Anne Van Dam, the PING Junior Solheim Cup captain for Team Europe, is confident that her young squad has a realistic shot at reclaiming the trophy from the United States at Bernardus Golf this week. The Dutch venue will host twelve of Europe’s most promising golfers, all aged between 12 and 18, as they take on their American counterparts on September 7 and 8.
The junior event is scheduled just three days before the senior Solheim Cup kicks off on September 11, with live coverage on Sky Sports. This will be the inaugural occasion that both the PING Junior Soliman Cup and the main Solheim Cup share the same course and the same week, turning Bernardus Golf into a festival of women’s golf for an entire week. 2026 also marks a historic first for the junior competition: the captain will simultaneously serve as a vice‑captain for the senior Solheim Cup.
Van Dam has been appointed one of Anna Nordqvist’s vice‑captains, linking the two squads more closely than ever before. Her former junior teammate, Bronte Law, will assist her as the European team’s vice‑captain, bringing additional experience and a familiar voice to the young players. Across the Atlantic, former LPGA star Morgan Pressel leads Team USA. The Americans enter the contest as the favorites after defending their title at the Army‑Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia, in 2024.
Pressel’s roster features a blend of established junior stars and rising talents, including Asterisk Talley, the top‑ranked player in the Rolex American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) standings, and Amelie Zalsman, who has posted a string of top‑five finishes on the AGJA circuit and was runner‑up at the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. Despite the formidable opposition, Van Dam remains upbeat. “My team are all fighters,” she said.
“They each have big personalities and a feisty attitude. I know they will battle hard to the very last putt.
That kind of grit isn’t something you can teach; you either have it or you don’t, and every player on our squad possesses it.” She added that Europe is slightly behind the United States in the overall junior rankings, but she hopes her side can close the gap and perhaps even overtake their rivals. Historically, the United States leads the all‑time Junior Solheim Cup record 8‑4‑1, but Europe has shown it can turn the tide. The most recent meeting on European soil, at a Spanish venue in 2023, ended with a decisive 15‑9 victory for the Europeans.
Van Dam is eager to replicate that success, especially because playing on the same course as the senior Solheim Cup is a once‑in‑a‑lifetime experience for these teenagers. Selection for Team Europe was based largely on the PING Junior Solheim Cup rankings after the R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship in August. The top six players earned automatic spots. Van Dam also exercised her captain’s picks, adding Spain’s Marta Muñoz, who captured the R&A Girls’ Amateur title by defeating compatriot Adriana García Terol in a 36‑hole final.
García Terol, along with Switzerland’s Lana Guyot—who reached the semi‑finals of the same championship—qualified automatically through the rankings. England’s Lauren Crump, the Annika Invitational Europe champion, and her teammate Annabel Peaford, chosen as a captain’s pick, also secured places on the roster.
The United States’ lineup includes not only Talley and Zalsman but also Anna Fang, who helped the Americans win in 2024 and has risen to 52nd in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Rankings after a runner‑up finish at the 2025 Rolex Tournament of Champions. The American side is further bolstered by seasoned junior veterans such as Nelly Korda, Lexi Thompson and Alison Lee, all of whom have previous Junior Solheim Cup experience.
Both captains bring a wealth of personal history to the event. Van Dam and Law both participated in the 2013 Junior Solheim Cup, giving them a unique perspective on what it takes to succeed under pressure. On the U.S.
side, Pressel’s own playing career includes multiple appearances in the competition, and she has guided several future stars through the junior ranks. The format mirrors the senior event: on Monday, September 7, six four‑ball matches and six foursomes will be contested, followed by twelve singles matches on Tuesday, September 8. Every point will be vital, and the young athletes will have the chance to taste the intensity of match‑play golf at the highest level.
For fans, the tournament offers a preview of the upcoming Solheim Cup, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Golf from September 11‑13. The junior competition provides a glimpse of the next generation of European and American talent, many of whom are expected to graduate to the senior ranks within the next few years. Beyond the competition itself, the event serves as a developmental platform. Players will gain experience in international travel, team dynamics, and handling the pressure of representing their continent.
Van Dam emphasized the educational value, saying, “From the moment I started speaking with my players, I could feel how eager they are to learn from me and Bronte. Playing on the same venue as the Solheim Cup is groundbreaking for them—it’s a chance to see where they could be someday.” In summary, the 2026 PING Junior Solheim Cup promises high‑stakes drama, a showcase of emerging talent, and a historic overlap with the senior Solheim Cup. While Team USA enters as the defending champion, Team Europe, led by a captain who also serves as a senior vice‑captain, is determined to fight every putt, every hole, and every match to reclaim the trophy for Europe.