Any player looking to make the U.S. or European teams for the 14th Solheim Cup in September is on red alert heading into next week’s LPGA Tour event.
We are 20 tournaments into the 2015 season, and only two more remain before the cutoff for this year’s squads. Next week’s Cambia Portland Classic and the Canada Pacific Women’s Open, Aug. 20-23 in Vancouver, are the final events in which players can earn Solheim Cup points, and the standings are tight for anyone close to the “bubble.”
For the Americans, two-time and reigning Rolex Player of the Year Stacy Lewis is the clear-cut team leader with 1,009.5 points, with Lexi Thompson in second with 681.5. Cristie Kerr (481.5), Michelle Wie (463.5 points) and Brittany Lincicome (440.5) round out the top five and are all virtual locks for the 12-member team. Morgan Pressel (380.5), Angela Stanford (326.5) and Gerina Piller (318.5) are relatively safe in spots six through eight, but then it gets interesting.
Lizette Salas (291.5) and Brittany Lang (277.5) have moved up the standings in the past four events, with Lang climbing into a tie with Paula Creamer (277.5) for the 10th and final automatic spot. Jessica Korda (12th with 259) is right in the mix, while Austin Ernst (13th with 191.5) and Mo Martin (14th with 173) are still mathematically alive to make the team on their own.
There are 120 possible points remaining, but a player would have to win each of the next two tournaments to take in that kind of massive haul. Captain Juli Inkster will likely lose some sleep over her two picks, and a player who has won a tournament in the last two years may be left at home when the team takes off for Germany.
Points are awarded to top-20 finishers, so players will need to be on top of their games in the coming weeks if they are to catch Inkster’s eye or move up the rankings.
The same goes for the European side, which has the Ladies European Tour’s Tipsport Golf Masters kicking off in the Czech Republic on Friday. Suzann Pettersen of Norway leads the standings with 241 points. France’s Gwladys Nocera is second with 183, England’s Charley Hull is third with 158 and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist stands fourth with 132.05. LET Order of Merit leader Melissa Reid is on the outside looking in with 124.83 points, while Spain’s Carlota Ciganda is sixth with 112.67.
The next four team members are based on the Rolex Women’s Golf World Rankings, with Azahara Munoz (ESP), Sandra Gal (GER), Catriona Matthew (SCO) and Ciganda currently holding onto the automatic qualifying spots. France’s Karine Icher and Germany’s Caroline Masson are next in the Rolex rankings and both have previous Solheim Cup experience, so they likely could be two of Captain Carin Koch’s five captain’s picks.
Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, who became the first player to go 5-0 in a Solheim Cup when she was perfect in 2013, has struggled this year and is 91st on the LPGA Tour money list, but is playing in Portland next week and is expected to be a Captain’s pick because of her match-play prowess.
Regardless of how the final tallies play out, the three-day event is going to be another epic battle for the ages when it takes place Sept. 18-20 in St. Leon-Rot, Germany. The sport’s preeminent women’s match play event will be here in no time.
)
)
)
)
