[ad_1]
The United States team for the Solheim Cup is officially established.
Captain Stacy Lewis has announced her three picks to complete the 12-player squad that will take on Europe next month in a Ryder Cup-style event at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.
The American team will be led by Nelly Korda and Lilia Vu, who are the two best players in the world. Former Stanford star Rose Zhang, who is ranked No. 10 in the world, also earned an automatic spot on the team, as did Lauren Coughlin, Ally Ewing, Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang, Andrea Lee and Allison Lee.
Lewis then tapped stars Lexi Thompson, Jennifer Kupcho and Sarah Schmelzel with his three captain picks. Thompson will be competing in his seventh Solheim Cup. Nine of the 12 golfers were also on the team last year.
“I’m just thrilled the team is finalized,” Lewis said, via Washington Post. “A lot of this crew is repeating from 2023, so a lot of them have experience. »
Europe retained the Solheim Cup last year after Korda equalized in her singles match against Carlota Ciganda at Finca Cortesin in Spain. This would have marked the first victory for the Americans on international soil since 2015.
Korda has won six times on the LPGA Tour this season. She had an incredible period where she also won five consecutive starts, something that has only been done twice in Tour history. She also won the Chevron Championship earlier this season and finished second at the Women’s British Open.
Vu finished tied for second at the Women’s British Open with Korda. She won the Meijer LPGA Classic in June for her fifth career victory. Zhang, after dominating at Stanford, has won twice during his Tour career, including earlier this season at the Cognizant Founders Cup.
Thompson is by far the most experienced person on the team. She holds an all-time record of 9-7-7 and is one of only two players on the team to have been part of a winning U.S. team. The United States has not won the event since 2017, when it was held in Des Moines, Iowa.
“Experience always helps, no matter where it is or what event it is,” Thompson said, via The Post. “Just bringing that energy and that positive mindset to the team, but it’s all about coming together as one, especially this week, being positive for everyone and ‘be there for each other.’
The European Solheim Cup team is made up of Charley Hull, Esther Hanseleit, Céline Boutier, Maja Stark, Linn Grant, Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda, Madelene Sagstrom, Georgia Hall, Anna Nordqvist, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Albane Valenzuela.
The Solheim Cup will take place September 13-15 in Virginia. The biennial competition is being held in consecutive years for the first time in more than two decades in order to play it opposite the Ryder Cup.