CASARES, Spain — When’s the last time you saw a drivable par 4 on the first hole of a golf course?
Fans who tune in to the 2023 Solheim Cup this week at Finca Cortesin on Spain’s southern coast will be treated to the rarity as the opening hole will provide a risk-reward option for players right from the jump.
A lot of the pre-match discussion this week from both players and captains has been about the unique test that this year’s host course will provide. The course at Finca Cortesin offers wide fairways and will bless the good shots and penalize the poor ones. Not only that, the heat and hills will make the 18th matches between the United States and Europe an equal parts physical and mental test for players and their caddies.
Here’s what the stars of the week had to say about this year’s host course as the Solheim Cup is held in Spain for the first time in its nearly two-decade history.
Ally Ewing
“It’s great. It’s obviously in spectacular shape. I don’t know how much play there’s been recently or, you know, over the course of the year, but it’s in really good shape. It’s really hilly. You’re going to hear that from a lot of players and caddies. So the recovery off the golf course is going to be really important. It’s a long week as it is, so taking care of our feet and our bodies off the course is going to be really important.”
Leona Maguire
“Yeah, it’s really good .. Yeah, there’s some really good variety. I think the par-3s are really strong. It’s just an exciting first hole to start off with, with the percentage for people driving the green. The greens are tricky. They’re pretty slopey in places. They’re getting faster, they’re grainy, so I think with any Solheim Cup, putting will be the key this week.
“But, yeah, it’s going to be just as much of a physical test this week as a mental test. Managing energy, I think, is going to be big. We have a lot of practice, a lot of media, a lot of things this week, a lot of dinners, so managing energy throughout the week is going to be key to make sure we still have plenty in the tank for Sunday.”
Lexi Thompson
“Yeah, the course is unbelievable. It’s in great shape. I don’t know if there’s been much play, but I feel like I’m the first divots out there. But it’s a tricky golf course. At the same time, it’s a really good layout and risk-reward golf course as well. But I think we’re all very excited to go out there. It’s not an easy walk, so making sure that we pace ourselves along the week.”
Danielle Kang
“The course is very grainy. I’m from the West Coast, so I’m not really used to this much grain. But yeah, so far what I’ve noticed, the course is grainy, there’s a few holes that are very undulated with greens, so the greens speed varies a bit here and there. I think you’re just going to have all around good golf all the way to tee to green. I see how they kind of set it up. Suzann kind of likes the really, really long tough holes to be about the short game and then the short holes where you have to capitalize, so I can kind of see how she did that, and it’s going to be a fun match.”
Suzann Pettersen
“Yeah, I mean, the course is a challenge to get around, but I mean, now that we’ve been around it a few times, I actually think everyone thinks it’s not as bad once you kind of go out there and you kind of go with the flow. It’s great to see — I think you will actually see a lot of spectators walking around a lot more than what we anticipated, at least that’s what we have seen so far through the practice rounds. We’ll make it work. The players, they obviously get first line in those — some of those tight passes. There will be a couple of rides for the players. But I think overall, I think it’s going to actually work out quite fine.”
On the drivable par 4 1st hole
“Well, it’s an interesting first hole because it’s a reachable par-4. We’ve been talking about this. I don’t know if we’ve been trying to lay a strategy flat, because for some people it’s very approachable, for others it’s might be out of their reach to be comfortable to go for the hole in one or like go for the drivable par-4. So I think you’re going to see both. I have just told the players, let’s talk through this. Because, I mean, we had a drivable par-4 in 2017 in Des Moines which didn’t really turn into the European favor. So I just want the players, the team to kind of at least talk through what we’re thinking, at least have some kind of a strategy in mind when they step up on that first tee, and, yeah, I mean, the conditions are, I think it’s going to be part of however what the players decides to do as well.”
Celine Boutier
“I think it’s very much about placement out here. A little bit long, longer than I would have wanted, but I think it’s going to be a good challenge and a very good match play course.”
Carlota Ciganda
“The course is good … I think it’s a great match play course. With the first hole being reachable, I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. And then I think the course is, it can be quite tricky with the wind. I think it’s going to get windy on the weekend. So, yeah, the greens are pretty slopey, undulating, so you have to hit good shots, and I think the speed of the green is key this week to make putts.”
Cheyenne Knight
“People said it was hilly, but it’s definitely hilly. I don’t know, it’s gorgeous, the views, everyone said, and how beautiful it is, but I’ve definitely been taken away by just how gorgeous everything is and the course is in great shape.”
Morgan Pressel
“Yeah, I was there watching Angel hit her little driver (on the drivable par 4 1st hole), like, just to the front edge as only the third swing of the day with no warm-up. I think it’s cool. It’s match play. It’s fun. We will have the honor on the first tee all week, so that’s an opportunity for us to put some pressure on Team Europe to start right out of the gate. Players who maybe can’t get there, they have all been like, ‘Oh, I could just get up-and-down and make birdie with a wedge.’ I don’t think it’s a deterrent in that sense.”
