Experience. That’s what U.S. Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster was looking for when deciding who would receive her two captain’s picks for the match in September at Gleneagles. Sunday, Solheim Cup veterans Morgan Pressel and Stacy Lewis each received a call from Inkster letting them know they were being tapped for Team USA.
“They've both been there,” Inkster said about her two picks. “Stacy has had a kid, so she is just coming back but she has actually had a few good tournaments. Morgan, I can just put her with anybody. And the same with Stacy. They just fit right in. With what we are trying to do team-wise, they were just perfect fits."
For anyone following the standings as the team took shape over the last six months, it should come as no surprise that Inkster used her two captain’s picks to add some much-needed experience to a team that includes five rookies - Nelly Korda, Megan Khang, Marina Alex, Brittany Altomare and Annie Park. Just two other members of the team have multiple Solheim Cup appearances: Lexi Thompson and Lizette Salas; and Danielle Kang, Angel Yin and Jessica Korda have each competed just once.
"I just felt like I needed some veteran leadership and a lot of my team wanted them on the team and so those two picks just kind of helped me out," Inkster said about her decision.
Although Inkster knew exactly what she needed, that’s not to say her decision came easy. Who would claim the final spots via the Solheim Cup point standings and Rolex Rankings came down to the final qualifying event, the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, which was completed on Sunday. Inkster said she made her decision Saturday evening.
"It was by far the toughest, no doubt,” said Inkster, who led the U.S. team to victory as captain in 2015 and 2017. “There were just so many scenarios, and so many things to consider. It was just really hard."
Lewis, who missed the cut in Canada, was in Seattle for a sponsor’s event when she got the call from Inkster.
“She said, ‘Are you ready to go?’” Lewis recalled. “I didn’t even have to ask what for.”
It was the first time the four-time Solheim Cup member had to wait for that sort of news. She never had to rely on a pick in previous years, playing her way onto the team in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, and she didn’t want to start relying on one now. One of her biggest goals upon returning from maternity leave after the birth of her daughter in the Fall of 2018 was to play her way onto the team. Despite three top 10s in 2019, Lewis came up short at No. 12 in the Solheim Cup point standings and ranked No. 75 in the Rolex Rankings. But Lewis had exactly what Inkster was looking for. Experience.
“I’m just excited to be the veteran and kind of help get those girls around and kind of help them get ready for what they are going to experience,” Lewis said about the rookies. “I think a lot of the reason why I was picked was for that. Hopefully some of my experiences can bleed off on them.”
Lewis spoke often with Inkster in the lead up to the team being finalized. Not to make a case for her own selection, but about the rookies. Lewis served as another set of eyes and ears for Inkster. She played practice rounds with potential team members and rookies to provide feedback to the captain. Then, Lewis got paired with Altomare at the Evian Championship in July and was blown away when the Solheim Cup rookie made nine birdies during the opening round.
“I think she will be a calming force and a quiet assassin,” Lewis said about Altomare. “It’s just getting her ready and handling the nerves and the pressure of the situation. That’s kind of the unknown of your rookies but sometimes people play better under those circumstances.”
Like Lewis, Pressel brings a wealth of experience to Team USA. The five-time member of Team USA failed to make the team in 2017, but Pressel rediscovered a spark in her game by reuniting with former instructor Martin Hall. Pressel has posted four top 10s in 2019, including a run at the season’s final major championship, the AIG Women’s British Open, where she finished fourth. That certainly caught Inkster’s attention.
“It’s definitely an honor to play for Juli,” Pressel said about being selected for Team USA. “I got the opportunity to do that in 2015 and I am very excited to be on the team again this year.”
What’s unique about Pressel’s experience competing in the Solheim Cup are the number of years she’s competed overseas. Anyone who has competed in the event acknowledges the difference between playing at home and playing on foreign soil. Pressel has competed in three Solheim Cups in Europe and was a member of the U.S. team that won back the Cup for Inkster in Germany in 2015. In September, the Solheim Cup heads to Gleneagles in Scotland, where Team USA will no doubt be inundated with chants of ‘Olé Olé Olé.’
“It’s definitely more of a challenge for the team as a whole playing on foreign soil,” Pressel acknowledged. “But I think that just having that experience and knowing what to expect, explaining that to players who have never played in a Solheim Cup or have never played overseas, will hopefully be helpful.”
The fresh faces on Team USA signal a new era for American golf as this crop of players will become the Lewises and Pressels of the future. Working together, they’re hoping to bridge the gap between the past and present and retain the cup for captain Inkster for the third consecutive match.
“There is nothing quite like being a rookie and seeing it all for the first time with fresh eyes,” Pressel said. “I think it shows the future of American golf is very strong and I’m just excited to share the week with all of them and fight for our captains.”
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