Solheim Cup 2026 Rosters Are Set: What Angela Stanford and Anna Nordqvist Each Bet On at Bernardus Golf

The 2026 Solheim Cup rosters are complete. United States captain Angela Stanford finished her side on August 24 with captain's picks Megan Khang, Rose Zhang and 35-year-old debutant Lindy Duncan, joining nine automatic qualifiers led by world No. 1 Nelly Korda. European captain Anna Nordqvist had named hers on August 3: Leona Maguire plus rookies Julia López Ramírez, Nastasia Nadaud and Mimi Rhodes. Play runs September 11 to 13 at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, the Netherlands, the first Solheim Cup held in that country.

Both captains made a pick that had people scratching their heads. Stanford's is the more unusual, and the reason she gave for it is in the third section.

The two teams, and how each player got in

Twenty-four players. Seven debutants between them.

*Debutant

The official Solheim Cup site confirms the U.S. structure: seven from the LPGA points list, two more from the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, three picks. Sky Sports lays out Europe's: two from the Ladies European Tour points list, six from the Rolex Rankings, four picks.

Europe's last automatic spot came down to 0.9 points. Sky Sports reports Henseleit edged Chiara Tamburlini by that margin after a final-hole birdie forced a playoff at the AIG Women's Open.

The U.S. leadership team is Stanford with Kristy McPherson, Paula Creamer and Brittany Lang as assistants, per the official site. Sky Sports names Caroline Hedwall and Mel Reid as Nordqvist's vice-captains. The LET's own material also describes Anne van Dam, who is Dutch, as a Team Europe vice-captain. Three is the likeliest reading.

The pick Stanford had to explain

Thirty-five years old, no LPGA Tour win, ranked outside the world top 60. That's the profile of the rookie Stanford chose.

Just Women's Sports reports Duncan becomes the oldest U.S. debutant since Nancy Scranton in 2000 and the only American pick without an LPGA victory. The official site notes she held the second Rolex Rankings qualifying spot for nearly two months before dropping out after the Portland Classic. She was ninth on the U.S. points list, per Golf.com, with Lucy Li at 10th and Jenny Bae at 12th the only top-12 players left off.

Stanford's reasoning was specific. She told Golf.com that "it ultimately came down to Lindy's a great putter," and told Golf Digest her two priorities for a trip to Europe were putting and chemistry.

The two veterans came with form questions of their own. Golf.com notes Khang has made one cut in her last eight starts and sits 85th in the world, while Zhang has one top-10 since April. Against that, the 2024 record: Zhang went 4-0-0 without a match reaching the 17th hole, and Golf.com puts her and Khang at a combined 7-0 in Virginia.

Golf Raw's read: Stanford picked for one skill and one room. On a course she's never captained at, in front of a hostile crowd, that's a defensible bet. It's also one that leaves three players outside the top 60 carrying a quarter of her team.

What Nordqvist did instead

One veteran, three rookies, and a Dutch player left out at a Dutch Solheim Cup.

Sky Sports reports Maguire was the highest-ranked European not to qualify automatically and will play her fourth straight Solheim Cup. Golf Monthly notes López Ramírez ranks second in driving distance on the LPGA, Nadaud is a 21-year-old LPGA rookie, and Rhodes won three LET titles in 2025 on her way to Rookie of the Year.

Golf Channel lists who missed out: Dewi Weber at world No. 87, Madelene Sagström at 88, Ingrid Lindblad at 91 and Helen Briem at 94. Weber is Dutch. No explanation from Nordqvist on that has been published.

Woad, a rookie qualifier at world No. 5 per Sky Sports, means a third of the European side has never played this event.

What's decided this week and what isn't

Twenty-eight matches, and a target of 14.5 points to win, per Sky Sports. Two foursomes sessions, two fourball sessions, then 12 singles on Sunday.

What isn't decided is the order. Which format opens Friday morning, and the pairings themselves, get confirmed at the captains' meetings during the week and announced before play. Anyone publishing Friday's matchups now is guessing.

The stakes on both sides are clear. Golf Digest notes the Americans are trying to win in Europe for the first time since 2015. Today's Golfer's count has the home side winning five of the nine Solheim Cups played in Europe. The U.S. took the last one 15.5-12.5 in Virginia in 2024, per Sky Sports, after the first tie in the event's history at Finca Cortesín in 2023.

Bernardus is a Kyle Phillips-designed heathland course near Eindhoven with water in play, per Sky Sports. Beyond that, Golf Raw hasn't seen a published yardage or setup sheet for the week, so treat any course-length figure you see elsewhere with caution until the tour publishes one.

FAQ

When does the 2026 Solheim Cup start?

Competition runs Friday, September 11 to Sunday, September 13, 2026 at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, the Netherlands, per Sky Sports and the official Solheim Cup site. The full event week began September 7. Sky Sports Golf carries all three days live in the UK.

Who missed out on the teams?

For Europe, Golf Channel lists Dewi Weber (world No. 87), Madelene Sagström (88), Ingrid Lindblad (91) and Helen Briem (94) as the highest-ranked players left off. For the U.S., Golf.com notes Lucy Li (10th on the points list) and Jenny Bae (12th) were the only top-12 players not selected.