It’s been a week of second-guessing and what-ifs for the U.S. Solheim Cup team but the reality of the European upset has had plenty of time to sink in.
Team captain Julie Inkster said she’s done with the task of over-seeing the American team. Who can blame her? She won two straight and was looking for a three-peat but it wasn’t to be. She put her best players in the middle of the lineup then watched Europe flip the entire event in a matter of 10 minutes late last Sunday at Gleneagles in the final three singles matches.
Fact is, given the skill-set of the Americans, it should never have been tied at 8-8 going into the Sunday singles, although Inkster said that singles play favored her team. Didn’t turn out that way.
What happened?
Losing Stacy Lewis to injury didn’t help. The U.S. team lacked veteran leadership from the players standpoint. A team captain and vice captains can only do so much. Players have to play and veteran players have to provide some leadership. Ranked third in the world, Lexi Thompson wasn’t up to the task from a playing standpoint or a leadership standpoint. She failed to win a single match the entire week.
She ran up an early lead in her Sunday singles but then her weakness with the putter showed up, unfortunately.
When all is said and done, the players have only themselves to blame.
Next team captain?
Cristie Kerr? Fact is, they could have used her fire and attitude during the matches. Only problem was that there was no one like Kerr on this 2019 team.
End of story.
