Former President Barack Obama gives US Solheim Cup team a special surprise

The American team for the 2025 Solheim Cup is already preparing at Robert Trent Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. At the venue, they received a "presidential surprise" in the form of a visit from former President and well-known golf enthusiast Barack Obama.

The team, captained by Stacy Lewis and led by Nelly Korda, received best wishes from Obama as they attempt to win the Solheim Cup for the United States for the first time since 2017.

This is not the first time Barack Obama has shown his support for the American team at the Solheim Cup. In 2010, he hosted the team that won at Rich Harvest Farms months earlier at the White House, while in 2015 he did the same for the team that won in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The four assistant captains of the 2024 Solheim Cup team, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford, Paula Creamer and Brittany Lincicome, were part of the 2009 winning team.

Many players from the 2015 team will return for 2024, although not all in the same role. Current captain Stacy Lewis and her four assistant captains went to Germany as players. Current players Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee were also there -- Thompson in her second appereance and Lee as a rookie.

Barack Obama is known to be a golf enthusiast. According to a Golf News Net report citing information from CBS News reporter and presidential historian Mark Knoller, Obama played 333 rounds of golf during his eight years as president of the United States.

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U.S. Solheim Cup Team Visits the Pentagon

As part of the pre-Solheim Cup activities, the American Solheim Cup team had the opportunity to visit the Pentagon. This is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, just outside Washington DC.

Images circulating on social networks show the players receiving explanations from representatives of the institution. They can also be seen receiving souvenirs from Pentagon officials.

According to the X account NELLYLEGION, the Veteran Golfers Association cooperated with the players' visit and served as a guide for the tour of the Pentagon.

The U.S. team was made official a week ago when the captain's free picks were announced. The team is as follows:

• Nelly Korda
• Lilia Vu
• Lauren Coughlin
• Ally Ewing
• Allisen Corpuz
• Megan Khang
• Andrea Lee
• Rose Zhang
• Alison Lee
• Sarah Schmelzel
• Jennifer Kupcho
• Lexi Thompson

The American team has won the event 10 times to seven for the European team (one tie). However, it has been five years since the Americans have held the trophy, having lost it at Gleneagles in 2019.

Two years later, the Europeans regained the trophy in Inverness. In 2023, both teams finished tied at Finca Cortesin, Spain, but the rules of the event state that in the event of a tie, the trophy goes to the previous winner.