Latest news with #EuropeanSolheimCup
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Meet the four sister acts that have won on the LPGA, including the first set of twins
LPGA rookie Akie Iwai joined twin sister Chisato as a first-time winner on LPGA after her dominating victory at the Stanford Portland Classic. The Iwais are the fourth sister act to win on the LPGA, and the first set of twins. Sister sets have been part of the tour since the beginning. Alice Bauer and Marlene Hagge-Vossler were both founders of the LPGA in 1950. While Hagge-Vossler won 26 times on the LPGA, Bauer never did win, becoming a mother shortly after the tour started. How much of an impact is it to have a sister by your side? Three have risen to No. 1 in the world. Chisato, who tied for third in Portland, won earlier this year at the Mexico Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba. Together they have 14 wins on the JLPGA. Akie rose to No. 24 in the world after her victory; Chisato ranks 30th. Here's a look at three other winning sister acts on the LPGA: Annika and Charlotta Sorenstam Charlotta Sorenstam, known as "Lotta," is two years younger than Annika. Her lone victory on the LPGA came in 2000 at the Standard Register Ping, where she defeated Karrie Webb by two strokes. She also joined her sister on the 1998 European Solheim Cup team. Charlotta won the 1993 NCAA Championship title at Texas. Annika had won it two years prior while at Arizona. Annika, of course, is a 72-time winner on the LPGA, including 10 majors. After Charlotta's playing career ended, she worked as the head teaching professional at her sister's academy. She currently works as a Performance Coach at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Ariya and Moriya Jutanugarn The Thai sisters teamed up to win an LPGA title at the Dow Championship four years ago. The elder Moriya, 31, who goes by "Mo," is a three-time winner on the LPGA. Ariya, 29, is known as "May" and joined the LPGA two years after her sister. A 12-time winner on the LPGA, Ariya became the first Thai player, male or female, to win a major championship and rise to No. 1 in the world. Ariya won the 2016 Women's British Open and 2018 U.S. Women's Open. Jessica and Nelly Korda Nelly Korda points to older sister Jessica as a major inspiration to her decorated LPGA career. The longtime No. 1 is now a 15-time winner on tour and a two-time major champion. At 27, Nelly is five years younger than Jessica, who is currently on maternity leave. Jessica won six times on the LPGA between 2012 and 2021 and is eyeing a 2026 return to the tour. Earlier this year, Jessica worked as an on-course reporter for coverage of the Amundi Evian Championship, following Nelly's group.
Irish Examiner
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Leona Maguire confident game is "trending" ahead of major test
Leona Maguire feels her game is trending in the right direction as she looks to build momentum for next week's Evian Championship. The Solheim Cup star carded a three-under 70 to move up the leaderboard in the KPMG Women's Irish Open at Carton House. She had to dig deep just to make the cut in Friday's high winds, carding a two-over 75 thanks to two birdies in her last seven holes to make it with a shot to spare on one-over. She continued in that vein today when she birdied the second, fourth, eighth and ninth to turn in four-under 33. But while she found it tougher going on the back nine, sandwiching a birdie two at the 14th between bogeys at the 12th and 15th, she was happy to see good signs in her game as the fourth women's major approaches. 'I played really nicely,' Maguire said after moving into the top 30 on two-under. 'It was nice to not have the real severe cross winds and everything that we had yesterday so I tried to take advantage as much as I could early on. 'I got on a nice run on the front, holed a few nice putts, and didn't quite keep it going on the back nine. But overall, it was a pretty, solid day.' Making the cut was important for Maguire, who has shown signs lately that her best form is not far away. 'I'm the kind of player, I'm never going to give up,' she said. 'It would have been a very easy to give up yesterday on the kind of fairly miserable day it was out there, but I hung in as best I could.' While winning is out of reach, keeping her swing ticking over is the goal now for Maguire heading into Sunday. 'Obviously it's very different weather here than we're going to get at the Evian so the priority is to get out of here with my swing intact in these winds,' she explained before heading to the practice ground with coach Shane O'Grady. Read More Ciara Mageean reveals she has been diagnosed with cancer 'So we make sure we reset after these rounds and just keep it dialled in. Putting was was nice again today, which is good heading into a major so,, overall, I feel like I'm trending in the right direction heading into next week. 'I think (my game) it's really close and all the aspects are there. I didn't quite drive it as well as I would have liked today, but for the most part, the pieces are there. 'It's just tricky to know where it's at in these kind of winds. But for the most part, I felt like I executed some nice shots.' Elm Park amateur Emma Fleming carded a level par 73 alongside European Solheim Cup captain Anna Nordqvist to remain on level par. "I think Anna brought the crowd so they were probably there more for her than me but it was good,' said Fleming, who is going into her third year of Economics and Finance studies at UCD. "When I saw the draw last night I was very excited just to see how she played. Her strategy was really impressive, laying up and things like that, she chose the smart shot so that was interesting to see.' As for her game, she was happy with it as she looks forward to next week's European Amateur Team Championships in France, 'I'm happy with how I'm hitting it. My driver is better so that's why I was happy with my scoring with how windy it was. My driver is more reliable which takes the big numbers out of play. "My putting was good the first two days, I struggled today. I was putting it nice but they just weren't dropping.' Read More Leinster make history while Ulster bounce back Rookie Canice Screene, who was born in England to Irish parents, shot a 76 to share 65th on five over as she looks to improve her status on tour and clinch a full LET card. 'It's such a learning experience,' said the 23-year-old, who is 140th in the Order of Merit from seven starts with the top 100 exempt next year. 'The last five weeks have been like insane, because it's been five weeks back to back, and because of my status, I've kind of felt like I have to play in everything. 'You just don't know, especially towards the end of the season, how many starts you're going to get. But I've learned so much, and if I take something away from it, then it's like a success. 'Obviously making the cut this week is the best thing because that's the one that matters the most to me.' Winner of the AIG Irish Women's Close last year, Londoner Screene says she's always felt 100 percent Irish. 'So my Mum is from Belmullet in Mayo, and my dad, he's half Galway, half Tipperary,' she said with a grin. 'I've got aunt and uncle who live, like, half an hour away from here in Firhouse. So they're all here today. 'I was born in England because my parents have lived over in England for my whole life. But I've got no English blood, so I've never been interested in England.'
NBC Sports
17-06-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nordqvist up to 'challenge' as Solheim Cup captain
Anna Nordqvist joins Golf Central to discuss where her success in major championships stems from, what it means to captain the 2026 European Solheim Cup team, and how she is embracing the challenge.
New Straits Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Sweden's Stark grabs one-shot lead at US Women's Open
CHICAGO: Maja Stark fired three birdies in an impressively steady two-under-par 70 at unforgiving Erin Hills on Saturday to seize a one stroke lead over Julia Lopez Ramirez heading into the final round of the 80th US Women's Open. Sweden's Stark, a European Solheim Cup stalwart chasing her first major title, kept her focus in a round that stretched nearly six hours as players wrestled with firm, fast greens on a breezy, sunny day in Wisconsin. Her seven-under-par total of 209 put her one stroke clear of Spanish qualifier Lopez Ramirez, whose four-under-par 68 was the best score of a day on which only nine players broke par. Japan's Mai Saigo, who started the day with a three-shot lead, carded a three-over-par 75 to share third alongside compatriots Rio Takeda and Hinako Shibuno on five-under 211. World number one Nelly Korda, who played alongside Saigo in the final group, finished strong in a one-over 73 that left her three adrift on four-under 212. Stark said the very difficulty of the course actually made her less anxious -- a key for her as she tries to kick the habit of "playing scared". "In normal tournaments, I kind of swing scared because I think it's a birdie competition, but here it's really not," Stark said, adding that on Sunday she'll just "try to play freely". Stark opened with a confidence-boosting birdie at the first hole. She bogeyed the third, but stuck her second shot at the 10th two feet from the pin for a birdie. Stark rattled in a 21-foot birdie at the par-three 16th to seize a share of the lead on seven-under, capping her round with a par at the par-five 18th and emerging with the solo lead as Saigo closed with back-to-back bogeys. The tough scoring made Lopez Ramirez's round look all the more impressive. The 22-year-old, who had to pause her LPGA rookie campaign in March after undergoing an appendectomy, eagled the par-five first and bounced back frm a bogey at the third with a birdie at th seventh, where she got up and down from a greenside bunker. She added birdies at 12 and 16 to put herself in contention for a first major title. "It was just mentally a strong day for me, keeping myself present and dealing with what's in front of me," Lopez Ramirez added. Saigo, gunning for a second major title of the season after winning the Chevron Championship in April, was battling even before her bogey-bogey finish. She had two birdies and a bogey in her first three holes then bogeyed the fourth, fifth and sixth -- failing to get up and down after missing the geen at all three. The 23-year-old had regained the solo lead with an eight-foot birdie at the 12th but couldn't hang on. Takeda joined her on five-under with a two-under par 70 highlighted by a six-foot eagle at the first. Former British Open champion Shibuno had two birdies and two bogeys in her even par 72. Korda appeared to be spiraling out of contention with four bogeys on the front nine. That included three-putts at the second and fifth and a five-foot miss at the seventh. But the American star clawed back with birdies at the 14th and 15th -- where she took advantage of the US Golf Association's decision to move up the tee to drive the green and calmly rolled in an eight-foot birdie putt. Her six-foot birdie putt at the 18th circled the cup before falling in, leaving her exactly where she started the day three shots off the lead. "I was happy to kind of rally back on the back nine after having such a poor start," Korda said. "It's all about being patient. There's just so many ups and downs and you just have to kind of stick with it .... it just takes one shot." - AFP
USA Today
12-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Junior Solheim Cup teams set to make history in the Netherlands alongside their idols
Junior Solheim Cup teams set to make history in the Netherlands alongside their idols Sixteen years ago, Nancy Lopez and Carin Koch jumped from a 1-meter diving board into a pool at Aurora Country Club in northeastern Illinois. The scene played out at the Ping Junior Solheim Cup, where the kids were upset their two captains didn't go for the 3-meter board. Team USA had invited Team Europe to an impromptu pool party at the conclusion of competition, where only one of the Maguire twins (not sure which) attempted an actual dive. Most jumped more than once. Lexi Thompson was one of several players who grabbed the hand of a fearful friend and coaxed her off the edge. The scene played out about 10 miles from the 2009 Solheim Cup venue at Rich Harvest Farms, away from most of the media and fans. That's usually the case for the junior event, which brings together the 12 best and brightest youngsters from the U.S. and Europe to compete every two years in the run-up to the main event. Camaraderie is at the heart of the Junior Solheim, which began in 2002, but it's also a training ground for the next generation. Players must be between the ages of 12-18 to compete, and the inaugural teams 20-plus years ago included Solheim stalwarts such as Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, Brittany Lang and Azahara Munoz. Junior Solheim Cup teams to compete on same course as pros in 2026 In 2026, history will be made at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands as officials tell Golfweek that Junior Solheim teams, for the first time, will have the opportunity to compete on the same course as the pros. Switzerland's Albane Valenzuela, who made her debut on the European Solheim Cup team last year, still has the bag from her 2015 Junior Solheim Cup appearance. 'When you're a junior,' said Valenzuela, 'the Solheim is definitely the coolest event you can get.' World No. 1 Nelly Korda also competed in the 2015 Junior Solheim at Golf Club St. Leon-Rot, a 36-hole facility. The Solheim Cup was played on the St. Leon course that year while the juniors competed on the Rot course. Korda noted that having the events so close made it easier for the pros to come out and watch the juniors, which they did in Germany. 'Having them there too was super cool,' said Korda, 'such a neat experience.' The added insight, however, of playing the same course, in similar conditions, with the grandstands in place does much to amplify the experience. Valenzuela said she thought about that back in 2015 while playing the Rot course as a junior while the pros played a different course. The 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles in Scotland was similar with the juniors playing the Kings Course while the pros played the Centenary. 'It's kind of nice to benchmark yourself against the pros,' said Valenzuela. 'I think it makes it more fun, makes it more relatable for the viewers as well." The two junior teams will arrive in the Netherlands on Friday, Sept. 4, and the two-day competition will be held Sept. 7-8. From there, the two teams will attend a number of Solheim Cup festivities throughout the next week and, if the past is any indication, will even hang out in the team rooms with the pros. Every dinner, every first-tee experience proves unforgettable time and again for the wide-eyed teens. 'I always imagined having the Ping Junior Solheim Cup on the same course as the Solheim Cup,' said John A. Solheim, Ping Executive Chairman. 'The opportunity to play the same challenging set up and amazing atmosphere as the professionals is an experience that the junior girls will remember for the rest of their lives. I'm very thankful to the LET, Bernardus and IMG for making this a reality in 2026. It's another big step for the event and I look forward to presenting the trophies to the winning teams on the 18th green at Bernardus.' While the Junior Solheim captains have yet to be announced, the natural fit for Team Europe is the Netherlands' most decorated player, Anne van Dam. The five-time Ladies European Tour winner represented Europe at both the 2013 Junior Solheim and 2019 Solheim Cup in Scotland, where Europe won in dramatic fashion. The 29-year-old two-time Olympian is still competing on the LET and LPGA, posting a top-20 finish at last year's AIG Women's British Open at St. Andrews. Nineteen Junior Solheim Cup players from Europe have gone on to compete in the Solheim Cup as a pro, while the U.S. boasts 13 graduates to the big stage. Team USA leads the all-time series at 8-4-1. 'It's funny, when you think back on junior golf," said Valenzuela, "every time you played in something big, it just felt like the biggest thing in the whole wide world.' In the Netherlands, it just got even bigger.
