By: Max Bechtoldt
Every season, Midland Country Club in Michigan hosts the most unique event on the LPGA Tour schedule. The Dow Championship. The tournament consists of teams instead of just individuals, playing a combination of fourball and foursomes. The event takes place in two weeks and while we don’t have confirmation of any of the teams (though the listing order on the LPGA site does give some insight), we do have a listing of the individuals. So, here I will make some team predictions for some of the potential duos I would expect to play well:
MATILDA CASTREN and KELLY TAN
While on paper this might not be a standout team, in practice they prove how much chemistry can matter in this format. These two have been the runner-up in each of the last two seasons. They clearly enjoy playing together and the energy is infectious. Just a couple years ago Castren was the maid of honor for Tan, and Tan is returning the favor in Castren’s upcoming wedding. While they may not be the biggest names on the board, its hard to see them not contending again and both have been open about how much they love this event.
CHARLEY HULL and GEORGIA HALL
Both Hall and Hull appear to be in the field, so I would heavily expect the two to pair up. These two have made a combined 10 Solheim Cup teams and will be the two English representatives at the 2024 Olympic Games. They have known each other for awhile and both bring a lot of experience to the table. Hull is currently ranked No. 9 in the world while Hall has fallen to No. 36. Hull has never played this event before, but I don’t expect a big adjustment period for a player of her quality.
CELINE BOUTIER and YUKA SASO
The only team with two top-10 players in the world that I feel confident in predicting at the moment, they played well in 2023 so why not run it back? Since their third-place finish last year, both have won a major and jumped high in the world rankings. They have somewhat contrasting games, Saso being the longer hitter, but both can bring it on the greens as Yuka showed at the U.S. Women’s Open. Saso seemed to bring a bit more fun and emotion out of the normally stoic Boutier and the pairing worked well overall.
LINN GRANT and CARLOTA CIGANDA
This is one where I am using the LPGA website order to make a guess on one of the teams, and this would make sense. Grant and Ciganda teamed up twice in the 2023 Solheim Cup and won both of those matches. Unless something crazy happens, they will likely both be in the Washington D.C. area once again in 2024 for the event. This is a team I could see being a really strong force, as one of the best and most talented teams on paper.
ALEXA PANO and ROSE ZHANG
Once again, looking at some of the tea leaves that may be present on the website, it appears Zhang and Pano may be teeing it up together here. This pairing again would make sense, both are among the youngest players on the LPGA Tour, and they would fit the bill of last year’s champions Szokol and Knight. Two young players, one (Zhang) with some winning experience. If Zhang and Pano were to play well together, it could open the door to Pano being a Solheim Cup selection and potential pairing with Zhang.
