Solheim Cup: Must-win for Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson, Team USA?

The Solheim Cup returns to the United States this week, and the home team faces a tremendous amount of pressure.

Not only will this mark Lexi Thompson’s final appearance in this historic event, but the U.S. team has not won a Solheim Cup since 2017. The Americans have lost three in a row to Team Europe, who won by the slimmest of margins a year ago at Finca Cortesín in Andalucía, Spain.

Team USA also has three players ranked within the top 10 of the Rolex Rankings, while Europe only boasts one in Celine Boutier, the Frenchwoman who is currently 10th in the world. Having more top players means you have a bigger target on your back, something the U.S. always seems to have despite the results showing otherwise.

Nevertheless, this is a tournament the United States cannot lose.

They have the best player in the world in Nelly Korda, who, earlier this year, won five straight tournaments and added a sixth victory at Liberty National in May. Korda came close to grabbing another win at St. Andrews during the AIG Women’s Open a few weeks ago, but some mistakes down the stretch cost her a shot at a third career major title.

Photo by John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images

American Lilia Vu, the second-ranked player in the world, also had a chance to nab the hardware on the Old Course, but she fell two shots short of champion Lydia Ko. Still, Vu has had an impressive season given her ailments. Back problems troubled her throughout the spring, forcing her to miss nearly three months. She even withdrew from the U.S. Women’s Open in late May, which she hoped to play in. But in her first event after her absence in mid-June, Vu won the Meijer Classic, defeating Thompson and Grace Kim in a thrilling playoff. She also posted a T-2 finish at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship the following week, proving that her game can once again compete against anyone.

The U.S. must rely on Korda and Vu this week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, which will host the Solheim Cup for the first time. Located 30 miles west of Washington, DC, this club hosted the first Presidents Cup competition in 1994 and held three more in 1996, 2000, and 2005. The Americans went 4-0 in those events, and the women hope to make it 5-0 in team competitions across the board this week.

They should do so, given that, in addition to Korda and Vu, they also have young phenom Rose Zhang, currently the 10th-ranked player in the Rolex Rankings.

However, this American team has a poor record in the Solheim Cup, whereas the Europeans do not. Team USA has combined to play in 22 previous Solheim Cups, posting a poor 20-36-17 record. They have earned 37.5 total points. Europe, meanwhile, has much more experience and success.

This year’s European team has combined to play in 37 cups while winning an incredible 79 points—more than twice as much as the Americans. The Euros have done that while facing a significant deficit in skill, too, making that all the more impressive. That trend continues this year: the average Rolex Ranking of this year’s American squad is 26.75, while the average for the Europeans is 40.5.

So, with all of this in mind, is this a must-win?

I say so.

But let us know what you think in the comments below.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.