Euros retain Solheim Cup

The 2023 Solheim Cup was a compelling contest that ended in an historic tie, with Europe retaining the trophy on Spanish soil. The Americans had a strong start, winning all four foursomes matches on Friday for the first time ever, but the Europeans fought back with three wins of their own in the afternoon fourballs to finish Day 1 down 5-3 to the US. The second day saw a much less nervous start by the Euros allowing them to flip the script from the previous day, leaving the score at 8-8 going into Sunday’s singles matches.

The final day was a roller-coaster ride, with both teams trading blows and momentum shifts. The Europeans took an early lead, but the Americans rallied and looked to be in a strong position to win the 14 ½ points needed to take back the Cup. The match of the day was between Caroline Hedwall and Ally Ewing, with the American looking in complete control taking a 3-Up lead after 12 holes. Miraculously, Hedwall then won five of the next six holes to seal a stunning 2-Up victory that gave Europe crucial momentum coming down the stretch.

The result came down to the match between Carlota Ciganda and former World #1 Nelly Korda, who were All Square after 15 holes. Ciganda won the 16th with a birdie, and then stuffed her tee shot to gimme range on the par 3, 17th, closing out the match 2&1. The final overall score was 14-14, the first time in Solheim Cup history that neither team won outright. Despite the somewhat anti-climactic tie, that didn’t stop Team Europe from celebrating hard and enjoying their retention of the Cup.

Bryson wins in Chicago

Bryson DeChambeau pulled off an incredible come from behind victory to win the LIV Golf-Chicago tournament, his second title of the year on the LIV tour. He started the final round eight shots behind overnight leader, Sebastian Munoz, but fired a stunning 8-under 63 to finish at 13-under for the tournament. He made nine birdies, including four in the last seven holes.

DeChambeau had to wait for his teammate, Anirban Lahiri, to finish the 18th before he could celebrate the win. Lahiri, who has not won on any tour since 2015, was tied with Bryson at -13 as he stood on the 18th tee. He piped a drive down the middle and was in good position to attack the pin and set up a birdie putt to win. However, Lahiri mis-clubbed his approach and finished short of the green for two. Tragically, he then three-putted the 18th to hand victory to Bryson. Lahiri settled for a share of second place with Aussie Marc Leishman who put in a much-improved display. Leish had a putt on 18 to tie the lead but hit a very weak push which finished short of the hole and ended his chances.

DeChambeau said he wanted Lahiri to make his par putt on 18 and force a playoff, but he was happy for his team, the Crushers, who won their second team title of the season. This puts the Crushers in good position heading into the Team Championship in Miami at the end of October 2023. Sergio' Garcia’s Fireballs finished in second just ahead of Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces and Bubba Watson’s Range Goats who tied for third.

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There are only 2 events to go now on the LIV schedule for 2023 (Jeddah and Miami, both in October) and things are starting to get interesting for the overall individual standings. Only the Top 24 ranked players at the end of the season are guaranteed a spot with LIV Golf next year. Those golfers ranked 25 to 44 are in the “Open Zone” where they are classed as free agents and can be traded by team captains. Players ranked 45 to 48 are in the “Relegation Zone” and will be dropped from the LIV Tour unless they requalify at the relegation event (to be held in November 2023 after the final LIV event in Miami).

The Shank Show on Tour

This week, The Shank Show will be on Tour in the Mornington Peninsular enjoying some of the best golf courses regional Victoria has to offer and playing 4 rounds over 4 days. We’ll be staying on site at Peninsular Kingswood Country Club and playing both the North and South courses here. We’ll also be heading further south on the peninsular to play rounds at The Dunes (Victoria’s #1 public access course) and St Andrews Beach (architecture by renowned designer Tom Doak).

Follow along by watching our stories via our Instagram profile, and we’ll debrief the trip in our next issue - covering the highs, lows and our overall rating/recommendation of the venues for your next possible golf trip.

Schedule for the Week - Ryder Cup

The only golf you need to watch this coming week is the Ryder Cup. With both the AFL and NRL grand finals also this weekend, your sports viewing time will be at a premium, so we’ve got you covered with the Ryder Cup schedule and how to watch. Commit, lock in and enjoy the best team golf event there is. Team USA has been showing their commitment to the cause by getting mullet cuts to boost morale in the team room 😲😲😲

Your Ryder Cup schedule for the week, and how to watch is below:

• Opening Ceremony and Pairing Announcement - Thursday 28/9 4pm (Italy time), Friday 29/9 12am (AEST) - Coverage on Foxtel and Kayo, starts 12am Friday.

• Day 1 Morning Foursomes (Alternate Shot) - Friday 29/9 7.30am (Italy time), Friday 29/9 3.30pm (AEST) - Coverage on Foxtel and Kayo, starts 3.30pm Friday.

• Day 1 Afternoon Fourballs (Better Ball) - Friday 29/9 12.25pm (Italy time), Friday 29/9 8.25pm (AEST) - Coverage on Foxtel and Kayo.

• Day 2 Morning Foursomes (Alternate Shot) - Saturday 30/9 7.30am (Italy time), Saturday 30/9 3.30pm (AEST) - Coverage on Foxtel and Kayo, starts 3.30pm Saturday.

• Day 2 Afternoon Fourballs (Better Ball) - Saturday 30/9 12.25pm (Italy time), Saturday 30/9 8.25pm (AEST) - Coverage on Foxtel and Kayo.

• Day 3 Singles Matches - Sunday 1/10 11.30am (Italy time), Sunday 1/10 7.30pm (AEST) - Coverage on Foxtel and Kayo, starts 7.30pm Sunday.

In case you missed some of our earlier issues where we have covered the make-up of team USA and team Europe, here is a quick rundown of who will be teeing it up for each team at Marco Simone Golf Course in Rome, Italy:

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Thanks again for your support and readership. We’ll be back next week with our debrief of LIV Golf Chicago and a preview of the Ryder Cup, but we leave you with our Shank of the Week - Lexi Thompson flubbing her chip at the Solheim Cup. Lexi was questioned about her shank in the after-round press conference where she rebuked the reporter telling him she “did not have to comment on the shot” and blamed the shank on a terrible lie.