'Captaincy commodities won Solheim Cup for US'

Forming a squad that is greater than the sum of its parts is the cardinal to occurrence successful squad golf.

Finding those intangible advantages; an improbable but palmy partnership, cajoling an out-of-form subordinate into an unerring demon, identifying your team’s strengths and exposing an opponent’s weakness.

These are the captaincy commodities that marque the difference.

We saw Luke Donald bash it for Europe past twelvemonth astatine the Ryder Cup, likewise Catriona Matthew for Great Britain and Ireland astatine this month’s Curtis Cup and present we person witnessed the aforesaid from Stacy Lewis for the United States astatine the Solheim Cup.

Yes, it is the players who descend the putts, but it is the captains who travel up with the strategies to enactment the golfers successful the champion framework of caput to execute astir efficiently.

In this respect Lewis comprehensively outplayed her other fig Suzann Pettersen.

Never caput that the Americans were the higher ranked squad - Europe person overturned specified evident disadvantages connected galore occasions successful Solheim and Ryder Cups.

It was Lewis’ analytical attack compared with Pettersen’s "gut and instinct" that made the quality successful America’s 15 1/2 - 12 1/2 triumph astatine the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club successful Virginia connected Sunday.

She had enlisted stats guru Justin Ray to supply show insights that could pass her decisions. As importantly, they offered empirical justification to players and truthful they could recognize and judge perchance contentious strategical calls.

Pettersen, meanwhile, relied connected golfing instinct - thing she possesses by the barrowload aft specified a palmy career. But that was not capable connected this occasion.

It resulted successful Leona Maguire being benched for each barroom 1 fourball league connected Friday earlier Sunday’s singles, with small hard grounds to backmost specified a arguable move.

It was a large call, made to look alternatively foolish erstwhile the Irishwoman trounced Ally Ewing 4&3 arsenic Europe mounted their improbable and yet forlorn fightback.

An aggrieved Maguire, Europe’s astir palmy subordinate successful the erstwhile 2 Solheim Cups, says she was not fixed an mentation for being benched. She deserved amended and aft the contention Pettersen refused to elaborate.

The Irish prima had been abbreviated of signifier coming into the match, but had won connected circuit successful aboriginal summertime and was decent astatine the caller Irish Open wherever she was 15th. She had won 7 of her 10 erstwhile Solheim Cup matches.

And she inactive holds a 100% grounds successful singles. Maguire has the stats to backmost up feeling aggravated astatine her attraction during the archetypal 2 days of the lucifer erstwhile Europe failed to triumph a session.

By contrast, Ray’s information informed Lewis’ partnerships that helped the US instrumentality what proved a decisive 6-2 pb connected Friday.

"He's been a immense plus for the past 2 and a fractional years, from each the telephone calls to the random texts," Lewis said of her statistical ally.

"I had a small freak-out infinitesimal past week. I was trying to fig retired pairings and I couldn't get it done and we did a telephone and helium got maine backmost connected track.

"He's been a large friend, and helium loves his stats. But helium loves golf, and helium loves watching this squad compete."

Lewis volition not divulge the secrets unearthed by specified elaborate investigation but did corroborate they importantly shifted her approach. "We've ever tried to play each of our players successful fourballs," she said.

"So we did immoderate research, and the past 5 winning Ryder Cup teams didn't play each of their players successful fourball. We've done that successful the past to get everybody acceptable for singles."

This argumentation was ditched successful Virginia. "This twelvemonth I said I'm going to enactment retired the champion imaginable pairings I tin for each session, and if it doesn't get everybody successful fourballs, past it doesn't get everybody successful fourballs," Lewis said.

"That was thing I learned past clip that we're astir apt going to support doing going forward."

Last clip was lone 12 months ago, erstwhile Pettersen’s Europeans spiritedly came from 4-0 down successful the foursomes (another illustration of being out-thought) to unit a 14-14 tie.

It kept the trophy successful continental hands for a 3rd clip and meant the US were hopeless for occurrence past week. That script could person brought hostility and anxiety, perchance undermining their golf.

But Lewis’ calm, informed enactment fostered large spirit. The usually reserved satellite fig 1 Nelly Korda was a revelation, skipping joyfully onto the archetypal tee aft pumping retired large euphony connected the US squad bus.

"This was astir apt the astir amusive I've had connected a play people ever," said the 26-year-old Floridian. "Just the team, the squad environment, the caddies, everyone getting along, the fans.

"Everyone was truthful incredible. We each vibed truly good disconnected of each other. This is astir apt the astir I've laughed and the astir I've fist pumped ever connected a play course."

Lewis could lone approve. "They needed to person amusive and they needed to bask this," she acknowledged. "They besides needed to play bully golf.

"I deliberation determination was a batch of hostility of trying to play cleanable play and not enjoying it successful the process.

"This squad enjoyed this week much than the play itself. They had truthful overmuch amusive together.

"They picked each different up erstwhile they needed it."

These are traits that person for truthful agelong been the sphere of Europe successful these biennial jousts - some for the women successful Solheim and the men successful the Ryder Cup.

Lewis came up with an attack and strategy that showed that she, astatine least, is an American who present comprehends the existent dynamics that output occurrence successful these matches.