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.”
Meanwhile, the 38-year-old is convinced that, even after leaving the professional game behind, she’ll continue to make her mark. She added: “She has definitely made a huge impact on the game of golf for the juniors and everything. She'll definitely be missed, but she'll always be there, that's for sure. I don't think she's going too far away from the game, just not out here.”
One of Thompson’s Solheim Cup teammates is Megan Khang, and she also had praise for her impact on the game, saying: “I think Lexi is just such a great role model not only for us, but for the young kids.
"You look at her, and she's so engaging with the volunteers, the fans. Sponsors. She does the absolute most, and I think the Tour is going to lose a huge asset when she does retire.
“I joke with her, you're not really retiring. I got to play with her the last few days, last week at the FM Championship. It's so good getting to play with her, and I really cherish those rounds with her because you see how she is.”
Meanwhile, Alison Lee, who is making her first appearance since the 2015 US win, jokingly wondered if she and Thomson could be the secret ingredient that finally returns the trophy to the US.
She said: “Yeah, I want to say, I think, out of this whole team, Lexi and I have been the only ones to have been on a winning team. Maybe that's what this team needed is Lexi and me, and hopefully we got some good mojo going into this weekend.”
The Solheim Cup begins on Friday 13 September at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
