ATLANTA (AP) — Catriona Matthew of Scotland made her Solheim Cup debut in 1998 at Muirfield Village. She is leaving after 23 years with fairly a legacy.
Matthew had a profession mark of 18-11-8 in her 9 appearances as a participant, during which she had 14 companions in staff matches. She was 2-0 as captain, changing into the primary European captain to win back-to-back.
And now it’s time to go. {Asked} throughout the winner’s news convention about returning, Matthew didn’t hesitate.
“Nope. It’s over to someone else now,” she stated. “We have so many good past players, and I think everyone deserves their chance to be captain.”
Mickey Walker is the one lady to be Solheim Cup captain 4 occasions, and people had been the primary 4 matches courting to the beginning in 1990. Juli Inkster has led the American staff probably the most occasions, going 2-1 as captain.
“I think to be part of the Solheim — I was lucky enough to play in nine and I’ve captained two, and I’ve had a fantastic time,” Matthew stated. “It’s the best week I’ve had every two years, and to have been involved with it now for over 20 years, I’m sure I’ll be there watching. But it’s someone else’s turn.”
Anna Nordqvist recollects watching Matthew play from exterior the ropes as a spectator at Barseback within the 2003 matches in Sweden, after which taking part in alongside her on 5 groups and beneath her on the final two groups.
“Having her as a captain the last two years and seeing the way she has led the team, the way she’s brought all the girls together, hands down this is the best team I think Europe ever had.”
HBCU SUPPORT
The PGA Tour invited its official advertising companions to a discussion board at The Gamers Championship in March to debate methods to strengthen one another’s enterprise. One of many matters was a plan to assist traditionally Black universities and faculties deal with journey bills for the golf staff.
United Airways was .
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan introduced final week that United Airways has pledged a $10,000 grant to every of the 51 males’s and ladies’s HBCU golf applications.
The tour discovered from HBCU applications and analysis that it value about $3,000 to ship a staff to a school match. The grants successfully enable golf applications to compete in two further tournaments. The remainder of the cash could possibly be used for journey to assist with recruiting, one other necessary asset cited by the golf applications.
Monahan stated the golf applications will begin receiving the grants in January.
The tour stated different advertising companions have already got proven an curiosity in contributing to this system.
“We are incredibly excited about the positive responses we’re seeing from our corporate partners in wanting to support HBCU golf programs, and we are confident that this momentum will continue,” Monahan stated.
VIDEO REVIEW
Bryson DeChambeau was spared two photographs within the third spherical of the Tour Championship because of using a digital camera he most likely didn’t know was even there.
DeChambeau pulled his tee shot properly to the left of the 18th fairway at East Lake after which started the frantic seek for the golf ball, which sank to the underside of Bermuda grass.
Nonetheless in operation was one of many cameras used to trace photographs for ShotLink on the adjoining par-3 eleventh inexperienced. Operators from the truck had been ready to return and see that after the ball landed, a spectator picked it up and rapidly walked away.
Solely it wasn’t that easy. Officers then needed to decide if using cameras to determine what had occurred to the ball occurred inside the three minutes DeChambeau was allowed to look. Seems it was properly inside the three minutes, and he obtained a free drop as an alternative of getting to return to the 18th tee and play his third shot.
The cameras alongside fairways and greens have changed the lasers on the bottom that had been monitoring each shot from each participant. The PGA Tour now's hopeful to have the ability to use cameras in different conditions, similar to whether or not a ball is embedded or landed in a pitch mark, and even the place it crossed a hazard if there’s a query.
ROOKIE RACE
The race for PGA Tour rookie of the 12 months is likely one of the smallest ever, and it’s mildly shocking there’s even a race in any respect.
As a result of COVID-19 pandemic that shut down golf for 3 months final 12 months, the PGA Tour determined to have a “double season” for the Korn Ferry Tour, with factors gathered by means of the top of 2021. That meant no commencement to the PGA Tour and thus no rookies.
After which there have been two. Will Zalatoris certified as a rookie when he achieved particular short-term membership in simply 5 begins, starting together with his tie for sixth within the U.S. Open. With a runner-up end on the Masters as eight high 10s, he’s virtually a shoo-in for the Arnold Palmer Award.
His competitors is Garrick Higgo of South Africa, who turned a member (and a rookie) by profitable the Palmetto Championship at Congaree in South Carolina.
JAPAN QUANDRY
Harris English would like to play in Japan, and he likes taking part in within the fall. He’s simply unsure that is one of the best 12 months for it.
English was amongst those that stuffed out his paperwork to journey to the Zozo Championship for Oct. 21-24. Is {that a} sensible journey? His plan is to play the 2 weeks in Las Vegas previous Japan, together with the CJ Cup that has moved from South Korea for the second 12 months.
“So it’s a little tough going from the CJ Cup and flying straight to Japan, getting there on Tuesday,” he stated.
English has a title to defend in December on the QBE Shootout with Matt Kuchar (they're going for a document fourth title), and he can anticipate to be within the Bahamas the earlier week for the Hero World Problem. He additionally lives at Sea Island, host of the RSM Basic.
“I don’t know when I’m going to take some weeks off,” English stated. “There’s a lot of tournaments I want to play. I would love to go to Japan. I’ve never played golf in Japan. It’s just trying to find if the schedule works.”
DIVOTS
The European Tour is returning to Mallorca in Spain for the primary time in 10 years. The Mallorca Golf Open shall be Oct. 21-24. It takes the place of the canceled Trophy Hassan II and anchors a three-week stretch in Spain that features the Spanish Open and Andalucia Masters. ... Sixteen of the 28 matches within the Solheim Cup went to the 18th gap. Europe’s document was 7-5-4. ... Thirty of the 48 stroke-play occasions on the PGA Tour this 12 months had been determined by one shot or by a playoff. ... Sungjae Im was the one participant on the Tour Championship who performed in additional than 30 tournaments this 12 months. Im performed 35 occasions. ... Of the 9 gamers who earned playing cards by means of the Korn Ferry Finals and shall be PGA Tour rookies subsequent 12 months, three performed the European Tour completely final 12 months — Aaron Rai of England, Matthias Schwab of Austria and Kurt Kitayama, who grew up in California and performed school golf at UNLV.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Leona Maguire of Eire, in her first Solheim Cup, was the one participant to go all 5 matches. She was 4-0-1.
FINAL WORD
“She’s the one we’re going to have to fear for a long time.” U.S. Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst on Leona Maguire.
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