CASARES, Spain — Ladies and gentlemen, we officially have a slugfest.
After two grueling days at the Solheim Cup were dominated by a surprising American charge, the Europeans came surging back late Saturday to even the ledger, 8-8, heading into Sunday’s pivotal singles matches.
Now we as golf fans will be treated to the kind of Sunday showdown that only comes around once in a very long while: Sunday singles with everything on the line, and anything is possible.
The Euros should technically be considered the favorites, considering they need only 6 points to retain the cup (14), while the Americans need 6.5 to win it outright. Still, it goes without saying that a “good” day on Sunday should be enough for either side to head home from Southern Spain with the Cup.
So, who’s playing, and which matchups do you absolutely need to take time from your Sunday morning to watch? We rank the twelve Solheim Cup singles matchups below.
Tier 1: Must-watch
12. Ally Ewing vs. Caroline Hedwall — 6:34 a.m. ET
Hedwall played strikingly well in her first match of the tournament in Saturday afternoon fourball, and has loads of Solheim Cup experience. Ewing is looking to exorcise two Cups worth of singles demons (losses in both ’19 and ’21) in a match that just might determine the whole tournament.
11. Cheyenne Knight vs. Gemma Dryburgh — 6:10 a.m. ET
Two players who have flown under the radar in Spain but both had strong tournaments, consider Knight and Dryburgh the perfect bellwether match. If one comes out with a ton of energy early, it could be a sign of things to come for either side.
Tier 2: Eyes glued to the TV
10. Jennifer Kupcho vs. Anna Nordqvist — 5:46 a.m. ET
The proverbial “something’s gotta give” matchup. Kupcho struggled mightily in a foursomes loss on Saturday, while Nordqvist has been one of the low spots on the European side in the tournament — a playing vice captain who enters Sunday 0-3-0 on the week.
Somebody’s gonna win this, and given Nordqvist’s match play experience and Kupcho’s flare for mano-e-mano, we’re guessing it’ll be a surprisingly entertaining bout.
9. Andrea Lee vs. Georgia Hall — 5:58 a.m. ET
The typically understated Lee flew under the radar all week but quietly produced one of the tournament’s most consistent performances. Hall grabbed a dramatic win alongside Leona Maguire over Lexi Thompson’s group on Friday evening that helped to steal a tie for the Euros heading into Sunday.
Tier 3: Avoid basic life functions other than watching
8. Angel Yin vs. Celine Boutier — 6:22 a.m. ET
Yin is the biggest personality on the U.S. team — invoking both Deion Sanders and legends of Solheim Cups’ past with her genuine joy of trash-talk. Boutier is one of the European team’s top-ranked players but has struggled to find the right gear all week.
The energy will be flowing here.
Tier 4: Halt water intake to avoid bathroom breaks
7. Danielle Kang vs. Charley Hull — 5:34 a.m. ET
Arguably the two funniest golfers in the tournament find each other on Sunday singles. It helps that Hull delivered a bounce-back performance on Saturday, while Kang has been holing everything with her putter (the one that wasn’t lost) all weekend long.
6. Lilia Vu vs. Madelene Sagstrom — 6:46 a.m. ET
The No. 2 player in the world vs. the longest player in the field. Sagstrom was brilliant in both fourball matches she played this week, and enters Sunday’s singles matchup against a two-time major winner in ’23 who’s struggled uncharacteristically with her putter this week. This one has the makings of a blowout, but it could go either way.
Tier 5. Should quit your job to watch, if necessary
5. Lexi Thompson vs. Emily Kristine Pedersen — 7:22 a.m. ET
Unstoppable force-immovable object 1. Lexi has been awesome all week, sans one chip on her 36th hole of the day on Friday. Pedersen recorded the second ace in Solheim Cup history and nearly jarred the third one on Saturday. Oh, they’re also playing in the anchor match? Buckle. Up.
4. Linn Grant vs. Megan Khang — 5:10 a.m. ET
A Solheim superstar-in-the-making for the European team against the emotional leader of the U.S. team in the first match of the day. The fist pumps will be flying. The vibes will be immaculate. And the tone could shape the entire result of the tournament. Anyone else nervous yet?
Tier 6: Would survive a nuclear blast to watch
3. Allisen Corpuz vs. Maja Stark — 6:58 a.m. ET
Unstoppable force-immovable object 2. Two of the best individual performers on both teams find each other in one of the final pairings of the day. This one has the makings of an absolute slugfest, and if Saturday’s performances were any indication, expect the total feet of made-putts to exceed a thousand between the two of them. Get your fireworks ready.
2. Rose Zhang vs. Leona Maguire — 5:22 a.m. ET
The youngest player in the field against the European cyborg built for match play destruction. Rose could get a major lesson in the finer points of singles play at the hands of Maguire, who has been equal parts devastating and whole-heartedly delightful all week long. Or Zhang could stun the Euros — as she’s done a few times this week — and deliver the Americans the kind of tidal-turning victory they need if they’re going to escape Sunday with the Cup.
The stakes are oh-so-very-high, and this one won’t lack for star power for a moment.
Tier 5: Start work on an underground bunker so you can watch even if a meteor strikes the Earth
1. Nelly Korda vs. Carlota Ciganda — 7:22 a.m. ET
The only Spaniard on the Euro team — who’s also gone 3-0-0 this week — against arguably the most talented golfer in the world in the penultimate match of the entire tournament. I personally dare you to change the channel.
