Golf

Solheim Cup 2023 teams – who did the captains select?

Solheim Cup 2023 teams – who did the captains select?
Spain: The Solheim Cup at Finca Cortesin, Manilva, Spain on 18 September 2023: Pictured: Rose Zhang (Team USA) on the 4th tee during a practice round at the Solheim Cup 2023 Photo by Alex Todd/Sportpix/SIPA USA - Photo by Icon sport

The 2023 Solheim Cup is slated to start on Friday, Sept. 22 and run until Sunday, Sept. 24. The United States’ best female golfers will take on Europe’s.

Team USA will attempt to get revenge at Finca Cortesin in Casares, Andalusia, Spain, after the Europeans defeated the Americans during the 2021 Solheim Cup at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio.

We’ll showcase the Solheim Cup team picks for captain Stacy Lewis’ USA squad and Suzann Pettersen’s European roster.

Solheim Cup rosters

Team USA

United States
PlayerAgePoints
rank
Rolex
ranking
Previous
appearances
MatchesW–L–HWinning
percentage
Stacy Lewis38Non-playing captain
Morgan Pressel35Non-playing assistant captain
Natalie Gulbis40Non-playing assistant captain
Angela Stanford45Non-playing assistant captain
Lilia Vu25110Rookie
Nelly Korda2522285–2–168.75%
Allisen Corpuz25380Rookie
Megan Khang25413261–3–233.33%
Jennifer Kupcho26528142–1–162.50%
Danielle Kang306313125–7–041.67%
Andrea Lee257430Rookie
Lexi Thompson288265196–6–750.00%
Rose Zhang2017300Rookie
Ally Ewing30933282–5–131.25%
Cheyenne Knight2611460Rookie
Angel Yin241232263–2–158.33%

Team Europe

Europe
PlayerCountryAgePoints
rank
Rolex
ranking
Previous
appearances
MatchesW–L–HWinning
percentage
Suzann Pettersen21px Flag of Norway.svg Norway42Non-playing captain
Laura Davies23px Flag of England.svg England59Non-playing assistant captain
Caroline Martens21px Flag of Norway.svg Norway36Non-playing assistant captain
Anna Nordqvist23px Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden36Playing assistant captain
Céline Boutier23px Flag of France.svg France2913275–1–178.57%
Maja Stark23px Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden232400Rookie
Linn Grant23px Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden243190Rookie
Charley Hull23px Flag of England.svg England274951911–5–365.79%
Carlota Ciganda23px Flag of Spain.svg Spain335335197–8–447.37%
Georgia Hall23px Flag of England.svg England278163137–5–157.69%
Anna Nordqvist23px Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden36103772714–10–357.41%
Leona Maguire23px Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland281314154–0–190.00%
Caroline Hedwall23px Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden34171204158–6–156.67%
Madelene Sagström23px Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden302842262–4–033.33%
Gemma Dryburgh23px Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland3042480Rookie
Emily Kristine Pedersen20px Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark2748114273–4–042.86%
Note: The two tables were used from Wikipedia.

Players to watch

The following four golfers are considered some of the best on each team.

Celine Boutier (Europe)

The French golfer comes into the tournament in better form than any player thanks to wins in back-to-back starts from July 30 to Aug. 6. Boutier dominated at the Evian Championship and won by six strokes over Brooke Henderson. A week later, she captured the Women’s Scottish Open.

Boutier owns a ridiculous 78.57% singles winning percentage (5-1-1) at the Solheim Cup and will try to win a third consecutive title with Team Europe.

Nelly Korda (USA)

The world No. 3 hasn’t won yet in 2023, after dealing with injuries at the beginning of the season. Korda definitely has talent, though, with eight LPGA Tour wins, including the 2021 Women’s PGA Championship.

She is arguably the top American and has seven top 10s this season. Her impressive singles record (5-2-1) speaks for itself, and she’ll need a solid showing if the United States is to reclaim the trophy.

Lilia Vu (USA)

Lilia Vu is entering the event on fire thanks to her two major wins this campaign. She’s the first Solheim Cup player to have two majors leading up to the cup since Annika Sorenstam did so in 2005.

Vu’s won three times on the LPGA in 2023, with her most recent triumph coming at the AIG Women’s Open on August 13. Earlier this year, Vu temporarily held the No. 1 ranked player in the Rolex rankings and is currently second.

Charley Hull (Europe)

The Englishwoman is making her sixth Solheim Cup appearance and owns an 11-5-3 singles record. Hull has two second-place finishes in majors this season and four second-place finishes this year.

Rookie to watch – Rose Zhang (USA)

The 20-year-old Stanford product won her LPGA debut, the Mizuho Americas Open, in June, making her the first player to win in their debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

Zhang is one of the greatest collegiate golfers ever. In two years at Stanford, she won 12 times (school-record) in just 20 starts. The Arcadia, California native tied Lorena Ochoa for most victories in conference women’s golf history.

Who is missing? – Jodi Ewart Shadoff

The 35-year-old, who is currently ranked 52nd in the world, was snubbed for the 2023 Solheim Cup, which did raise some controversy.

Pettersen opted for Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall (ranked 120th) and Dane Emily Kristine Pedersen (ranked 114th) instead. The team captain said it was a tough decision but that it came down to past history at the competition.

Hedwall is making her fifth appearance and has an 8-6-1 singles record. In 2013, she won five out of five points. Pedersen is making her third start at the Solheim Cup and is 3-4-1.

Shadoff, a three-time participant at the Solheim Cup, has four top 20s this season and has only missed two cuts. Hedwall doesn’t have a tour card currently, which is another reason her inclusion raised eyebrows.


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