Of all the great champions that the U.S. has produced, Cristie Kerr has been the most successful in the Solheim Cup. During her 15-year run from 2002 to 2017, Kerr appeared nine times in the biennial team competition, netting 21 points and helping the Americans win the Cup six times. No American-born player has found more success in the Solheim Cup than Kerr.
As Team USA gears up for the latest iteration of the Solheim Cup this week in Spain, Kerr will not be a part of the team. At the age of 45, her best playing days are behind her. The game of golf is only getting younger, and this year’s American squad has plenty of youth to power their bid to bring the Cup home.
Nearly half of this year’s American Solheim Cup team are rookies. Five of the 12 team members who tee it up this week at Finca Cortesin have no Solheim Cup experience. And, as anyone who’s played in the clash between Europe and America will tell you, the experience is truly one-of-a-kind.
Best 1st hole…ever? 6 early Solheim Cup observations from on the ground
As for Kerr’s advice for the first-timers in Spain? Simple: “Enjoy it.”
“Let yourself be a little scared,” Kerr says. “That’s okay. It’s the biggest stage in women’s golf. But understand that everyone feels the same way. You just have to put your big pants on and go to work.”
If the Americans hope to take back the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017, they’ll have their work cut out for them. Not only are they on foreign soil, but they also enter the competition as clear underdogs.
“They have to be tenacious,” Kerr says. “They have to not take no for an answer. They have to be committed to every shot and have a fire in their belly to win, because it’s harder to win in Europe.”
Check out our entire conversation with Kerr in the video above.
Latest In News
