By: Max Bechtoldt
Team Europe grinded out a tie in the 2023 Solheim Cup, thus retaining the Cup for the next year. They did it the European golf way, with a lot of veteran leadership and production from unexpected places. Here are my grades for every player on Team Europe:
CARLOTA CIGANDA (Record – 4-0-0) : A+
Just when it looked like the United States had taken control of the event, Ciganda delivered in her home country, hitting two beautiful iron shots on 16 and 17 to defeat Nelly Korda and clinch the cup. Ciganda played terrific all week, never trailing in a single match. The only reason she is only an A+ is I can’t give her any higher.
LEONA MAGUIRE (Record – 3-2-0) : A
Maguire’s record here is a bit misleading to how she actually performed in the event. Both of her losses came in foursomes, a format where the player isn’t in total control, and came to buzzsaw American pairings. When Maguire got her chance to shine though, she was incredible. Highlights include shooting -7 thru 15 on her own ball in Saturday fourball and defeating Rose Zhang 4&3 on Sunday. Another dominant week for Europe’s new unquestioned leader.
CAROLINE HEDWALL (Record – 1-1) : A-
There was a fair amount of pressure on Hedwall to perform, as she was a shocking captain pick. Though she didn’t play until Saturday afternoon, she delivered when she was called. In her fourball loss alongside Anna Nordqvist, Hedwall carried that team through the front nine, and was a major reason the match reached 18. On Sunday she trailed Ally Ewing by three strokes on the back nine, but rallied with birdies on five of the final six holes to win.
EMILY PEDERSEN (Record – 2-2-1) : A-
Like Hedwall, Pedersen had a lot of pressure to perform as a shocking selection, but like Hedwall she delivered. Pedersen played in all four matches, and shook off a dreadful first session to put on a ball-striking clinic the rest of the week. While she lost her Sunday singles match to Lexi Thompson, she rallied well on the back nine, and if the result hadn’t been decided yet, I think she could have continued that rally to maybe a halve. Pedersen also had the second hole-in-one in Solheim Cup history. An unexpectedly big week for Pedersen.
MAJA STARK (Record – 2-1-1) : B+
Probably one of the names on team Europe that American fans are less familiar with, that is probably not the case anymore. In the opening match of the entire Solheim Cup Stark and Linn Grant fell to Thompson and Megan Khang, but the rally her and Grant put together really lit a fire under both. Stark was hitting clutch putts all week and grabbed a late Sunday win over one of the United States’ best performers, Allisen Corpuz.
LINN GRANT (Record – 3-2-0) : B+
The last European with a winning record, going into Sunday she was in play for being Europe’s MVP. Grant formed a powerful fourball group with fellow Sun Devil Ciganda, winning both matches in that format. She also formed a solid foursomes partnership with countrywoman Maja Stark, a partnership we will likely see for years to come. On Sunday she laid a bit of an egg against Megan Khang, but Khang was probably the United States’ MVP all week, so I give her a slight break for it.
ANNA NORDQVIST (Record – 1-3-0) : B-
I will always reward a player who shows up on Sunday when it matters most, and that is what Anna Nordqvist did. Despite her game being in pretty bad shape on the first two days, losing twice alongside Maguire and once with Hedwall, she opened a big lead against Jennifer Kupcho in singles. The finish wasn’t exactly pretty, with Kupcho mounting a late rally, but Nordqvist still put a blue win on the board.
MADELENE SAGSTRÖM (Record – 1-1-1) : B-
A really forgettable performance by Sagström in this Solheim Cup, but not necessarily a bad output. On the course only for fourballs, Sagström got her first career doubles win alongside Pedersen on Saturday, and grinded out a halve with Gemma Dryburgh on Friday. On Sunday she was crushed by Lilia Vu, but it wasn’t really anything she had control of as Vu played a two-time major winner type of round. All in all, like her perfectly balanced record, it was a very average performance.
GEMMA DRYBURGH (Record – 0-0-2) : C+
One of just two players on Europe with a zero in the win column, but also one of two with a zero in the loss column. Dryburgh had one standout moment on Friday, when she hit in from off the green on 16, a shot that really breathed life into the crowd and the rest of the team. It was important too, late in a tight match. On Sunday she looked mostly in control, but faltered at the end as Cheyenne Knight battled out a halve. The biggest question I see out of this week for either team is why Dryburgh didn’t play more.
CHARLEY HULL (Record -1-2-0) : C
The next three are here for a combination of their performances weighed with expectations. I give Hull a break because of her injured neck, but it was a pretty rough week. After getting demolished in the first session, she was carried to a win in Saturday fourballs by Maguire. On Sunday she really never had a fighting chance against Danielle Kang and her red-hot putter. All in all, a week to remember but a performance to forget.
GEORGIA HALL (Record – 1-2-1) : C
Things were just not clicking for Hall this week. Despite being undoubtedly one of the most feared players from Europe, and historically a good Solheim performer, Hall was a let down. She did get a fourball victory on Friday alongside Maguire, but Maguire once again kind of carried her especially on the back nine. The pairing with Celine Boutier lost all of its luster as well despite it being the best pairing in the past for Europe. She did get a halve against Andrea Lee on Sunday, but had a 2UP lead standing on the 15 tee, so even that result was a major disappointment.
CELINE BOUTIER (Record – 0-3-0) : D
I won’t give anyone an F on the week, but Boutier without a doubt was the closest for either team. Coming into the week not only as the highest ranked European in the world, but also with the second best European win percentage in the Solheim Cup, this was a shocking week. Her and Hall never got anything clicking going 0-2 together, including a blowout loss to Korda and Corpuz. On Sunday she took the match to 17 against Angel Yin, but was overpowered, and the loss really gave the Americans a huge spark. The most impressive thing about Europe’s retaining is how well the team played without Hull, Hall or Boutier performing.
