The 2024 Solheim Cup was the 19th edition of the Solheim Cup matches, held September 13–15 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia, United States.[1][2] The Solheim Cup is a biennial team competition between the top women professional golfers from Europe and the United States. The Solheim Cup returned to even-numbered years in 2024, the first time since 2002 after the Ryder Cup returned to an odd-year schedule after 2020, as competition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
 | |||||
| Dates | September 13–15, 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Robert Trent Jones Golf Club | ||||
| Location | Gainesville, Virginia, U.S. | ||||
| Captains |
| ||||
| |||||
| United States wins the Solheim Cup | |||||
| Location map | |||||
  Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Location in United States  Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Location in Virginia | |||||
The previous U.S. competition in 2021 was won by Europe, 15 points to 13.[4] Europe retained the cup in Spain in 2023 after a tie of 14 points to 14.[5]
The United States won by a score of 151⁄2 to 121⁄2, their first win since 2017.[6]
Format
editThe competition is a three-day match play event between teams of 12 players with a similar format to the Ryder Cup, with each match worth one point. The format is as follows:[7]
- Day 1 (Friday): Four foursomes (alternate shot) matches in a morning session and four fourball (better ball) matches in an afternoon session. A total of eight players from each team participate in each session.
- Day 2 (Saturday): Four foursomes matches in a morning session and four fourball matches in an afternoon session. A total of eight players from each team participate in each session.
- Day 3 (Sunday): 12 singles matches. All 12 players from each team participate.
With a total of 28 points, 141⁄2 points are required to win the Cup, and 14 points are required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches are played to a maximum of 18 holes. If the score is even after 18 holes, each team earns one-half point.[8]
Team qualification and selection
editTeam Europe
editIn order to be eligible to be a member of the European team, players were required to:
- be current members of the Ladies European Tour in any category or membership;
- have played in eight Ranking Events (excluding the Excluded Championships) during the Qualifying Period as a member of the LET, unless the relevant player has been selected by the appointed captain for the 2023 European Team;
- be a "European national". To be a "European national", the player must satisfy the criteria set out in the "Nationality Policy" issued by the International Golf Federation.[9]
Team Europe was made up of eight automatic qualifiers – the top two players from the LET Solheim Cup standings, followed by the top six LET members on the Women's World Golf Rankings who were not already qualified via the Solheim Cup standings – and four captain's selections.
Team USA
editIn order to be eligible to be a member of the United States team, players were required to be current members of the LPGA Tour and meet one of these three citizenship criteria:
- U.S. citizens by birth, regardless of their birthplace.
- Those who were naturalized as U.S. citizens before age 18.
- Those who became U.S. citizens by adoption before age 13.[10]
Team USA was made up of nine automatic qualifiers – the leading seven players from the LPGA Solheim Cup points rankings and the top two players in the Women's World Golf Rankings not already qualified via the points rankings – and three chosen by the team captain. LPGA Solheim Cup points were earned for top-20 finishes on the LPGA Tour over a two-year period.[11]
Teams
edit2023 captains Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen will reprise their roles at the 2024 cup.[12]
Lewis appointed Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford, Paula Creamer and Brittany Lincicome assistant captains.[13]
 Team USA
| |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Age | Points rank[14] |
Rolex ranking[15] |
Previous appearances |
Matches | W–L–H | Winning percentage |
| Nelly Korda | 26 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 7–4–1 | 62.50% |
| Lilia Vu | 26 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1–3–0 | 25.00% |
| Lauren Coughlin | 31 | 3 | 14 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Ally Ewing | 31 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 12 | 3–8–1 | 29.17% |
| Allisen Corpuz | 26 | 5 | 28 | 1 | 4 | 2–1–1 | 62.50% |
| Megan Khang | 26 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 4–3–3 | 55.00% |
| Andrea Lee | 26 | 7 | 43 | 1 | 4 | 1–2–1 | 37.50% |
| Rose Zhang | 21 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0–2–1 | 16.67% |
| Alison Lee | 29 | 10 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 1–3–0 | 25.00% |
| Sarah Schmelzel (P) | 30 | 11 | 61 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Jennifer Kupcho (P) | 27 | 12 | 53 | 2 | 7 | 2–3–2 | 42.86% |
| Lexi Thompson (P) | 29 | 14 | 46 | 6 | 23 | 9–7–7 | 54.35% |
Pettersen named Anna Nordqvist (playing vice-captain), Laura Davies, Caroline Martens and Mel Reid as her vice captains.[18]
 Team Europe
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Country | Age | Points rank[19] |
Rolex ranking[15] |
Previous appearances |
Matches | W–L–H | Winning percentage |
| Charley Hull |  England
|
28 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 22 | 12–7–3 | 61.36% |
| Esther Henseleit |  Germany
|
25 | 2 | 30 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Céline Boutier |  France
|
30 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 5–4–1 | 55.00% |
| Maja Stark |  Sweden
|
24 | 4 | 26 | 1 | 4 | 2–1–1 | 62.50% |
| Linn Grant | Sweden
|
25 | 3 | 27 | 1 | 5 | 3–2–0 | 60.00% |
| Leona Maguire |  Ireland
|
29 | 20 | 33 | 2 | 10 | 7–2–1 | 75.00% |
| Carlota Ciganda |  Spain
|
34 | 6 | 34 | 6 | 23 | 11–8–4 | 56.52% |
| Madelene Sagström | Sweden
|
31 | 43 | 39 | 3 | 9 | 3–5–1 | 38.89% |
| Georgia Hall (P) | England
|
28 | 23 | 41 | 4 | 17 | 8–7–2 | 52.94% |
| Anna Nordqvist (P) | Sweden
|
37 | 45 | 71 | 8 | 31 | 15–13–3 | 53.23% |
| Albane Valenzuela (P) |  Switzerland
|
26 | 48 | 62 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Emily Kristine Pedersen (P) |  Denmark
|
28 | 56 | 103 | 3 | 12 | 5–6–1 | 45.83% |
Source:[20]
Ages on first day of matches, September 13; Rolex rankings at team selection. Captain's picks (P) shown in yellow.
Day one
editFriday, September 13, 2024
Morning foursomes
edit|
|
Results |
|
|---|---|---|
| Corpuz/Korda |  3 & 2
|
Henseleit/Hull |
| Coughlin/Zhang | 3 & 2
|
Boutier/Valenzuela |
| Ewing/Kupcho |  2 up
|
Pedersen/Stark |
| Schmelzel/Vu | 3 & 2
|
Ciganda/Grant |
| 3 | Session | 1 |
| 3 | Overall | 1 |
Afternoon four-ball
edit|
|
Results |
|
|---|---|---|
| Korda/Khang | 6 & 4
|
Hall/Maguire |
| Al. Lee/Thompson | 6 & 5
|
Nordqvist/Sagström |
| Coughlin/Schmelzel | 3 & 2
|
Pedersen/Stark |
| An. Lee/Zhang | 5 & 4
|
Grant/Hull |
| 3 | Session | 1 |
| 6 | Overall | 2 |
Logistical issues
editThe first day of play was overshadowed by major logistical issues that prevented many fans from reaching the course. Robert Trent Jones Golf Club (RTJ) is located in a private residential community served by a single road off U.S. 29. The LPGA, which is responsible for on-site operations when the Solheim Cup is held in the U.S., used Jiffy Lube Live, a nearby concert venue, as a paid parking facility, and intended to shuttle fans to RTJ. However, due to a lack of buses, many spectators were kept in line for hours, and portable bathrooms installed at Jiffy Lube Live were locked. According to one report, the first buses were intended to be loaded at 5:45 am, 15 minutes before the club gates opened, but no buses were present in the parking lot until 6:10 am—and the first three buses were reserved for volunteers who needed to get to their posts. Logistical issues were also evident on the night before play started; after the opening ceremony and a subsequent concert, fans had to wait as long as 21⁄2 hours for buses to take them back to Jiffy Lube Live.[21][22][23]
Day two
editSaturday, September 14, 2024
Morning foursomes
edit|
|
Results |
|
|---|---|---|
| Corpuz/Korda | 1 up
|
Ciganda/Pedersen |
| Ewing/Kupcho | 1 up
|
Henseleit/Hull |
| Coughlin/Thompson | 4 & 3
|
Hall/Stark |
| Schmelzel/Vu | 4 & 3
|
Boutier/Nordqvist |
| 2 | Session | 2 |
| 8 | Overall | 4 |
Afternoon four-ball
edit|
|
Results |
|
|---|---|---|
| Khang/Al. Lee | 4 & 3
|
Nordqvist/Sagström |
| An. Lee/Zhang | 6 & 4
|
Boutier/Grant |
| Ewing/Thompson | 2 & 1
|
Ciganda/Pedersen |
| Corpuz/Vu | 2 up
|
Hall/Hull |
| 2 | Session | 2 |
| 10 | Overall | 6 |
Day three
editSunday, September 15, 2024
Singles
edit|
|
Results |
|
|---|---|---|
| Nelly Korda | 6 & 4
|
Charley Hull |
| Megan Khang | 6 & 5
|
Emily Kristine Pedersen |
| Alison Lee | 4 & 3
|
Georgia Hall |
| Allisen Corpuz | 4 & 3
|
Anna Nordqvist |
| Rose Zhang | 6 & 4
|
Carlota Ciganda |
| Andrea Lee | halved | Esther Henseleit |
| Lexi Thompson | 1 up
|
Céline Boutier |
| Lauren Coughlin | halved | Maja Stark |
| Lilia Vu | halved | Albane Valenzuela |
| Sarah Schmelzel | 1 up
|
Madelene Sagström |
| Ally Ewing | 4 & 3
|
Leona Maguire |
| Jennifer Kupcho | 2 & 1
|
Linn Grant |
| 51⁄2 | Session | 61⁄2 |
| 151⁄2 | Overall | 121⁄2 |
Individual player records
editEach entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player.
United States
edit| Player | Points | Overall | Singles | Foursomes | Fourballs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allisen Corpuz | 3 | 3–1–0 | 1–0–0 | 2–0–0 | 0–1–0 |
| Lauren Coughlin | 3.5 | 3–0–1 | 0–0–1 | 2–0–0 | 1–0–0 |
| Ally Ewing | 0 | 0–4–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–2–0 | 0–1–0 |
| Megan Khang | 3 | 3–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 2–0–0 |
| Nelly Korda | 3 | 3–1–0 | 0–1–0 | 2–0–0 | 1–0–0 |
| Jennifer Kupcho | 1 | 1–2–0 | 1–0–0 | 0–2–0 | 0–0–0 |
| Alison Lee | 1 | 1–2–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–0–0 | 1–1–0 |
| Andrea Lee | 2.5 | 2–0–1 | 0–0–1 | 0–0–0 | 2–0–0 |
| Sarah Schmelzel | 2 | 2–2–0 | 0–1–0 | 1–1–0 | 1–0–0 |
| Lexi Thompson | 1 | 1–3–0 | 0–1–0 | 1–0–0 | 0–2–0 |
| Lilia Vu | 1.5 | 1–2–1 | 0–0–1 | 1–1–0 | 0–1–0 |
| Rose Zhang | 4 | 4–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2–0–0 |
Europe
edit| Player | Points | Overall | Singles | Foursomes | Fourballs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Céline Boutier | 2 | 2–2–0 | 1–0–0 | 1–1–0 | 0–1–0 |
| Carlota Ciganda | 1 | 1–3–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–2–0 | 1–0–0 |
| Linn Grant | 0 | 0–4–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–2–0 |
| Georgia Hall | 2 | 2–2–0 | 1–0–0 | 0–1–0 | 1–1–0 |
| Esther Henseleit | 1.5 | 1–1–1 | 0–0–1 | 1–1–0 | 0–0–0 |
| Charley Hull | 3 | 3–2–0 | 1–0–0 | 1–1–0 | 1–1–0 |
| Leona Maguire | 1 | 1–1–0 | 1–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 0–1–0 |
| Anna Nordqvist | 2 | 2–2–0 | 0–1–0 | 1–0–0 | 1–1–0 |
| Emily Kristine Pedersen | 2 | 2–3–0 | 0–1–0 | 1–1–0 | 1–1–0 |
| Madelene Sagström | 2 | 2–1–0 | 1–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 1–1–0 |
| Maja Stark | 1.5 | 1–2–1 | 0–0–1 | 1–1–0 | 0–1–0 |
| Albane Valenzuela | .5 | 0–1–1 | 0–0–1 | 0–1–0 | 0–0–0 |
References
edit- ^ "The Solheim Cup 2024". Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "Official Dates, Points Structure Unveiled for 2024 Solheim Cup". LPGA Tour. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "Solheim Cup to Move to Even Years Starting in 2024". LPGA Tour. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "Europe retain Solheim Cup after thrilling victory over USA". The Guardian. September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
- ^ Bantock, Jack (September 24, 2023). "Europe retains Solheim Cup after stunning comeback against USA". CNN. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "USA win Solheim Cup 2024: final-day singles – as it happened". The Guardian. September 15, 2024.
- ^ "Official Dates, Points Structure Unveiled for 2024 Solheim Cup". LPGA Tour. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ "Solheim Cup format, terminology". ESPN. September 9, 2003. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ "The 2023 Solheim Cup European Team Qualification" (PDF). Solheim Cup 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "Solheim eligibility criteria changing for U.S. team". Golf Channel. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ^ "Solheim Cup". LPGA. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "Solheim Cup: Suzann Pettersen confirmed as Team Europe captain for 2024 contest in Virginia, USA". Sky Sports. February 21, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
- ^ Kellam, Sarah (February 20, 2024). "2024 Solheim Cup: Meet the U.S. Team's Four Assistant Captains". LPGA Tour. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Solheim Cup Team USA Standings". LPGA. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ a b "World Rankings on 26 August 2024". Rolex World Rankings. August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "Nine Automatic Qualifiers Named for 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup Team". LPGA. August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Solheim Cup: Meet the U.S. Team". LPGA. August 27, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "Mel Reid returning as Solheim Cup vice captain for Europe". ESPN. Reuters. February 28, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Solheim Cup Team Europe Standings". Ladies European Tour. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "2024 Solheim Cup: Meet the European Team". Ladies European Tour. August 26, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ Nichols, Beth Ann (September 13, 2024). "Solheim Cup shuttle debacle shows LPGA not ready for prime time". GolfWeek. USA Today. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Nuckols, Ben (September 13, 2024). "Solheim Cup begins with half-empty grandstands and fans stuck waiting for buses to course". Associated Press. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ "LPGA commissioner takes blame for Solheim Cup transportation issues". ESPN.com. September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.