[PHOTO: NurPhoto]

The US Solheim Cup loss on home soil deflated the American players. The 15-13 defeat at Inverness Club in 2021 was the fourth loss in six Solheim Cups, which sparked conversations with Stacy Lewis on her becoming a captain. Then a 36-year-old assistant for the US, Lewis shelved the possible role as a task for another day.

That arrived less than half a year later when the former world No.1 was announced as the American Solheim Cup captain in February 2022. Her reasoning for taking on the leadership role was direct.

“I feel like the team needs me right now,” Lewis said then.

Two Solheim Cups later, Lewis has helped her team earn a tie in Spain in 2023 and a streak-snapping home victory this year at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, sweating out a 15½-12½ win to lift the Solheim Cup for the first time since 2017.

“They needed to have fun and they needed to enjoy this,” Lewis said. “This needed to do that but also needed to play good golf. I think there was a lot of tension of trying to play perfect golf and not enjoying it in the process. This team enjoyed this week more than the golf itself. They had so much fun together. They picked each other up when they needed it. They did whatever I asked of them.”

American players and captains have consistently shared how close they felt to their teammates the past two years. They held more honest discussions with those around the US team feeling like American players were often too focused on their routines and not always buying into the team concepts. Spending time in the team room was optional, not mandatory. Attitudes were often self-centred and focused on their own playing time during the LPGA’s biggest team event. One member of the leadership team analogised the challenge to having one bad apple that can spread throughout the whole office. Lewis’ opening comments included pointing out that no one on the team asked for a couple of days to themselves.

Lewis overhauled the chemistry with a year-round approach of building relationships with everyone who could be on the team. Consistently, she hosted team dinners with more than 25 potential players to provide clear messaging. The leader maintained an open-door policy to discuss where everyone stood, and was honest about telling each person what she might need to do to make the team. Lewis set an example of what she wanted in her team by consistently lauding those passionate about the Solheim Cup. She repeatedly vouched for Lexi Thompson and the passion she’s always displayed at these matches.

The captain overhauled the pairings process by incorporating analytics starting in Spain, providing more objective reasoning for sending specific pairings out during matches. Lewis wasn’t tethered to the spreadsheet, allowed for player input and, at times, overrode the spreadsheet with her gut. But she built it all by being open with her players about the state-secret-level statistical database.

After last year’s tie, Lewis launched their “unfinished business” motto, printing shirts for the group to keep them focused on this week instead of on breaking the seven-year winless streak.

Her imprints on team culture were most visible during the week. She took the American team around their nation’s capital, trying to invoke America’s history with a trip to the Pentagon and meeting with former president Barack Obama. Lewis signed off on numerous comical social media posts and continued as a service-first leader. When asked, Lewis procured a karaoke machine for the team.

After last Thursday’s opening ceremony, Lewis tried to impart the event’s historical importance with a team dinner headlined by past captains. The former leaders spoke to the team and 11 of them attended the Solheim Cup. They all felt the American culture difference this week.

“Just seeing them on the golf course, how they’re supporting each other and just being by their sides, it’s totally noticeable,” said 2021 US Solheim Cup captain Pat Hurst. “Everybody sees it, and I think they just feed off each other.”

“Stacy’s done a great job bringing them all together,” three-time US captain Juli Inkster said.

Lewis continued her passionate messaging throughout play. After world No.1 Nelly Korda started by overpowering the Europeans on a 2-0 opening day, the leader started her praise for the way Korda skipped her way to the first tee. Lewis could only laugh as Alison Lee and Megan Khang’s caddies took their shirts off after Lee’s eagle hole-out on Saturday.

“I know their personalities and I’m around them off the golf course, but to do that in front of everybody and to feel comfortable doing that, I knew we were doing a lot of things right behind the scenes,” Lewis said.

The US jumped to a 10-6 lead through Saturday, never losing a session as the Americans drafted behind Korda with numerous record performances. Rookies Sarah Schmelzel and Lauren Coughlin each started 2-0-0 in team play. Rose Zhang had a breakout performance, as the world No.9 went 4-0-0 after a disappointing 0-2-1 effort in Spain.

“The whole team has just been so friendly, and everyone has had a good time in the team room and on the golf course,” Zhang said. “Like Stacy said, it translated over to the golf course.”

Sunday singles started as if the Americans would close the Solheim Cup in a business-like fashion. Allisen Corpuz secured the American’s third singles win with a 4&3 victory over Anna Nordqvist to put the Americans a point-and-a-half away. But that started the longest 90 minutes of Lewis’ life as the US struggled to close.

“It just felt like it was never going to end,” Lewis said. “Just really nerve-wracking. You felt pretty helpless.”

Lewis joined Andrea Lee on the 16th, as her second-time player called the captain her birdie good luck charm. Lee birdied the par 3, as Lewis looked on, before tying the match, putting the US a point away.

Tension grew around the 18th green as multiple chances for the Americans to close out didn’t pan out. Lexi Thompson lost her chance to be the walk-off hero as Celine Boutier birdied to win 1 up. Maja Stark made a 10-footer to tie Lauren Coughlin and extend the Solheim Cup. Lilia Vu, in the ninth match of the day, walked down the 18th 1 down to European rookie Albane Valenzuela and peered at the scoreboard to her left. Knowing she needed to win the hole to end the Solheim Cup, Vu hit a gap wedge to two feet.

“As soon as I saw the ball come off the clubface,” Vu’s caddie Cole Pensati said, “I almost wanted to take my shirt off because I thought she was going to make it.”

The two-time major champion made the putt to clinch the Solheim Cup and conclude the Americans’ unfinished business.

Once the matches finished, the 12 players and four assistant captains had American flags draped among them as they stood behind Stacy Lewis on the 18th fairway. As they bounded together towards the green, the group started chanting.

“Stacy! Stacy!”

A fitting farewell to Lewis’s culture-changing captaincy.