Team Europe looks to claim a third consecutive victory over Team USA in the Solheim Cup; Watch the opening ceremony live on Thursday from 5pm on Sky Sports Golf, ahead of live coverage of day one from 6.30am
Tuesday 19 September 2023 07:01, UK
Can Europe make history this week at Finca Cortesin? Will Team USA return to winning ways on away soil? We look at some of this week's biggest storylines and why you won't want to miss the Solheim Cup, live on Sky Sports…
Team Europe has consistently entered the biennial contest as underdogs, given the strength of the American side over the years, although the narrative has changed ahead of this year's contest.
The hosts come into the event off the back of consecutive wins, with Catriona Matthew leading them to a dramatic 14.5-13.5 success at Gleneagles in 2019 before an impressive 15-13 win in America two years ago, with Europe now looking for a third straight win for the first time ever.
Nine of Suzann Pettersen's 12 player line-up have featured in at least one of those victories, with eight of them survivors of the 2021 win in Ohio, while all three rookies have won on either the LPGA Tour or Ladies European Tour over the past 12 months.
Pettersen and her side have been talking up this year's crop as potentially the strongest they've had at their disposal, with a mix of major champions, rising stars and Solheim Cup stalwarts all combining to bring an exciting line-up packed with talent.
Eight of Europe's side have experience of playing in multiple Solheim Cups, with the total 31 appearances across the team more than double the number played by their American counterparts.
In contrast, only of three of the American team remain from their most recent Solheim Cup success in 2017, while Lexi Thompson is the only player involved in Stacy Lewis' line-up who also was part of the 2015 victory on European soil.
USA's total of five rookies includes two of year's major champions in Lilia Vu and Allisen Corpuz, although the average age of the team at the time of qualification was 25.83 and nearly two-and-a-half years younger than their opponents.
Team golf experience certainly doesn't guarantee success, as Europe's Ryder Cup team found out at Whistling Straits in 2021 when Steve Stricker's Team USA prevailed by a record-breaking 19-9 margin, although it could be a factor in deciding which team lifts the trophy.
Team USA has the world's top two players in their squad, with two-time major winner Lilia Vu joined by Nelly Korda, although the disparity between the two sides in terms of world ranking is as close as it has ever been.
The average Rolex World Ranking of Team Europe at the time of qualification was 42.25 compared to USA's 24.42, but the numbers are skewed slightly by Emily Pedersen and Caroline Hedwall coming from outside the world's top 100.
Europe has the advantage of players inside the world's top 20, with five playing compared to the American's four, with both teams containing several golfers who have impressed in majors during recent months.
Celine Boutier claimed a breakthrough major win at the Evian Championship and Charley Hull is a two-time runner-up in majors this year, cementing both as world top 10 players, with both now hoping to feature in a third consecutive European victory this week.
Team USA has seen LPGA Tour success over the past few months, with Megan Khang winning the CPKC Women's Open, Cheyenne Knight prevailing at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational and Rose Zhang making a winning start to her professional career at the Mizuho Americas Open.
Vu and Corpuz have collected three of the five majors on offer between them, and Nelly Korda has been a winner on the Ladies European Tour in 2023, but Solheim Cup stalwart Thompson is among those coming into the event in questionable form.
Thompson has only made three of 11 cuts on the LPGA Tour this season as has finished no higher than tied-19th, with the 28-year-old only earning her spot via her Rolex World Ranking after a disappointing campaign.
Andrea Lee has produced a string of steady finishes but has been no higher than ninth at any point this season, while Danielle Kang comes into her fourth Solheim Cup appearance with just three top-10s this season.
Drama is likely from the very first hole, with tournament organisers rearranging the layout of Finca Cortesin to begin proceedings with a risk-reward driveable par-four.
The 295-yard par-four first has water left and short of the green and is typically the course's fourth, with the hole like to see everything from birdies and eagles to very big numbers.
It is one of several changes to the early part of the course, with the traditional fourth, fifth and sixth playing as the first three holes, the usual third hole played as the fourth and the Solheim Cup's fifth hole being Finca Cortesin's usual first.
The 11th hole will play as a par-four rather than a par-five, which means the 6,318-yard course will play as a par-71, with 109 bunkers set to test players on an undulating layout and water coming into play on three of the holes.
Who will win the 2023 Solheim Cup? Watch exclusively live this September on Sky Sports! Live coverage from the opening ceremony begins at 5pm on Thursday September 21, with the opening day's play live on the Friday from 6.30am. Stream the Solheim Cup and more with NOW.
