The Surprising Statistic That Shows Where USA Trumped Europe In The Solheim Cup
After claiming a 15.5 - 12.5 victory at the Solheim Cup, the stats showed how crucial the par 5s were to the American side at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club
Throughout the 2024 Solheim Cup, USA have been on top of proceedings, with one particular aspect being their dominance on par 5s, something that their players commented on during the Sunday singles.
In the team portion, where there were two foursomes and four ball sessions, the USA claimed 12 victories on par 5s, whereas the Europeans had eight, with six ties taking place in the foursomes.
However, in the fourballs, USA dominated proceedings, as they won 15 times on par 5s, with the Europeans claiming just five wins in the afternoon session and 12 ties. That means, overall, USA secured 27 wins on par 5s, Europe 13 and 18 ties.
Along with the team aspect, there were also 12 singles on Sunday and, in those matches, USA once again won the sessions in terms of par 5s, with the squad claiming 18 wins, whilst Europe managed 12 and 16 ties.
Obviously, we know that the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club is made up of just four par 5s and that there are 14 other holes on the course but, in total, USA won 55 pars 5s compared to Europe's 25.
That's a huge factor in the overall result and, according to Megan Khang, who went a second successive Solheim Cup undefeated, "I think captain (Stacy Lewis) definitely put it in our favor in the sense of some holes being a little softer than others and the par 5s being reachable for all of us."
Along with Khang, Rose Zhang, who also went undefeated in Virginia, added: "We're overall aggressive players, but I think we know where to place the ball, and we allow the slopes to do their thing and just allow the golf balls to ride with it. I think that's been pretty pivotal with everyone. We've been pretty creative with how we've been playing the hole and able to get the job done."
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At the end of play, it was the Americans who won the Solheim Cup for the first time in seven years, as a dramatic final day concluded with a 15.5 - 12.5 victory for Team USA, despite them starting 10 - 6 ahead on Sunday. Although Europe fought back, Lewis' side managed to get over the line, following a birdie-birdie finish from Lilia Vu to get to the magical 14.5 number.
Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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