square going into Sunday’s singles.

Hull got on the board with a 4&3 with with Leona Maguire over Nelly Korda and Ally Ewing to set up a fine afternoon for the Europeans.

Many may feel the US chance has gone along with the momentum, but this tournament has more than a few surprises left up its sleeves.

Main image: Stuart Franklin

The post Charley Hull’s health remains a bit of a mystery as European Solheim Cup team level up appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.