By: Max Bechtoldt
While the Europeans had a rough time throughout the first two sessions, they battled back hard to make the 2024 Solheim Cup interesting on Sunday, falling 15 1/2 – 12 1/2. While that score doesn’t seem too close, it felt much tighter. Here are my grades for everyone on Team Europe:
Charley Hull – A-
Hull, unsurprisingly, was the high point of the European team. One of only two Europeans with a winning record (3-2), Hull played all five sessions and was the heart and soul of the team. The high point of her Solheim Cup was dismantling the No. 1 player in the world Nelly Korda, who was in terrific form all week.
Celine Boutier – B+
For the first couple of days, Boutier was having another relatively quiet Solheim Cup. That all changed during Sunday singles though, as Boutier roared back from three down to defeat Lexi Thompson in a pivotal match. Boutier’s grade improved a ton with her Sunday performance, and her 2-2 record was still one of the best for Europe.
Anna Nordqvist – B+
While Nordqvist lost her singles match to Allisen Corpuz in pretty brutal fashion, coming into Sunday I think you could argue she was Europe’s best competitor. Her Friday four ball performance was one of the few positive moments from the disastrous first day for Europe.
Madelene Sagström – B
Sagström finally left a Solheim Cup with a winning record for the first time in her career at 2-1. While she struggled mightily throughout the front nine of her Friday four ball match with Anna Nordqvist, she did come up with some clutch holes on the back nine to seal that route over Alison Lee and Lexi Thompson. On Sunday, she fought off some miraculous shots from Sarah Schmelzel to earn a full point, even if it ended after the Solheim Cup was already clinched.
Georgia Hall – B
Hall came roaring back from a disastrous Solheim Cup start to finishing solidly with a 2-2 record. Her crushing of Alison Lee in Sunday singles was an important early blue point on the board for Europe. While she struggled on the back nine in her Saturday four ball win alongside Charley Hull, she was the better performer in that match on the front side.
Esther Henseleit – B-
The Solheim Cup rookie was a bit of a mixed bag this week, as evidenced by her 1-1-1 record, we saw a bit of everything. She had some phenomenal shots and clutch putts, but also we saw her with some crucial mistakes. She did help Charley Hull get a point on the board in Saturday foursomes and tied her match with Andrea Lee on Sunday. While that was a pivotal moment for the Americans, at least Henseleit held on to the halve.
Maja Stark – B-
Once again, Stark’s Solheim Cup was a bit of a roller coaster. She did get the first European point on the board in Friday foursomes alongside Emily Pedersen. Her putter was pretty strong in that match despite being streaky throughout the week. She finished 1-2-1 for the event but held off the United States’s clinching point with an incredible putt to halve her match with Lauren Coughlin.
Carlota Ciganda – C+
There were moments where Carlota Ciganda looked like the Solheim Cup competitor she was in 2023. This was particularly evident in her Saturday four ball performance where she made seven birdies to defeat Lexi Thompson and Ally Ewing. She also got crushed by Rose Zhang in Sunday singles 6&4 in a match that didn’t feel all that close. Ciganda’s competitiveness is unmatched, but her performance was just okay and her 1-3 record wasn’t going to get it done.
Leona Maguire – C+
Maguire’s grade isn’t necessarily her fault, it is more on captain Suzann Pettersen inexplicably only playing her for two sessions. Admittedly, her first time out in Friday four ball alongside Georgia Hall was a mess, but to go away from your best match play competitor was strange to say the least. She did come roaring back in Sunday singles though, leaving no doubt against Ally Ewing and proving that she probably should’ve been out there more.
Emily Pedersen – C
Emily Pedersen did gain two points, going 2-3 for the week, but even that feels a bit misleading. In her two wins I would say she was the weaker player of the two. While I do appreciate some of her incredible shot-making ability that was on display throughout the week, and her stamina to reliably go out for all five sessions, she never really got it going this year. This all came together in her Sunday singles match, where she got crushed by Megan Khang from the first hole.
Albane Valenzuela – C
It was kind of a nothing week for the Solheim Cup rookie, as she only played two rounds and earned just half a point. She did hold her own in a tough matchup against Lilia Vu on Sunday, scratching out a halve with the No. 2 player in the world. While she had a 2 up lead with two holes to play, and surrendered the winning half point to the United States, it is tough to blame her as Vu just hit some incredible shots down the stretch.
Linn Grant – D
There was absolutely nothing going for Linn Grant this week, finishing 0-4 after a really strong performance in 2023. I was a bit confused with some of her pairings, I would’ve liked to see Pettersen go back to that pairing with Carlota Ciganda that worked so well in 2023, but there’s still no strong explanation for this performance other than it being an off week. The one positive to take away from it is that in the anchor match against Kupcho, she held in it until the Solheim Cup was already decided, and had some really strong holes in the middle of that round.
