Solheim Cup Picks: Best bets as Europe takes on USA in Malaga

We have the Solheim Cup on the cards this week and our resident golf writer Jamie Broadhurst is on hand to preview the action and provide us with his best bets.

Unfortunately, last week’s preview drew a blank for us. Courtesy of a nine on the Par 5 17th hole from Shane Lowry to give away four shots and drop him out of contention. A rather disappointing week after what promised so much after the first two rounds, especially with Top-20 tip Masahiro Kawamura sitting well inside the Top-20 for three rounds, then proceeded to fall away badly on Sunday.

The eventual winner was the talented New Zealander Ryan Fox at -18 to move to number 31 in the Official World Golf Rankings. This was his third victory on the DP World Tour within the last 18 months but by far the biggest of his career as the BMW PGA Championship is perhaps the biggest event on the DP World Tour.

Solheim Cup 2023

These next two weeks I will be bringing you readers something different as the bi-annual team events for both male and female golfers are occurring. I am talking of course about the Solheim Cup and the Ryder Cup, where the European Team will face the American side on both occasions.

First up this week is the turn of the women to battle it out for the Solheim Cup in Spain before the men compete for the Ryder Cup next week in Italy.

This will be the 18th edition of the Solheim Cup, and this year it is situated in the city of Malaga in Spain. The two teams will be led by team captains Suzann Pettersen for Europe and Stacy Lewis for the United States.

Format

The Solheim Cup is played over three days, with a different style of match play played each day.

Friday Morning – 4 x Foursome matches
Friday Afternoon – 4 x Fourball matches

Saturday Morning – 4 x Foursome matches
Saturday Afternoon – 4 x Fourball matches

Sunday – 12 x Singles matches

Foursome matches (Alternate Shot)
This format is literally what it is called. Each player will take it in turns in the pair to hit different shots with the one ball. For example, the first player will tee off, the second player will then hit the second shot and then this will carry on until the hole is complete.

Fourball matches (Betterball)
In this format, each person in the group will play their own ball until the hole is complete. The player with the lowest score out of the pair will use their score on the scorecard.

Singles matches
Going into Sunday, the captains from each side will choose an order that their 12 golfers will go out in and this will then form the 12 matches. Tactics will definitely come into play here, so the captains need to choose their order carefully to spread the quality players throughout the list to keep up momentum throughout the matches.

Finca Cortesin 

• Par 72
• 7480 yards
• 5 x Par 3s – ranging from 177-247 yards
• 8 x Par 4s – ranging from 333-494 yards
• 5 x Par 5s - ranging from 495-626 yards
• Tree lined fairways
• Undulations throughout the course
• Massive greenside bunkering

The Finca Cortesin course is not a regular on any of the tours by any stretch of the imagination. It has been used three times as far as I can see and that was on the European Tour (as it was at the time) from 2009-2012 for the men’s Volvo World Match Play Championships. Winners of these three renewals were Ross Fisher, Ian Poulter and Nicolas Colsaerts.

Set in the hills of the Andalucia region, the course is filled with vast undulations on both fairways and greens which players will have to hit in the right areas for sure if they want to hold them in regulation. The trees that surround these tricky fairways are thick and dense, missing the fairway this week will not be pretty and will most likely penalize the golfers at least one stroke as they attempt to navigate out of them.

Putting will always be a massive factor in match play and this is the biggest stage of them all for these 24 ladies, with some rookies in the mix who will surely be feeling the nerves this week. The greens are mostly a fair size this week, with most of them meandering between deep bunkers. Avoiding these tricky bunkers is the play of the week and reading the numerous slopes correctly that lie on these fast Bermuda greens.

Recent Solheim Cup Results

2022 – Europe Wins 15-13 (Played at Inverness Club, USA)
2019 – Europe Wins 14 ½ - 13 ½ (Played at Gleneagles, Scotland)
2018 – USA Wins 16 ½ - 11 ½ (Played at Des Moines Golf and CC, USA)
2017 – USA Wins 14 ½ - 13 ½ (Played at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot, Germany)
2016 – Europe Wins 18-10 (Played at Colorado GC, USA)

European Team 

• Suzann Pettersen – Captain
• Laura Davies – Vice Captain
• Caroline Martens – Vice Captain
• Anna Nordqvist – Playing Vice Captain
• Celine Boutier
• Maja Stark
• Linn Grant
• Charley Hull
• Carlota Ciganda
• Georgia Hall
• Leona Maguire
• Caroline Hedwall – Captain Pick
• Madelene Sagstrom – Captain Pick
• Gemma Dryburgh – Captain Pick
• Emily Kristine Pedersen – Captain Pick

USA Team

• Stacy Lewis – Captain
• Morgan Pressel – Vice Captain
• Natalie Gulbis – Vice Captain
• Angela Stanford – Vice Captain
• Lilia Vu
• Nelly Korda
• Allisen Corpuz
• Megan Khang
• Jennifer Kupcho
• Danielle Kang
• Andrea Lee
• Lexi Thompson
• Rose Zhang
• Ally Ewing – Captain Pick
• Cheyenne Knight – Captain Pick
• Angel Yin – Captain Pick

Selections

We are in for a cracking week for the Solheim Cup, I have four selections this week! 12pts in total this week. Different markets but I will advise in brackets which one I have backed them in.

Celine Boutier (Top European Point Scorer) +600
Recent Form – 22-16-1-1-3
Solheim Cup Form – 5 Wins, 1 Loss, 1 Halved

What a great year Celine is having, six top-10 finishes and three wins with the Ladies Scottish Open probably being the biggest coup out of the three. Due to this, she is Number One in the Race to CME points list for the year by some margin. Fourth for Sand Saves on Tour this year, 14th for Greens in Regulation and 15th for Scoring Average on the LPGA Tour is great viewing for the challenge that she will face this week in Spain. The form player in the Europe side, I had to take her this week with this being her third Solheim appearance where she had real success the first two times round.

Charley Hull (Top European Point Scorer) +600
Recent Form – 2-26-2-35-2
Solheim Cup record – 11 Wins, 5 Loss, 3 Halved

Charley is coming here after a consistent period of golf with three second places in the last three months, with two of those being in the British and US Opens. A big player for the big stage for sure. The course this week will really suit Hull for me, the tree lined fairways, the large greens, the undulations, it really sets up as a proper European test where she thrives. Eight for Putting Average this year on the Tour will be more than enough to earn points here this week along with being 10th for Scoring Average. Back the experienced English woman this week!

Nelly Korda (Top US Point Scorer) +450
Recent Form – 14-32-11-9
Solheim Cup Form – 5 Wins, 2 Losses, 1 Halved

World Number three Nelly Korda is the second highest ranked golfer on the American team behind Lilia Vu. Nelly comes with class and experience on the LPGA Tour however, and has some massive wins under her belt for sure. 11th of the Race to CME Globe this year, where she has had a massive seven Top-10s in 15 starts this year. She does not do much wrong either when looking at the stats, 16th for Driving Distance, 20th for Greens in Regulation, 20th for Putting and 7th for Scoring Average is great reading for sure!

Team Europe to win outright +100
Solheim Cup Form – W-W-L-L-W-W

Team Europe are going for three in a row this year and punters must surely wanting to back the home team! Europe have a history of great team morale compared to the Americans, in both the Men’s and Women’s game, I can see nothing other than a repeat of the last two years here this week in Spain. Having five players in the World’s Top-20 Rankings is a great position to be going into a Solheim, filled with major champions including ones from this year too! I believe this year is Europe's strongest team I have seen for a few years!