Every year the LPGA visits Toledo for the Marathon Classic. The Toledo Mud Hens are one of the best franchises in minor league baseball. The Walleye never fail to fill the Huntington Center. The UT Rockets and BGSU Falcons rivalries always send tremors through the entire Northwest Ohio area.
BUT, Toledo ain’t seen nothing like what is coming over the Labor Day weekend!
Watch this Video to get Excited! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSklqv3auJ4&t=1s)
The Solheim Cup will pit the 12 best women professional golfers from the United States against the 12 best ladies from Europe. Pat Hurst will lead the American squad and Catriona Matthew will return to Captain the Europeans.
Who can forget Suzann Pettersen draining the final putt to earn the winning point for the Europeans three years ago at Gleneagles, in Scotland.
The first Solheim Cup was held in 1990 at Lake Nona Country Club, near Orlando. Team USA led by Captain Kathy Whitworth won handily 11 ½-4 ½. The American Team enjoys a 10-6 advantage, but since 2011 the Europeans have won three of the last five Solheim Cups.
When the LPGA was originally organizing an international team event, they needed a suitable sponsor. Karsten Solheim and his wife were presented with the idea and PING became a global partner, a role they continue to enjoy today. Marathon Petroleum and Rolex have joined with PING as global partners for the 2021 tournament.
Practice rounds will begin August 31 with the actual competition scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, September 4-6. Foursome matches will be contested both Saturday and Sunday mornings, with the competition switching to Fourball matches in the afternoon sessions. On Monday, the Labor Day Holiday, all the participants will be paired in 12 exciting singles matches that will determine the winner and bring the games to its conclusion. 
The pressure ratchets up for the final day of singles. Every woman wants to win her match and help their team win the Cup.
This year’s festivities will feature one break from tradition, the opening ceremony will be held Friday, September 3rd, at Promenade Park. A concert, sponsored by ProMedica, featuring Grammy-Winning artist, Gwen Stefani is expected to draw large crowds to downtown Toledo.
Another first for the Solheim Cup will be the stadium feel for the opening tee shots. At Inverness, the first and tenth tee boxes are separated by a small practice putting green. For the Solheim Cup both the first and tenth tees will be combined into a single teeing area. Fans will be able to view the players hitting their opening tee shots on No. 1, as well as, their drives as they make the turn for number 10.
A stairway and bridge will be constructed for the players to walk from the practice putting green, in front of the massive Inverness Clubhouse, up an over the stands, which will allow the players to descend into this energy charged arena.
The view from the teeing area out over the group of bunkers that split the two fairways is always awe inspiring, but add to that the massive crowd and the excitement of the Solheim Cup, the atmosphere inside will be electric!
Inverness Head Professional A.J. Sikula told us,
“The excitement is building among the club’s membership, our visitors and even non-golfers about the upcoming Solheim Cup. I can’t wait to see the players descend the steps, enter the first tee and hear the roars and chants from the fans.”
Watch Sikula’s full interview at: https://youtu.be/KnMaNNTKZlA
In yet another change, the iconic, short par-4 18th hole, with the ‘Bob Tway Bunker’ will become the ninth hole. In 1986, Tway had erased a four-shot deficit and was tied with Greg Norman as they stood on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship. Laying up, Tway hit his approach short and right leaving a difficult bunker shot. Norman had also missed the green. Tway miraculously holed his bunker shot to defeat Norman for the title. It has become one of the most famous shots in golf and every visitor to Inverness has to drop a ball in that bunker to try to emulate Tway’s winning shot.
With only 40% of matches demanding a full 18 holes, the tournament committee wanted every competitor to experience the iconic ninth. Reversing the two holes, ninth and 18th, assures every match will pass through that historic stretch of Inverness.
Since Governor DeWine’s announcement that COVID restrictions will be eased beginning June 2, the LPGA is expecting to sell the maximum number of tickets, so fans can get the full Solheim Cup experience at Inverness.
John Zimmers, Head Superintendent at Inverness, is tasked with preparing the course and assure it is in peak condition. He has considerable experience preparing for big events. He was Head Superintendent at Oakmont, when it hosted two U.S. Opens, a Women’s U.S. Open, as well as, a U.S. Amateur, during his 18-year tenure.
He told us,
“Weather is always a factor and setting up the course to assure good shots are rewarded, while the penalties for poor shots are sufficient, is always challenging. The overall set up is slightly different for match play versus medal play. The rough will be similar to what the members see every day so the competitors have an opportunity to recover from a less than perfect shot.”
Watch the full Zimmers interview at: https://youtu.be/tT7c3ecmAGI
The city of Toledo has been preparing for the Solheim Cup, as well. Tournament Director, Becky Newell has been on site for more than two years and has witnessed the extensive renovations the city has made along Summit Street in the downtown area, as well as, along the scenic Maumee River. The Solheim Cup should be a big boost to the local area and the economic impact is estimated to be $30 million.
Newell said, “It’s not really all about golf, It’s Toledo’s Olympics.”
Yes, the Solheim Cup will not only bring thousands of golf fans to Toledo, but it will also bring millions of eyeballs to bear on the Toledo area as golf fans around the world watch the competition on their televisions. This will be the biggest event Toledo has ever witnessed and they have put their best foot forward to make it a pleasurable experience for everyone.
The excitement, especially for Sunday’s Singles Matches, never fails to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck and chills run down your spine. Be a part of history when the Solheim Cup visits Inverness in 2021.
For tickets and more information visit: http://solheimcup.com/.
