GAINESVILLE, Va. — One of the biggest concerns Team USA captains had coming into the 19th Solheim Cup was the 40-minute bus ride they had each day to and from Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Team vibes can’t be found in the dirt or the data.
When they got on the bus that first day, there weren’t any speakers, noted assistant captain Angela Stanford. That’s when Nelly Korda came to the rescue. The World No. 1 found a speaker and helped turn the bus rides into an epic experience. For the past two nights, players and caddies entered the hotel jamming to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” People in the bar cheered.
“She set the tone for the week,” said Stanford of Korda’s demeanor. “I think when one of your best players is relaxed, it lightens everyone up.”
No one really wanted to talk about pressure entering this week, but the U.S. had never lost four cups in a row. Had the outcome at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club gone differently, the cries of “What’s wrong with Team USA?” would’ve been rung loudly for the next two years.
But that’s not how things went down on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., where Stacy Lewis and her mounds of data set the foundation for a U.S. team that led 10-6 going into singles play.
For a long time, it looked like Lexi Thompson might end her Solheim Cup career by clinching the cup. Such storybook endings are popular at the biennial event. Alas, it wasn’t to be for the player who spent more than a decade as the face of American golf.
Lexi Thompson of Team USA lines up a putt on the second green during single matches against Team Europe during the Solheim Cup 2024 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
That honor went to World No. 2 Lilia Vu, who had 103 yards downwind for her approach shot into the 18th, her least favorite number to hit. Tied going into the final hole against European rookie Albane Valenzuela, Vu looked at the leaderboard and knew she had to deliver. She stuffed it to 18 inches.
“It’s a lot of pressure, but that’s what you work hard for all your life,” said Vu. “This is the moment. That was my moment.”
The final tally of 15½-12½ belies how close it felt out there. Europe actually won the singles session.
“At 2:25 we were still out there having a chance at this remarkable,” said European captain Suzann Pettersen, “and I don’t think the Americans anticipated such a fight from us.”
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