The US Solheim Cup team is making its final preparations for the 2024 match at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.
There, the team will attempt to wrestle the trophy back from the Europeans with its first win since the 2017 edition in Iowa.
Captain Stacy Lewis has plenty of know-how to call on for the task, including World No.1 Nelly Korda, who will be making her fourth appearances at the match. However, no one on the team has more experience than Lexi Thompson, who will appear for the seventh time this year.
In May, the 29-year-old, who is one of Lewis’ three wildcards, announced plans to retire from full-time professional golf at the end of the year, meaning that, in all probability, this will be her Solheim Cup swansong. That is sure to add even more importance to the match for the US players and staff, and the impact she has made on the game has not been lost on them.
Speaking to the media ahead of the match, one of Lewis’ vice-captains, Paula Creamer, suggested Thompson’s impact on the women’s game has been profound.
She said: “Lexi has definitely changed women’s golf. I actually got to play with her in her rookie year at Solheim in Colorado. I believe that was her first one. To see how far she’s come from there until now.”
Creamer also thinks Thompson’s decision to step away from the game has given her the opportunity to enjoy her involvement with the team. “You can tell she’s so happy right now,” she said. “I think that making that decision earlier this year has definitely helped her enjoy these moments and enjoy being on a team right now.”