There will be three different types of matches contested this week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. No matter the event at the Solheim Cup, all will follow match play rules.
What Is Match Play in Golf?
When playing match play, it’s about beating the other team on each hole, not about the total strokes you write down on a scorecard like you would in stroke play (like normal LPGA Tour events). Match play is one of the reasons the Solheim Cup is such a beloved event every two years.
There are particular rules around match play, like knowing that the person farthest from the hole must hit first. You’re also allowed to concede putts if you feel confident about your hole’s score, and you can even concede holes if they don’t look winnable. Unless it’s a very close match, you’ll also likely see the golfers play fewer than 18 holes.
How Do You Score in Match Play?
If you win the hole whether by shooting a lower score on it or because your opponent conceded, you’re “one up.” If you win three holes after your competitor won the first hole, for example, you’re “two up through four (holes).” If you lose, you’re “one down.” If you continue to tie, you’re “all square.”
The scoring at the end of each match looks like “2&1,” which reads as a team won 2 up, with one hole to play. This means that one team beat the other by two holes, and the last hole isn’t worth playing because the losing team has no hope of catching up to “all square.” However, matches can end “all square” if players battle it out all 18 holes. In some tournaments, this score suffices; in others, the players will then go into extra holes in a sudden death format – whoever wins the next hole wins the match.
The ultimate goal with all these matches is to earn points for your team. If you win your overall match, your team gets 1 point; if you tie, you split the point in half (0.5 for your team, 0.5 for the other). Because there are only 28 points available to win, whoever reaches 14.5 total points first wins.
Last year, we saw Team USA and Team Europe tie 14-14; because Europe won the Cup the previous time, they got to keep it. If the teams tie again this time around, the Cup will remain in European custody.
Match Play Types at the Solheim Cup
The Foursome format will be played Friday and Saturday mornings by four pairings. The Four-Ball format will be played Friday and Saturday afternoons by four pairings. The Singles Match Play will be contested by all 24 players on Sunday. Some players will play in everything, some may only play on Sunday – it’s up to the Solheim Cup captains to choose the pairings.
Foursome (Alternate Shot)
This team-centric event involves two players from the U.S. and two players from Europe. Each team will hit alternate shots in a match play format. For example, if Team USA Player 1 tees off on Hole #1, Team USA Player 2 will play the next shot and so on until the hole is finished. Player 2 will then tee off first on the next hole, and they’ll continue alternating tee shots until the match is over.
This format requires incredible strategy, because you want to make sure your long hitters are teeing off on the holes that provide the most opportunity for eagle (or they’re the ones hitting the other’s tee shot to a par-5’s green in two shots).
Team USA Captain Stacy Lewis mentioned yesterday that it was difficult to pair the women – not from personality mismatches but from differences in golf ball preferences. Some players use harder golf balls, others use softer, and then there are the different brands. Since they’ll only be using one type of golf ball the whole day, the players need to be aligned in that respect.
Four-Ball (Best Ball)
Another two vs. two event, the Four-Ball is best known as “best ball.” Each golfer will play her own ball the entire day. At the end of each whole, whichever team member has the best score counts towards the match. From there, whichever team has the lower score wins the match point. Then we go back to our normal match play scoring above to determine who wins the match point.
The strategy here is to have solid players that can go low and who can still complement each other if someone has an off hole.
Singles Match Play
The last format is reserved for the final day of the Solheim Cup. Each team member will be paired one-on-one with their counterpart and compete in match play. They will follow the normal match play rules outlined above.
Depending on how well a team is playing, there’s a chance that the winning team will reach 14.5 points before all the matches are over.
