The IX: Golf Thursday with Carly Grenfell, August 8, 2019
By The IX Team
Solheim Cup Hype — Solheim Captain Insights — Must-click links in women's golf
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The Pressure Is On
We’re getting closer and closer to the 2019 Solheim Cup! This is probably the most prestigious event on the LPGA and can be compared to what the Ryder Cup is on the PGA TOUR—Europe versus the United States every two years, and the location changes from being held in the United States and Europe. This year, it’s being held at Gleneagles in Scotland. The teams go head-to-head in match play format: foursome and four-ball matches on the first two days and singles matches on the last day.
The United States is coming off two consecutive victories in 2017 and 2015, but Europe won the two Solheim Cups before that in 2011 and 2013. The 2017 was actually hosted in Des Moines, Iowa and I was working in Des Moines at the time! It was a very cool event to volunteer at and watch in person. Really awesome crowds and makes for a fun and rowdier environment than your typical golf event. Juli Inkster, the Captain of the United States team, will lead the charge now for her third straight Solheim Cup. Definitely no shortage of experience at the helm for the Americans.
On the other hand, this will be the first time Catriona Matthew serves as Captain. For a first-year Captain, the European players surely aren’t making it easy on her! While there are a handful that have already qualified or are nearly a lock-in, there’s also a few others in the running to be selected as Captain’s picks.
Check out the link collection and interview section below with even more insight on this front. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting anxious to see who both Captains end up picking! It seems Inkster has a lot of young players and could use a player or two who knows what the Solheim Cup is all about. And, not to mention, someone to help lead the young guns around the course on foreign soil.
I really enjoy golf as a team sport. Although I’m biased coming from a basketball background, I think it provides an edge that golf is sometimes missing or at least gets lost in the mix. I’ve always felt like your avid golf fans are really easy to please and keep entertained. But for the casual golfer or golf fan, events like the Solheim Cup and the Ryder Cup sell themselves in getting new people to watch. It’s an entirely different dynamic and level of excitement when your teammate is relying on you to make a putt or come through with a great shot out of a bunker. It’s like being passed the ball for a game-winning shot at the buzzer for every shot. Yes, please!
The Solheim Cup, and how the teams are shaping up, has really been the main chatter around women’s golf this week. Matthew will make her picks early next week, and Inkster will have a full team two events from now—after the Scottish Open this week and CP Women’s Open in Canada the week after that, August 19-25.
I’ll definitely be back with more information next week on Solheim as Team Europe is finalized and we see how the finish shakes out at the Scottish Open this week!
This Week in Women’s Golf
Reminder: First, the underlined words are the links. Second. CLICK these, even if you’ve already read them. Clicks = Attention from editors, producers and webmasters. Third, if you want to push out stuff you’ve written or read, email me! carlygrenfell@gmail.com
This golfer had never played an LPGA event before and went on to win A MAJOR.
Seriously, you should read up on this story that came out of the British Open last week.
This LPGA rookie will forever be praised for having the best swing in golf.
Lydia Ko’s former swing coach sounds off on her allegedly ‘crazy’ parents.
The struggles continue for Lydia Ko, the former World No. 1.
Here’s a breakdown of how much money each golfer eared at the British Open.
Here’s what’s going on at the Scottish Open, which teed off today!
Don’t rule out Suzann Pettersen for Solheim Cup.
This hopeful professional golfer has logged over 10,000 miles this summer.
This weekend is the final push for the 2019 Solheim Cup!
The USGA announced a rule that will benefit amateurs immensely.
The U.S. Women’s Amateur is underway and history is being written by this player.
Here’s everything you may have missed from the U.S. Women’s Amateur so far.
This a great breakdown of how Europe and the US Solheim teams are shaping up.
Tweet of the Week
Five at The IX: Catriona Matthew & Juli Inkster
As you can probably tell, Solheim Cup excitement is ramping up with the last chance to earn points and qualify this weekend at the Scottish Open. Both Captains are faced with really tough decisions when it comes to the Captain’s picks, as Europe and the United States each have a handful of players who are deserving. Here are some great quotes from the past week that speaks to what may lie ahead in their teams’ future!
Juli Inkster: “It’s really coming down to my Captain’s picks, I only have two and I have some players that are playing well and others that aren’t into form yet and have a couple more weeks…It’s going to be tough. This is probably my toughest Captain’s picks that I’ve ever had to do.” (Via Golf Channel)
Catriona Matthew: “I’m looking at a slightly smaller pool (in the race for wild cards), but you have to be ready for that unexpected result. Obviously I’ve got my eye on a few people. As a player, I kind of know some of them haven’t had the results over the last couple of weeks that they would have liked and know they have to put in a big week this week. I think everyone hopefully knows what they need to do.” (Via The Herald Scottland)
Juli Inkster: “Cristie Kerr has been a staple on the Solheim Cup team ever since I started playing. Morgan (Pressel) has been on the team many times and Stacy (Lewis) has been a staple. Stacy just had a baby last November, so I’m giving her a little more of a pass. But I need to see some good scores from those two, especially in Canada to see if they can put some things together.” (Via Golf Channel)
Catriona Matthew: “Bronte’s played really well hasn’t she? I mean ranked 22 in the world; she’s in with a pretty good chance. I haven’t played a lot with her but she’s been really consistent off the tee, a really good putter. And she’s a really good fighter, you can see that from her amateur matchplay record. In certain situations she seems to hole a putt at the right moment to keep it all together. She’s got the right personality, too. You can sense she wants it [the pick]. There are a lot of them wanting a spot but, yes, she’s up for it.” (Via The Telegraph)
Juli Inkster: “Yeah, it’s tough, because I have a lot of rookies, but I have to pick the two best player who can help the team. I can’t do it by name. I have to do it by how they’re playing, and how they match up with the team. I have to have a reason to pick a player, and I want those players to give me a reason.” (Via Golf Channel)
