By: Max Bechtoldt
September was a busy month on the LPGA Tour, with four events being played, including the Solheim Cup. Here is a rundown of everything that happened in the month.
At the Portland Classic, 19-year-old Chanettee Wannasaen of Thailand became the fourth player under 21 to win on the LPGA Tour this season, joining Alexa Pano, Rose Zhang and Ruoning Yin. Playing as a Monday qualifier, she defeated a stacked leaderboard that saw Yin, Xiyu Lin, Carlota Ciganda, Megan Khang, Ariya Jutanugarn, Linn Grant and Atthaya Thitikul all in the top 10. Wannasaen was the first Monday qualifier to win on tour since Brooke Henderson in 2015 and set the tournament scoring record at -26, buoyed by her final round 63.
The next week over in Cincinnati, two-time major champion Minjee Lee got her first win of the season in a thriller, outlasting Charley Hull in a playoff. This was Lee’s eighth win in her career, and was a bit of redemption after losing in extra holes to Jin Young Ko earlier this year at the Founders Cup. For Hull, incredibly, this marked the fourth time she finished runner up this season, still looking for her first win.
For the first time ever, the Solheim Cup ended in a tie. The tie goes to the reigning champion though in this scenario, as Europe retained the cup. This thanks in large part to an incredible performance from home country hero, Carlota Ciganda. Ciganda went 4-0-0 on the week, and hit two clutch iron shots on 16 and 17 to seal the deal. The United States jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead on Friday morning, but Europe slowly whittled away at the lead, tying it up leading into Sunday singles. The matches were a dead heat on Sunday, 6-6, and Europe gets to hold onto the cup for one more year.
To close out the month, the LPGA made its annual trip to Arkansas for the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. The popular event is known for its embrace of former Razorback athletes, including Stacy Lewis, Maria Fassi and Gaby Lopez. Rookie Hae Ran Ryu finally got her first win, after an impressive 10 top-20 finishes in 2023. With the win, Ryu jumped to the top of the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year standings. She also became the fifth rookie on tour to win this year.
WINNERS OF THE MONTH
- Carlota Ciganda – Ciganda probably had the moment of her career in her home country of Spain, willing the Europeans to retaining the cup. Without her leadership, fire and incredible play, the Europeans probably wouldn’t have been particularly close. To step up the way she did, under the biggest pressure of her career was beyond impressive, and a good reminder of the incredible talent she possesses. Do not be surprised to see her in the winner’s circle again soon.
- Lexi Thompson – It is time to give Thompson some props for how she performed in September. After missing eight out of 10 cuts to start the season, and not placing a top-30 finish, Thompson bounced back well and gained some momentum. In Cincinnati she got her season-high finish tying for 19th, and topped that in Arkansas with her first top-10 of the year. At the Solheim Cup, she was one of the strong points for the Americans, finishing 3-1-0 for the week. These are baby steps for a player of Thompson’s caliber, but they should give her a boost of momentum down the stretch.
- Suzann Pettersen and Stacy Lewis – Pettersen and Lewis stepped into the captains’ positions for the Solheim Cup and didn’t miss a beat all week. While Lewis went for a calculated, stats driven approach, Pettersen went with her gut, and though the methods were drastically different, the results proved successful for both. Lewis rested her players, not sending anyone out for five rounds but getting everyone at least three turns, while Pettersen didn’t use her full team at all times and had some players going on zero rest. Lewis paired her rookies with veterans who could steady the ship, while Pettersen wasn’t afraid to pair her Swedish phenoms Linn Grant and Maja Stark. Lewis picked the top three non-automatic qualifiers, while Pettersen went risky selecting Emily Pedersen and Caroline Hedwall to much criticism. Both Pedersen and Hedwall proved their captain correct with great performances. Lewis strongly led the Americans to their best finish in the Solheim Cup since 2017, while Pettersen fought to a tie with a roster that on paper was much weaker. A+ work for both captains.
ONE LAST THING
The Solheim Cup retaining rule. It is an issue. The Europeans earned the cup by fighting back from a huge deficit against a talented and motivated United States team. But the United States also earned a shot at the win. No other sport lets the biggest event of the season end in a tie. There should be a playoff of some sort to decide who wins. I would think that both teams would want the chance to go out there and earn a true win. This isn’t even a long-standing tradition, as 2023 was the first tie in the history of the event. Something should be done, because after a phenomenal week for women’s golf, that saw one of the most exciting Solheim Cups ever, it was anticlimactic to end the way it did.
