Days after a compelling final chapter of Solheim Cup action in which Team USA just about held off a charging European side to win for the first time since 2017, it's back to looking after number one for many of the competitors involved at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
The LPGA Tour makes an immediate return to the calendar in the form of the Kroger Queen City Championship at TPC River's Bend, and 12 of the 24 players who represented either side in Virginia last week are going again straight away.
Four Americans are entered into the field while eight Europeans are hoping to extend their stay in the north-east portion of the country until September 22.
Among them is Charley Hull, who enjoyed an excellent Solheim Cup from a personal point of view and well and truly put Nelly Korda to the sword via a 6&4 victory in the Sunday Singles. In her post-round interview on Sunday, the Englishwoman said "roll on next week!" due to the form she found against some of the world's best.
Hull and Korda will face off again in different circumstances over the coming days as the American looks for her seventh LPGA Tour title of the season while Hull hunts her first and also attempts to make up for the heartbreak she suffered in a playoff at the same event 12 months ago.
Rose Zhang was the Solheim Cup MVP after a remarkable week in which the 21-year-old churned out four wins from four matches, and she will hope to continue that unbeaten form at TPC River's Bend. Fellow US teammate Andrea Lee will join Zhang as she searches for a second LPGA Tour title two years on from her first.
The final American golfer in the Kroger Queen City Championship field this week is Lexi Thompson. The 29-year-old is counting down the days until her full-time pro career ends in a few months, but she will certainly have one more chance at reaching LPGA Tour title no.12 on Sunday.
For many Europeans, however, just responding positively to a tough week will be high up on their list of priorities. Leona Maguire admitted it was "a bitter pill to swallow" after only featuring in two Solheim Cup sessions at RTJ, having previously never missed one. The gutsy Irish golfer is back in action at TPC River's Bend desperate to prove a point to her doubters.
Maguire will be joined by Linn Grant and Albane Valenzuela in attempting to pull out a statement performance just days on from a disappointing time against the US. Grant went pointless from four matches while her Swiss counterpart managed only half a point from two appearances.
Esther Henseleit earned 1.5 points from three outings at Robert Trent Jones and certainly did her reputation no harm whatsoever when going toe-to-toe with Andrea Lee on Sunday. The Olympic silver medallist from Paris 2024 will be looking to use the momentum behind her to gain a first LPGA Tour victory in Ohio this week.
Two Swedish stars have committed to the Kroger Queen City Championship, namely Anna Nordqvist and Madelene Sagstrom. Both actually enjoyed strong weeks at the Solheim Cup - scoring two points apiece - and were a part of Europe's joint-biggest margin of victory in Solheim Cup history when taking down Thompson and Alison Lee 6&5 in Friday's fourball session.
The final 2024 Solheim Cup player to be back in action on the LPGA Tour this week is Georgia Hall - fresh off the back of a thumping 4&3 win over Alison Lee on Sunday. Hall hasn't won an LPGA Tour title since September 2020 and would therefore be delighted to make up for her team's defeat with a personal triumph days later.
Solheim Cup Players In Action At Kroger Queen City Championship
- Nelly Korda
- Rose Zhang
- Andrea Lee
- Lexi Thompson
- Charley Hull
- Leona Maguire
- Georgia Hall
- Linn Grant
- Esther Henseleit
- Anna Nordqvist
- Madelene Sagstrom
- Albane Valenzuela
