Clash in the Commonwealth with the LPGA to assist in mechanical and operations planning — from determining where media tents and LEFT : Team Captain Stacy Lewis high-fives trucks will go to food and beverage arrangements to
Clash in the Commonwealth with the LPGA to assist in mechanical and operations planning — from determining where media tents and LEFT : Team Captain Stacy Lewis high-fives trucks will go to food and beverage arrangements to
Nelly Korda . where parking will be for spectators .
MIDDLE : Nelly Korda One of the biggest challenges in planning ? Traffic .
BELOW : Team Europe
Having an organized and smooth process for spectators to enter and leave the venue is crucial , and Lee following their historic 2023 win . says there are ongoing conversations on how best to keep traffic flowing , which could include adding hot lanes and expanding I-66 .
RTJ is no stranger to large-scale golf events — the club notably hosted four Presidents Cups , and Lee says that the preparation for the Solheim has been similar . Since its first Presidents Cup in 1994 , RTJ has added more length to the course , and last year , installed a new irrigation system . As the Solheim Cup approaches , RTJ will be shut down for two weeks for the event .
“ Hopefully the exposure will turn more people onto the game of golf , more women onto the game of golf , and truly be able to expand this game ,” Lee said . “ That ’ s what I ’ m really excited to see . The youth , the young girls , others that don ’ t always get exposed to this incredible level of women ’ s golf , to be able to witness it firsthand and hopefully be inspired to take up the game .”
RIGHT : Team Captain Stacy Lewis
The Players ’ Perspective
There are 12 women that will be selected for both Team USA and Europe — the top seven players on each team automatically qualify for the tournament based on the number of points they accumulate at all ranking events during the qualifying period . The top two women on the Rolex Women ’ s World Golf Rankings also receive an automatic place on the team , while the remaining three spots are given to players of the captain ’ s choice .
In 2024 , Suzann Pettersen will captain Team Europe , while Stacy Lewis will once again serve as the captain of Team USA .
“ Stacy really listens to the players ,” said Jessica Korda , who has represented Team USA three times at the Solheim Cup . “ She ’ s really easy to talk to , she ’ s very much involved , day-in and day-out , and her presence on tour is weekly .”
Korda competed at the Solheim Cup in 2013 , 2019 , and 2021 , and was forced to withdraw from the 2015 tournament due to an injury . For her , preparation for the Solheim Cup looked the same as any other tournament up until arriving on location . Korda says practice at the host course consisted of testing out golf balls in preparation for the foursome match , and working closely with teammates .
A favorite Solheim Cup memory ? Playing with her sister Nelly at the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles .
Despite Team USA ’ s loss that year , the Korda sisters dominated , with a combined 6-0-2 record .
Nelly Korda competed in Spain , with the tournament coming down to a singles match between her and Spain ’ s own Carlota Ciganda . Ciganda was undoubtedly Team Europe ’ s star of the weekend , recording an 4-0-0 overall mark . In the end Ciganda was able to secure her team ’ s title in the final singles match against Korda , winning 2 and 1 to forge a dramatic tie between the teams .. Because Europe won the last Solheim Cup in 2021 , defeating the U . S . 15-13 at Inverness Club , it retained the Cup for another cycle .
Next year though , the tides may turn , as the United States will have the home advantage . Korda says it makes a difference — the louder the fans are , the better it is for the players .
“ Anytime you get to put on red , white and blue to represent the United States , it ’ s always an honor ,” Korda said . “ In the U . S ., you
LPGA TOUR / JEFF MARSH
24 V IRGINIA G OLFER | N OVEMBER / D ECEMBER 2023 vsga . org