The captains of the two teams facing off in the Solheim Cup will also have an exciting battle behind the scenes at Finca Cortesín, with the aim of leading their respective teams to victory. Excitement is in the air
The European captain, Suzann Pettersen, and the American, Stacy Lewis, have made thirteen appearances as players in the Solheim Cup, but, curiously, they have never played against each other in this tournament, neither in pairs nor in singles.
Perhaps because of this and because they are both new to the position, there is great expectation to see how they will perform in the Solheim Cup to be played at Finca Cortesin, in Andalusia, from 18th to 24th September.
In the case of Pettersen, her nine appearances at the Solheim Cup make her the second player with the most editions played, along with Scotland’s Catriona Matthew and three of the 12 tournaments played by England’s Laura Davies, one of this year’s vice-captains.
After those nine participations, not forgetting two others in which she was vice-captain, the Norwegian golfer has become the fourth player with the most matches played (36), the third with the most matches won (18) and the fourth with the most points scored (21).
In the balance of Four Ball matches, Pettersen has played the third most games (13) and among them, she has won the most along with Laura Davies (9) and scored the second most points (10.5).
Her numbers in Foursomes matches also make her one of the most outstanding European players in the competition, as she is third in matches played (14) and has won the third most matches (7).
As for her record in individual matches, the Scandinavian is the second European golfer with the most matches played (9), in which she won two, lost four and drew six.
It was precisely in her last individual match at the 2019 Solheim Cup in Scotland that Pettersen made her name in this tournament even bigger, as her victory over Marina Alex sealed Europe’s victory, something that had not happened since 2013. After that edition, the player from Oslo announced her retirement as a professional golfer.
Lewis, meanwhile, is still active and has four participations in the Solheim Cup, which could have been five if the American had not suffered an injury in the 2019 edition that prevented her from being part of the team, in addition to another edition in which she served as vice-captain.
In those editions, the Ohio player completed a total of 16 matches, winning four, losing 10 and drawing one. In Four Ball matches she has a balance of four played, with three wins and one loss; in Foursomes she has a total of eight, with two wins and six losses; and in singles, of her four matches she has lost three and drawn one.
Lewis is one of the players with the most wins in Four Balls matches, with two, and therefore one of the most points she has scored in those matches, also with two.
Beyond the Solheim Cup, both captains are tied in Grand Slam tournaments won, with two each, and in total, Pettersen accumulated 21 professional tournaments to Lewis’s 13 to date.
Finally, the American golfer reached number one in the world ranking on two occasions, while the Norwegian came very close to achieving it by reaching second place in the world ranking.
With this data, there is no doubt that the Solheim Cup, which is about to be played on the Costa del Sol, will not only be decided in the matches between the 12 players from each team, but will also be decided by the side whose captain makes the best decisions, chooses the best strategy and best transmits her philosophy.
The Solheim Cup 2023, an event of exceptional public interest whose official venue is Finca Cortesin, is sponsored by PING, Costa del Sol Tourism and Rolex as global partners; and by the Consejería de Turismo, Cultura y Deporte de la Junta de Andalucía, with co-financing from the European Union, Acosol, the Marbella Town Hall and the Benahavís Town Hall as official partners, and Casares Town Hall and Reale Seguros are official sponsors. Solán de Cabras, Eversheds Sutherland, Toro, Vithas, E-Z-GO, Jet Set Sports and Olin are official suppliers. BMW Automotor Premium is official sustainability car. Peninsula and Trablisa are sustainability partners. Marca and Radio Marca are official media. Promoted and organised by Deporte & Business. LET, LPGA, RFEG, CSD and RFGA collaborate in its organisation.
More information on the website www.solheimcup2023.eu, on the Twitter account @SolheimCup2023, on the Instagram account @solheimcup2023esp and on the Facebook page Solheim Cup 2023.
