Europe won the Solheim Cup for the first time on American soil at the Colorado Golf Club. The biennial competition had been held six previous times in the United States and the Americans had won each time.
This was the 13th Solheim Cup and Team USA had dominated Team Europe. Before the last Solheim Cup was held in Ireland in 2011 the United States had won eight of the 11 cups by substantial margins. Media and golf fans alike were saying it wasn’t a fair fight.
Europe simply did not have the number of world class players necessary to compete against seasoned LPGA Tour talent.
Team Europe took these comments seriously and used them to outclass the USA in the 2011 Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle in Ireland by a score of 15-13.
European team captain Liselotte Neumann brought six rookies to the 2013 Solheim Cup. One of them, 17-year-old Charley Huff had not won on any professional tour and is in her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour.
Hull finished with a 2-1-0 record in the 2013 Solheim Cup and appears to be a star in the making. America will be seeing much more of this young lady. LPGA Tour sponsor’s exemptions are already filling up her email inbox.
Conventional wisdom among golf prognosticators did not give the European rookies a chance. Team USA led by Stacy Lewis, Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer would simply be too much for a group of rookies from Europe to handle.
Captain Neumann’s rookies proved to be more than adequate and were her secret weapon. The six rookies made up 50 percent of the European team. Combined they were 12-5-2 and earned 67 percent of the Team Europe’s 18 points.
The Europeans have now captured the last two Solheim Cups and won this one in a convincing manner, 18-10. Their win was assured when Team USA failed to win a single point in Saturday afternoon fourballs. The fourballs was expected to be the American’s strongest.
Europe even extended the five-point lead they held after Saturday by winning 7.5 of the 12 points in the Sunday singles matches.
Once again the European rookies came up big. Charley Hull smashed Paula Creamer 5-4. Carlota Ciganda beat match-play specialist Morgan Pressel 4-2. Jodi Shadoff handled Brittany Lincicome and Beatriz Recari bested Angela Stanford. Giulia Sergas halved her match with Jessica Korda. Caroline Masson was the only European rookie to lose her singles match.
Official rulings added some spice to the competition and will be used for lockerroom fodder in future Solheim Cups.
Team Europe has become a force and with the youthful contingent of their team should be strong going forward.
The 2015 Solheim Cup will be held in Germany. Is it too early to start discussing possible match-ups?