“Never Rely on a Pick”: Days After Earning the Trust of Her Skipper, 3X LPGA Tour Winner Defends Her Solheim Cup Inclusion

The 12-member US team for the Solheim Cup was announced recently. Unlike the Ryder Cup, here the captain had three picks. Seven players entered the team directly based on their ranks in the Solheim Cup leaderboard. The other two earned their spots based on their positions in the World Rankings Table.

Considering Ally Ewing’s consistent form, Captain Stacy Lewis had chosen her as one of her picks for the team, besides Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin. In a post-round conference, after day two of the Portland Classic Championship, Ewing spoke about her entry into the team. She shared her mindset about the Cup before and after being picked. Let’s dive into the story. 

Ally Ewing was relieved, not excited!

Responding to how earning a spot in the team has motivated her, Ewing had a mixed reaction. The question focused on how there has been a lot of excitement in the past few days following the announcement. Ewing was asked how this has provided her with energy and motivation to play well this week.

“Probably not necessarily energy or motivation, but definitely I feel like I’ve been in good form. I’m excited for Spain. I can’t wait,” Ewing said. 

The 30-year-old explained that being picked for the team was more a relief to her than a source of excitement. Ewing shared how she has been on the team before and is familiar with the atmosphere of it. She played in the 2019 Solheim Cup partnering up with Angel Yin and won her first game with a 7&5 score. 

It sounded like she wasn’t too happy about leaving the decision with the captain, instead of securing her spot with her Solheim Cup points. “Never rely on a pick; play your way on.” Ewing confessed that this has been her mentality prior to every Solheim Cup.

Thanking Captain Lewis for picking her, Ewing said, “There were a lot of people that had played better, and Stacy trusted me.”  Let’s take a quick look at her performance in the ongoing Portland Classic Championship.

A spectacular second round bumps her up the leaderboard

Ally started the tournament with a decent 3-under in the first round. However, her second-round performance surprised one and all, and with an impressive 7-under, she jumped up to the fourth position. This is 26 positions higher than her position after the first round. She currently shares the fourth position with six others, including Charley Hull. On a 72-par course, she currently holds a score of 134 after the first two rounds. 

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Commenting on the rains at PNW, she remarked the course has gone soft because of the rain. She said she wasn’t sure if it would dry up before the third round, but she was ready for the game. She also commented that the course is quite low-scoring and fans can expect a lot of birdies over the next two days. 

Do you think Ally Ewing can sustain her position and climb up further? Tell us in the comments!

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