It’s back. A mere 12 months after a dramatic 14-14 tie in Spain for Europe to retain the Solheim Cup, the matches are up again this week at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va.

A few housekeeping items before we dig into this year’s European and American squads. This is the 19th playing of the Solheim Cup. The U.S. leads the all-time series 10-8 but has not won since a dominating performance in Iowa back in 2017. Europe won in 2019, 2021 and then tied last year to retain.

Now, this year. Thirteen of the top 30 players in the world will participate, with the U.S. having seven, Europe six. The average Rolex Women’s Ranking for the Americans is 26.25, the average for the Europeans is 41.25. Nelly Korda is the only player on either side who won a major championship this year.

While it was believed that the squads from 2023 would be similar to this year—captains Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen remain the same—there are five from last year who did not make these teams. Caroline Hedwall and Gemma Dryburgh from Europe have not returned. They were replaced by first-timers Esther Henseleit and Albane Valenzuela. For the U.S., Danielle Kang, Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin did not make this team and were replaced by rookies Sarah Schmelzel and Lauren Coughlin. Alison Lee returned for the first time since 2015.

“I think time will tell where this team stacks up,” Lewis said after announcing her captain’s picks last month. “But I think over the last maybe three or four, I think it’s probably one of the more talented teams we’ve had, and we just need to get them over the hump of getting to learn what winning a Solheim Cup is like.”

With so much on the line for both teams, we ranked all 24 golfers in the order we would draft every player on both teams.

24. Emily Kristine Pedersen (EUR)

Angel Martinez

Age: 28 World Ranking: 104Solheim Cup appearances: 3 Record (singles): 5-6-1 (1-2-0)A captain’s pick from Suzann Pettersen, who opted for Pedersen over several other players who were ranked higher in the world. This, undoubtedly, came down to Pedersen’s experience, with her contributing mightily to the team in the last two Solheim Cups. In 2021, she went 3-1-0 and partnered with Charley Hull three times. Last year she played all five matches, went 2-2-1, and partnered with four different teammates in her four team matches. Pedersen has missed nine cuts this year, including at both of her last two starts, but clearly Pettersen trusts her game in the heat of battle.

23. Ally Ewing (U.S.)

Angel Martinez

Age: 31 World Ranking: 18Solheim Cup appearances: 3 Record (singles): 3-8-1 (0-3-0)Has a losing record in each of her three Solheim Cup appearances, including going winless in all three singles matches. Her one victory a year ago was with Cheyenne Knight, who is not on this team this year. She’s partnered with Nelly Korda and Megan Khang in the past, too. Ewing played her best golf of the year in May and June when she went T-3, fourth, T-5 and second in four straight starts. She missed the cut in the Women’s Scottish Open and tied for 37th in the AIG Women’s Open in her last two starts.

22. Anna Nordqvist (EUR)

Stuart Franklin

Age: 37 World Ranking: 73Solheim Cup appearances: 8 Record (singles): 15-13-3 (3-2-3)Another Suzann Pettersen captain’s pick, but this one was the easiest of her four. Nordqvist hasn’t played particularly well this year on the LPGA, but this will be her ninth appearance in the Solheim Cup and she boasts a winning record after playing in 31 overall matches. Impressive. She’ll also be a vice captain for Pettersen this year, getting more valuable experience for when it’s her turn to captain her beloved European team. Nordqvist has four top-15 finishes this year and six missed cuts, including missed cuts in each of her last two starts.

More From Golf Digest Solheim Cup What’s on the line at the Solheim Cup? Analyzing what feels like a ‘must’ win for the Americans solheim cup This Solheim Cup rookie overcame a hospitalization earlier this year to make the U.S. team 21. Andrea Lee (U.S.)

Angel Martinez

Age: 26 World Ranking: 45Solheim Cup appearances: 1 Record (singles): 1-2-1 (0-0-1)Played twice with Danielle Kang last year in foursomes but Kang isn’t on the team this year, meaning Lee will need to find a new partner. That should not be difficult because she hits a lot of greens and is fourth on the LPGA in putting. Lee collected many of her Solheim Cup points from five top-10 finishes, the best being a third-place tie at the U.S. Women’s Open in Pennsylvania. She tied for 22nd place at the AIG Women’s Open, the last event before the automatic qualifiers were settled.

20. Madelene Sagstrom (EUR)

Angel Martinez

Age: 31 World Ranking: 40Solheim Cup appearances: 3 Record (singles): 3-5-1 (2-1-0)The Swede did not play in a foursomes match at all last year so keep an eye on that this week. She did, however, go 1-1-1, the loss coming to Lilia Vu in singles. Sagstrom is a sneaky long hitter and is a good putter, two wonderful traits in these matches. In her last two starts she withdrew and missed the cut, but before that was a string of top-30 finishes. Early in the summer she tied for eighth place at the JM Eagle LA Championship, then finished second to Rose Zhang in her next event at the Cognizant Founders Cup.

19. Albane Valenzuela (EUR)

EMMANUEL DUNAND

Age: 26 World Ranking: 62Solheim Cup appearances: RookieThe only player Suzann Pettersen used a captain’s pick on who had never played in the Solheim Cup, Valenzuela earned the nod largely in part because of four straight good performances in four of the biggest events. She tied for 22nd place at the Amundi Evian Championship, tied for 13th place at the Olympics and tied for 20th place at both the Women’s Scottish Open and AIG Women’s Open. Another rookie where it’s difficult to know when to play and who to play her with. Four-balls are always the easiest way to get your feet wet because you can just play your own ball.

18. Jennifer Kupcho (U.S.)

David Cannon

Age: 27 World Ranking: 49Solheim Cup appearances: 2 Record (singles): 2-3-2 (0-2-0)One of Stacy Lewis’ captain’s picks, Kupcho makes a lot of birdies and partnered with Lilia Vu and Allisen Corpuz in going 0-2-1 last year. She just tied for sixth at the FM Championship outside Boston and had a fifth-place finish at the CPKC Women’s Open in Canada. In 20 events this year she only has two missed cuts, but one of them came at the AIG Women’s Open, which made Kupcho squirm until hearing later that Lewis had picked her to play on her third Solheim Cup team.

Courtesy of Roger Snyder false Private Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Gainesville, VA, United States 4.5 106 Panelists

• Second 100 Greatest
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Designed by Robert Trent Jones and his long-time associate Roger Rulewich just before they tackled the ambitious and enormous Robert Trent Jones Trail string of courses in Alabama, Robert Trent Jones Golf Club was intended to be the veteran architect’s definitive statement on championship golf. Routed on rolling terrain densely covered with pine and hardwoods, the design reflects the philosophy Trent pioneered—heroic architecture—with well over a hundred glistening white sand bunkers and the last 11 holes playing along the shoreline of Lake Manassas, including the par-3 ninth with a peninsula green, the par-3 11th over a lake cove and the par-4 18th over an inlet and up a lakeside bluff. The RTJ G.C. has hosted the Presidents Cup matches on four occasions and was a PGA Tour stop in 2015. View Course 17. Sarah Schmelzel (U.S.)

Raj Mehta

Age: 30 World Ranking: 59Solheim Cup appearances: RookieAnother captain’s pick from Lewis, the Solheim Cup rookie was on the radar because of good results the last two months, including a tie for ninth place at the KPMG Women’s PGA, eighth place at the Women’s Scottish Open and a 29th-place tie at the AIG Women’s Open in difficult conditions at St. Andrews. It’ll be interesting to see how Lewis uses Schmelzel and who she uses to partner with her. Makes sense to use her more in four-ball so she can play her own ball in her maiden matches.

16. Alison Lee (U.S.)

Thomas Niedermueller

Age: 29 World Ranking: 27Solheim Cup appearances: 1 Record (singles): 1-3-0 (1-0-0)Welcome back Alison Lee. She played for Captain Juli Inkster in 2015 in Germany and it was thought that she would be on many future teams for the U.S. That was not the case. Lee earned some valuable Solheim Cup points early in the season with two solid finishes and lately she missed three cuts in her last six starts but there are also two eighth-place ties and a tie for 22nd place at the Amundi Evian. Lee was paired with three different players during her first Solheim Cup experience, but none of those three are on the team this year.

15. Megan Khang (U.S.)

Angel Martinez

Age: 26 World Ranking: 21Solheim Cup appearances: 3 Record (singles): 4-3-3 (2-0-1)Khang has progressively figured out the Solheim Cup, playing better in each of the three times she has competed. She opened with an 0-2-1 record in 2019, went 2-1-1 in 2021 and was undefeated last year going 3-0-1 to be one of the top players for the red, white and blue. Three missed cuts in the last three months are a bit of a concern but in between all of those are a tie for second, a tie for 14th place and a third-place tie at the Women’s Scottish Open. She’s fourth on tour in driving accuracy and 12th in greens hit in regulation.

14. Allisen Corpuz (U.S.)

Angel Martinez

Age: 26 World Ranking: 28Solheim Cup appearances: 1 Record (singles): 2-1-1 (0-1-0)It’s difficult to follow a season in which you win your first major championship at Pebble Beach, but Corpuz, although she hasn’t won, has had another successful season. She just tied for fourth place at the FM Championship, her last start, and is second on the LPGA in driving accuracy and 11th in greens hit in regulation. Those last two stats explain precisely why she went 2-0 in foursomes in Spain last year, although it also helped that her partner was Nelly Korda on both occasions.

13. Georgia Hall (EUR)

ANDY BUCHANAN

Age: 28 World Ranking: 46Solheim Cup appearances: 4 Record (singles): 9-7-1 (1-2-1)After a slow start to the season the Englishwoman has found her form more lately and hasn’t finished worse than 22nd place in each of her last four starts on the LPGA, including a fifth-place tie at the Dow Championship where she paired with Charley Hull in the team event. For someone with so much Solheim Cup experience, and with a winning overall record in four previous appearances, it’s a bit odd to look at last year’s results and see that she lost twice in foursomes matches while paired with Celine Boutier.

12. Maja Stark (EUR)

Angel Martinez

Age: 24 World Ranking: 25Solheim Cup appearances: 1 Record (singles): 2-1-1 (1-0-0)Another young player that Europe has added to its lineup for now and the foreseeable future. The Swede paired with countrywoman Linn Grant twice in foursomes a year ago, and it’s likely that they’ll do so again this week. Stark’s play has been wildly inconsistent this year, however, with four missed cuts, three top-three finishes back in April, but nothing of note since. She’s missed the cut and tied for 71st place in her last two LPGA starts.

More From Golf Digest Solheim Cup Lexi Thompson tops trio of captain’s picks for Solheim Cup Solheim Cup Valhalla chosen to host 2028 Solheim Cup 11. Carlota Ciganda (EUR)

Angel Martinez

Age: 34 World Ranking: 33Solheim Cup appearances: 6 Record (singles): 11-8-4 (4-1-1)Take Maguire’s capsule above and apply similar reasoning to Ciganda, although Ciganda is now playing in her seventh Solheim Cup. She tied for 10th place in her last start but had an ugly stretch mid-summer where she missed three consecutive cuts. But Ciganda lives for the Solheim Cup, owns a terrific overall record and went a perfect 4-0 last year in her native Spain to help her team retain the cup. She paired with Linn Grant twice in four-balls to win both crucial matches.

10. Leona Maguire (EUR)

Stuart Franklin

Age: 29 World Ranking: 34Solheim Cup appearances: 2 Record (singles): 7-2-1 (2-0-0)The Irishwoman is a Solheim Cup machine who refuses to lose. In her two previous appearances she has never sat out a session, playing five times twice. And she has only lost twice in 10 matches. She’s just another European stalwart who you know will produce during the week almost no matter what form she has coming into the competition. We’ll find out if that premise is true. She doesn’t have a top-10 finish in a stroke play event all year and her best finish of the season (T-12) came way back in May.

9. Rose Zhang (U.S.)

Angel Martinez

Age: 21 World Ranking: 9Solheim Cup appearances: 1 Record (singles): 0-2-1 (0-1-0)Zhang will tell you that her first Solheim Cup appearance did not go as planned as she was winless and sat out both foursomes sessions in Spain. But this year, her sophomore season on the LPGA, has been steady with nothing overly spectacular. Yes, she did add a second victory—winning the Cognizant Founders Cup with a final-round 66—but only has one top-10 finish in nine starts on tour since that win. Add an eighth-place performance at the Paris Olympics into the mix too. It would be a mild surprise if she doesn’t play well on home soil.

8. Lexi Thompson (U.S.)

Angel Martinez

Age: 29 World Ranking: 41Solheim Cup appearances: 6 Record (singles): 9-7-7 (2-1-3)A captain’s pick for her seventh—and likely last—Solheim Cup. She announced earlier this year that she’s retiring from a full-time LPGA schedule after this season. With Thompson, it isn’t as much about her play or results this year as it is her experience and leadership. She boasts a winning Solheim Cup record and is especially difficult to beat in singles. However, she has played better since her retirement announcement, collecting five top-20 finishes in her last seven starts. Thompson went 2-0 in foursomes with Megan Khang last year.

More From Golf Digest Captain’s picks European Solheim Cup roster finalized with veteran depth in preparation for road game Women’s History Money The 20 most consequential moments in women’s golf history, ranked 7. Esther Henseleit (EUR)

EMMANUEL DUNAND

Age: 25 World Ranking: 30Solheim Cup appearances: RookieMuch like Coughlin for the U.S., Henseleit wasn’t completely on the European radar just a few short months ago but has been fantastic since early July. Her crowning achievement was winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics last month, finishing just two shots behind Lydia Ko. She also has a seventh-place tie at the Amundi Evian Championship and a second-place finish at the Women’s Scottish Open. She’s a rookie, but she’s playing great and is a solid putter, which works in any format.

6. Linn Grant (EUR)

Angel Martinez

Age: 25 World Ranking: 26Solheim Cup appearances: 1 Record (singles): 3-2-0 (0-1-0)The third-highest ranked European on this list, even though this is only her second Solheim Cup appearance. She was steady last year in Spain, just as she’s been steady for the most part of this year on the LPGA. There have been three missed cuts, but also have been four top-10s in the last five months. Grant is someone who will be on this team for years, agitating Americans at each match. Last year she paired well with Carlota Ciganda and fellow Swede Maja Stark.

5. Lauren Coughlin (U.S.)

Raj Mehta

Age: 31 World Ranking: 15Solheim Cup appearances: RookieJust two short months ago it did not appear as if Coughlin would be a part of this team. She then rattled off finishes of fourth, first, ninth and first to jump up and grab an automatic spot for the event being held in her home state of Virginia. (Victories came at the CPKC Women’s Open and the Women’s Scottish Open.) It’s unclear who she’ll partner best with since she’s a rookie, but there should be plenty of options. Coughlin hits a ton of greens, is a steady putter and leads the LPGA in most birdies made this season.

4. Celine Boutier (EUR)

David Cannon

Age: 30 World Ranking: 10Solheim Cup appearances: 3 Record (singles): 5-4-1 (2-1-0)She had not produced similar results in 2024 to that of her sensational 2023 campaign but still is as steady as anyone on the European team. She missed the cut two weeks ago in Boston, but that was only her second MC of the year. Before that she collected nine top-25 finishes on the LPGA and represented her native France in the Olympics in Paris. Boutier has paired often with Georgia Hall the last two Solheim Cups, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that again.

3. Charley Hull (EUR)

Stuart Franklin

Age: 28 World Ranking: 12Solheim Cup appearances: 6 Record (singles): 12-7-3 (2-3-1)Take another look at the numbers above. Hull is only 28 and is playing in her seventh Solheim Cup for Europe. She’s also playing better than anyone else on her team this year heading into the matches. Hull has finished inside the top 20 in five of her last six starts, and her personality always helps lighten up otherwise tense situations for Europe. It’s also easy to pair Hull with anyone in any format, although she has played quite a bit with Emily Kristine Pedersen in the last two Solheim Cups.

2. Nelly Korda (U.S.)

Stuart Franklin

Age: 26 World Ranking: 1Solheim Cup appearances: 3 Record (singles): 7-4-1 (2-1-0)Yes, it can be questioned why she’s not first on this list, but the stretch earlier this summer where she missed three straight cuts is the reason. That came on the heels of six victories in seven starts to put her stamp on World No. 1. Since those missed cuts she’s rebounded with a 26th-place tie and a second-place tie at the AIG Women’s Open to appear as if she’s closer to her early-season form. Korda paired twice with Allisen Corpuz last year in foursomes.

1. Lilia Vu (U.S.)

Angel Martinez

Age: 26 World Ranking: 2 Solheim Cup appearances: 1 Record (singles): 1-3-0 (1-0-0) More was expected from the two-time major champion in her rookie appearance last year, but she’s back this year, healthy, and playing as well as anyone in the world. Since a return from injury in June she hasn’t finished worse than 26th in six starts, has a victory and two runner-up finishes, including in the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrews.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com