Silliness At The Solheim

Scrolling through my many emails the other day, I came across a piece that came highly recommended, an article in The Atlantic magazine by Lily Meyer.  Its slightly unwieldy title is:  An Ingredient That’s All Too Rare in Adult Life and it’s subtitled “Whatever happened to being silly?”

Now, that’s more like it and it made me think immediately of the Solheim Cup, where silliness is obligatory and those of us togged out in ordinary golf-watching gear are made to feel underdressed and a little embarrassed that we haven’t made more of an effort.  For example, at our hotel in Eindhoven, Mo was taken aback when the lift door opened and a gang of middle-aged and elderly women poured out, all attired in European blue and yellow, with flags and hats to match.  There was nothing understated about it and they were off to have a ball, cheering on Europe at Bernardus Golf.

The first Solheim Cup, rushed into production with little preparation at Lake Nona, in Florida, in 1990 was lowkey and understated but the handful of European supporters had already started writing songs for all the players and it has grown into a grand tradition.  The racket now includes walk-on music for each player and a disc jockey to keep the crowd entertained and revved up but some of my more traditional friends hadn’t kept up with the programme.  “What’s all the loud music about?” one of them asked, baffled.  Then, on being enlightened, “Crumbs, whatever next?”

Nowadays there are twelve singles matches, so for a couple of hours and more the noise from the 1st tee reverberates around the course and the players already out there doing battle have to take that into account whenever they’re hitting a shot.  It also can’t be an easy atmosphere if you’re fond of a few minutes of quiet contemplation before setting off.  Fortunately for Europe their rookies seemed to revel in the rowdiness and embrace the hubbub:  Mimi Rhodes, Nastasia Nadaud and Julia Lopez Ramirez,  looked as though they were having a ball and the latter two won their singles.  Rhodes was comfortably kept in check by Nelly Korda, the world No 1, who performed befitting her status and won 4 and 2 but the Englishwoman relished the occasion.

It was a joy to see players embracing the challenge and competing fiercely but with a smile, buoyed up by devoted fans who were also determined to enjoy the contest.  Even if the golf had been dull and boring – which it wasn’t – the fans were determined to be anything but.  Some outfits were years in the planning and the preparation and would have been a credit to The Great British Sewing Bee, a programme that celebrates creativity and seamless stitching.

 

The Swedes are always easily recognisable and this year there were two of them to cheer on, as well as captain Anna Nordqvist, of course.  Linn Grant and Maja Stark won three matches together – two foursomes and one four ball and their scalps included the previously unbeaten pairing of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz in the foursomes on Saturday morning, a session the Europeans won 3-1.  Seasoned observers (old farts like me) questioned some of Nordqvist’s choices but putting her compatriots together wasn’t one of them.

 

Putting Charley Hull and Lottie Woad together four times – three defeats, one half – was one of the head scratchers but the highly ranked Englishwomen came good at the end, with wins in the singles; Hull at the top defeated Megan Khang, always tough to beat and an asset to any side; Woad, a rookie at this level, took care of Auston Kim in match eight and the Europeans were as good as home and hosed; it was all official when Carlota Ciganda finished off Jennifer Kupcho in the penultimate match.  Olé, olé, olé indeed.

Just as Ciganda did her Seve/Chema act yet again (this is the second time she’s been credited with posting the winning point, to match Catriona Matthew), it’s a group of Spanish spectators who go top of the outfits, doing themselves and their nation proud with their flounce and flamboyance.  If you think golf’s dull and boring, come to the Solheim Cup.  The golf is usually excellent, the rivalry fierce but fair and the outfits are unsurpassed.

The American spectators did their best but were outnumbered and perhaps cautious of their reception after the disgusting behaviour at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, kept a relatively low profile.  Expect a lot better from them at Valhalla in Kentucky in 2028.  The Europeans will undoubtedly need a large luggage allowance if they’re to win the battle of the sartorial silliness next time.

Some more pics to finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, here are the four not-so-intrepids who watched the end of the match unfold in the bar.

And the four stalwarts who stayed out there cheering until the end.  Viva the Whittington Heathens.