Las Vegas golfers dominate US Solheim Cup team

The Solheim Cup will have a Las Vegas feel with a quarter of the U.S. team calling the city home.

Rose Zhang, Allisen Corpuz and Alison Lee qualified for the 12-player team that will take on Europe from Sept. 13 to 15 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia.

All three will be playing in the event for the second time, though Lee hasn’t been part of the team since 2015. The nine-year gap between appearances is the largest in event history.

Other automatic qualifiers include Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu, Lauren Coughlin, Ally Ewing, Megan Khang and Andrea Lee.

On Tuesday, captain Stacy Lewis added Lexi Thompson, Jennifer Kupcho and Sarah Schmelzel to the team. The event is most likely the swan song for Thompson, who is retiring from full-time golf after the season. She will be playing in her seventh consecutive Solheim Cup,.

The U.S. has a 10-7 advantage in the competition, but Europe has won the past three.

Indoor league

What is being billed as the world’s largest indoor golf league is set to launch next month, with Las Vegas among the locations for players interested in taking part.

Five Iron Golf’s fall league will begin Sept. 16 and run for eight weeks, pitting teams from across the United States, Australia, Singapore, Dubai and India in virtual competitions.

Las Vegas participants will play their rounds on Mondays or Tuesdays at Five Iron’s Area 51 facility. Cost is $33 to $44 per round.

“We are always looking to give our golfers access to incredible opportunities while maintaining the convenience of playing in their city, after work,” said Jared Soloman, CEO and co-founder of Five Iron Golf.

The season will use handicap scoring to level the playing field. Those without a handicap can establish one by playing a complimentary round Sept. 9 or 10.

Teams will play different formats, including scrambles, best ball and Scottish Foursomes. Virtual courses to be played include St. Andrews, Royal Melbourne and Pinehurst.

A variety of prizes will be on the line, including a grand prize of a four-night stay at The Westin Dubai.

Five Iron Golf has 26 U.S. locations, with a second facility in Seattle set to open soon.

Players can sign up at fiveirongolf.com.

Close call

Las Vegas golfer Maverick McNealy expects to play as many as seven of the eight events on the PGA Tour’s fall schedule after coming up just shy of the top 50 in the FedEx Cup points race.

McNealy finished 53rd, failing to make that coveted top 50 that guarantees players entry into eight signature events in 2025 with their massive purses and limited fields. He finished 51 points shy of the mark, changing his plans for the fall.

“It’s the difference between playing seven tournaments and playing four tournaments this fall,” he said. “There’s weddings I want to go to. There’s life stuff. There’s taking a bit of a break and a rest. Getting to spend a little bit of time at home. Those are all things that are on the line.”

Maintaining his spot between 51st and 60th in the fall will get McNealy into the first two signature events in 2025, thus the planned busy schedule that will include the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin.

Despite falling short, McNealy was pleased with his regular season.

“I started the year on a medical, was not in any of the signature events, and with the huge number of points those events got, I am really proud of the fact that I had a chance to make it in the top 50,” he said. “My name is ahead of a lot of guys that were playing for those big points, no-cut events.”

Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.