She’s the only player on either side who isn’t currently an active LPGA Tour member. She’s also one of the many veterans that European Captain Suzann Pettersen will look to for leadership throughout these Solheim Cup matches.
Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall was the first player in Solheim Cup history to win every match, all five points in one contest. That was a decade ago, in 2013 in Colorado, the first time Europe won the Solheim Cup on American soil. Hedwall was a captain’s pick that year, just as she had been in 2011 at Killeen Castle in Ireland when Europe also won.
She is a captain’s pick again this year. At age 34 with seven career LET victories, an 8-6-1 Solheim Cup record and as much big-time match-play experience as any player on Pettersen’s squad, Hedwall has earned the respect and deference of her teammates. That was on full display during practice days when the other Swedes looked to her for guidance and many of the younger players stopped and listened whenever she had something to say.
“It’s such a great atmosphere and we’re having a lot of fun on the team,” Hedwall said during her pre-tournament press conference. “It’s just a pleasure to be here. I’m really looking forward to the golf starting on Friday.”
That reads like standard athlete filler, but her earnestness when you hear it shows that Hedwall truly feels honored to be a part of this team. And why wouldn’t she? She was a dark-horse pick, a gut call for Pettersen who knew Hedwall’s heart and her will to get the job done would be critical coming down the stretch. Ironically, Pettersen was, herself, a surprise pick by Captain Catriona Matthew in 2019. That seemingly bold choice turned into one of the most iconic moments in Solheim Cup history.
Many casual fans, especially in America, will be surprised to learn that Hedwall doesn’t play an active LPGA Tour schedule these days. Since 2020, she’s chosen to focus on the LET where she won last year’s Costa del Sol Open de España in Andalucia, just up the road at Alferini Golf Course. That victory was another factor Pettersen no doubt took into account when making her picks.
“Coming back to this area obviously brings back great memories,” Hedwall said of her playoff victory over Morgane Métraux last November. “I’m feeling really comfortable. I like the course a lot and it’s just great to be here.”
In one of her few appearances stateside in the last three years, Hedwall went 3-1…
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