From this Friday, the Finca Cortesín golf course in Málaga will host the nineteenth edition of the Solheim Cup, the golf competition in which teams from Europe and the United States compete and which is being held for the first time in Spain and in which the Europeans, with Carlota Ciganda, representing national golf, is looking for a historic threesome.
The spectacular field in the city of Casares is already wearing its best clothes to welcome the best players of the Old Continent and the Americans, who will fight to win a trophy born in 1990 and currently held by the Americans with 10-10 players is dominated. 7.
And like the Ryder Cup, this event also has a different flavor as it is played in teams and features the always attractive “match play”, which ensures excitement and excitement throughout the three days of play, divided into the well-known “fours” format. “ and “Fourballs” on Friday and Saturday as well as the decisive individual duels on Sunday.
Europe wants to make history and add its eighth victory to its record. Suzann Pettersen’s captains have won both the last two editions very narrowly (15-13 in 20-21 and 14.5-13.5 in 2019), and now they will try to achieve their third win in a row, what has never happened before. achieved, unlike his rival who strung together triplets between 2005-2009 and 1994-1998.
The Europeans have raised their level in this Solheim Cup and are the dominant players this decade with four wins out of six possible against the Americans, who, as usual, compete with a strong team with three players in the “Top 10” in the world: Lilia Vu ( 2), Nelly Korda (3) and Allisen Corpuz (9). Directed by Stacey Lewis and starring Megan Khang, Jennifer Kupcho, Danielle Kang, Andrea Lee, Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang, Angel Yin, Ally Ewing and Cheyenne Knight, there will be five new additions (Vu, Corpus, Knight, Zhang and Lee). . ).
For its part, Europe, which wants to continue achieving the record, is led by the French Céline Boutier and the English Charley Hull, fifth and eighth in the world respectively, who are accompanied by the Swedes Maja Stark, Anna Nordqvist, Caroline Hedwall, Linn Grant and Madelene Sagstrom, Charley Hull, also from England, Leona Maguire and Georgia Hall, the Scottish Gemma Dryburgh, the Danish Emily Kristine Pedersen and the Spanish Carlota Ciganda.
The 33-year-old Navarrese golfer will be the representative of Spanish golf at a Solheim Cup, which she already knows since she will be part of the European team for the sixth time in her career, all consecutively, and is one of Pettersen’s veterans. His resume includes seven wins, four draws and eight defeats.
The Spaniard made it clear that winning this competition at home was “the best” of her “dreams”. “It would be a lasting memory in my life. “On paper I think that with the world ranking we have, it is the strongest team ever, we have eight players in the top 15 in the world,” she said at a press conference.
An opinion shared by Stacey Lewis. “I think Europe is the favorite. They have won the last two editions, we are on their soil and they have a great team that has a lot of experience in this event. If you look at history, it doesn’t bode well for us, but I love our chances. “I love our freshmen, I think they are going to have a great week and I hope to surprise a lot of people,” he warned.
“I think we are all very ready and I don’t think there is anything to hide. We have the strongest team I have ever been on and that is based on the great performances of all the players over the last few years. With good results, there are also expectations, but these girls are prepared,” said Suzann Pettersen.
