7 Things The Ryder Cup Captains Will Have Learned From The Solheim Cup

Europe rallied back from 4-0 down to retain the Solheim Cup with a scintillating fightback, giving Luke Donald and his Ryder Cup team hope and inspiration to go and avenge their record defeat from two years ago.

Zach Johnson will also be inspired by the USA's performance, knowing that if his side can emulate the 14-14 scoreline they'll be returning Stateside with the trophy.

Having a Solheim Cup so near to the Ryder Cup will have been timely viewing for both captains, and they will have learned, or at least been reminded of, plenty ahead of this week's clash in Rome.

Here's 7 things Zach Johnson and Luke Donald will have learned...

Form is temporary, class is permanent

When Stacy Lewis put Lexi Thompson out first in the morning foursomes, some eyebrows were raised.

Lexi had missed five of her last seven cuts leading into the Solheim yet found herself hitting the opening tee shot on Friday morning.

She went on to deliver 3 points from her four matches, which was the second-best points tally from the entire American side.

What will the Ryder Cup captains have learned? Maybe it will have inspired Zach Johnson to put Justin Thomas out first.

Thomas, like Thompson, hasn't had a year to remember but he's also an experienced Major winner who thrives when wearing the Team USA colors.

You can't always rely on your best players

It seems obvious and something the captains would have been aware of, but seeing it so close to the Ryder Cup will have been a reminder that just because you have one of the best players in the world, it doesn't mean they're going to win every match they play.

This applies with Celine Boutier, who has had one of the best seasons in the women's game. The Frenchwoman spectacularly won her maiden Major title at the Evian Championship in July before capturing the Scottish Open the following week.

It took her to third in the world, but from three matches at Finca Cortesin she failed to register a point. Charley Hull has also been one of the world's best players this year and, perhaps due to injury, she managed just one point from her three games.

On the US side, breakout star Rose Zhang managed just 0.5 points in her Solheim Cup debut, and two-time Major champion and recent World No.1 Lilia Vu scored one point from her four games.

You don't know who your stars will be

And just like not being able to guarantee your best players perform, the captains will have been reminded that they can't necessarily predict who their stars will be.

Caroline Hedwall had played just one match over the first four sessions but that didn't stop the World No.121 coming back from 3 down with six to play to go five-under for her last six holes and score a miraculous point.

On the US side, Megan Khang was a slightly less surprising star with 3.5 points to finish as Team USA's top scorer. Rookie and wildcard Cheyenne Knight also proved her worth, winning 2.5 points from her three games to more than justify her pick.

So who will the stars be at Marco Simone this week? Rory, Rahm and Scheffler will be the likely names but you just never know.

You've got to be reactive

When Suzann Pettersen saw that Emily Pedersen was inspired and up for the fight, she kept rolling the dice and eventually played her in all five sessions. Did she have that planned from the start of the week?

Pedersen and Leona Maguire were the only two to play all five sessions and they won 5.5 points between them. Pettersen played the in-form Maja Stark four times and simply couldn't drop Carlota Ciganda after the day one four balls - playing the Spaniard in all four of the final sessions.

Celine Boutier played just three sessions, which might not have been the plan until it was clear the Frenchwoman didn't have her best stuff.

We saw Francesco Molinari go 5/5 in Paris and Dustin Johnson do the same at Whistling Straits last time out. The lesson? When a player is hot and confident, keep playing them.

A 4-0 lead isn't safe

Following the morning foursomes on Friday, Team USA were 4-0 up and looking like they were on their way to a comfortable win.

Anything can happen in sport, though, and Europe's valiant comeback will be a timely reminder to the Ryder Cup captains that an early four point lead isn't safe.

The US failed to win a session from Friday afternoon following their stunning start, with Europe inspired and backed by the faithful home crowd. 

A 14-14 tie still counts as a win...for Team USA 

Ties in the Solheim and Ryder Cups are rare. There hasn't been one in the Ryder Cup since 1989 and before last week there had never been one in 17 previous Solheim Cups.

However, the 14-14 tie was celebrated by Europe as that was their magic number to retain the trophy - and that's all USA need this week.

Zach Johnson's side won't be teeing it up to tie the match, they'll be there to win, but it's definitely an advantage.

Team USA officially didn't lose in Spain this past weekend, but it sure felt like it thanks to the rules that the holders only need a halve to keep the trophy in their possession.

Should there have been a playoff? That's another question. There wasn't, and there won't be this week, so Donald will be targeting a minimum of 14.5 points to avoid a repeat of Spain.

Try not to play players just once before Sunday

Caroline Hedwall entered the week well outside of the world's top 100 but some players are just able to turn it on when playing for their country or continent.

Hedwall was brilliant in her first session, the day two four balls, where her and Anna Nordqvist eventually came up short before a performance from the ages on Sunday.

Had she played three or four sessions, Europe might have got 14.5, 15 or more points. Gemma Dryburgh was very good in her match in the day one four balls, too, which she managed to halve with Madelene Sagstrom.

She was then rested on Saturday to only play twice during the week. Should she have played more? Probably, as she was once again impressive on Sunday to earn another halve.