The latest edition of the Solheim Cup shows no clear divide between Team Europe and Team USA, and there is little reason to believe this week’s showdown will break that pattern. Anna Nordqvist’s European squad is set to chase the trophy on familiar turf at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands, with the matches being broadcast live on Sky Sports. This comes just two years after a 15.5‑12.5 defeat on American soil in Virginia, marking Europe’s first loss in the biennial event since 2017.
Unlike the Ryder Cup, which has often produced decisive margins in recent years—aside from the dramatic comeback at Bethpage Black last season—the Solheim Cup has tended to deliver nail‑biting finishes. The last three Solheim Cups staged in Europe have yielded the three closest results in the competition’s history.
In 2015 and 2019, the contests were decided by a single point, while the 2023 edition ended in an unprecedented 14‑14 tie. Each of those tournaments brought its own brand of excitement. In 2015, Team USA staged a record‑breaking singles rally to clinch the Cup, while in 2019 Suzann Pettersen sank the decisive putt on the 18th green to hand Europe a victory at Gleneagles.
Four years later, in Spain, Europe recovered from a disastrous opening session on Friday and, thanks to a clutch performance in the singles, secured the 14 points needed to retain the Cup. The 2011 showdown in Dublin was also a thriller, with Europe winning by just two points after an injury forced Cristie Kerr to withdraw from the singles. Taken together, the final four contests on the Atlantic side have produced a combined winning margin of only six points, underscoring how evenly matched the two sides have become.
This year’s rosters mirror that balance; both teams feature players who are in excellent form, occupy similar positions in the world rankings, and bring substantial Solheim Cup experience. Team Europe often enters the competition as the underdog in the eyes of many observers, largely because the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings feature a larger contingent of Americans in the top echelons. Nevertheless, Europe now boasts more players inside the top ten than the United States, which could prove pivotal. Charley Hull is making her eighth consecutive appearance for Europe, while world No.
7 Lottie Woad, despite being a rookie on paper, has already captured two LPGA Tour victories within her first year as a professional. Nordqvist’s squad also includes five of the world’s top‑35 players.
Esther Henseleit surged up the rankings after a runner‑up finish at the AIG Women’s Open, and both Maja Stark and Celine Boutier are regular contenders on the LPGA Tour. The United States, by contrast, enjoys depth with nine players inside the top‑50, though their lowest‑ranked rookie, Lindy Duncan, sits at No.
66. Five European players—four of them captain’s picks—are ranked below that threshold.
"I firmly believe it will come down to home advantage," veteran Dame Laura Davies, a 12‑time Solheim Cup participant, told the Sky Sports Golf podcast. "It’s going to be a very loud week with our girls playing in front of a huge audience. On paper, the Americans will probably be favourites because they always are, given they all play on the LPGA Tour.
I just think that home advantage makes such a difference." Beyond the dominant start to the LPGA season by Nelly Korda—who won four events and never finished worse than eighth in a ten‑tournament stretch—there have been few victories by Solheim Cup players this year. Lauren Coughlin’s triumph at the Aramco Championship is the sole win by an American Cup participant on the LPGA Tour so far, while Boutier and Woad are the only Europeans to have captured titles in the United States this season.
Charley Hull added a Ladies European Tour victory at the PIF Saudi Ladies International in February and arrives with the confidence of having thumped Korda 6&4 in the Sunday singles two years earlier. Hull already holds 15 Solheim Cup match wins, the most by any player before turning 30, and only Annika Sörenstam boasts a higher winning‑points percentage among Europeans with comparable experience. Davies has urged Hull to "step up and lead" Europe again, citing her powerful tee shots and relaxed demeanor.
Nordqvist echoed this sentiment, noting that Hull’s personality lights up the team environment. "You’ve just got to let Charley be Charley," Nordqvist said to Sky Sports. "It was really nice to see how much she really enjoyed the Solheim Cup last time – she lights up the team room just with her personality.
I can’t wait to see her tee it up." Earlier in the season, Nordqvist’s vice‑captains suggested she consider a captain’s pick for herself after a string of solid summer results, but the Swedish captain dismissed the notion, opting instead for four younger selections to round out the roster. A tied‑seventh finish at the Evian Championship sparked those discussions, as did subsequent top‑30 finishes, while veteran Georgia Hall missed qualification for the first time since 2015 and Madelene Sagström sat out due to childbirth. The lineup also features seasoned performers like Leona Maguir, the heroine of Europe’s 2021 victory on foreign soil, alongside rising talents such as Julia Lopez Ramírez, Nastasia Nadaud, and Mimi Rhodes, who are eager to prove themselves on golf’s biggest stage. "We have some great power in there and I think we’re going to be really strong this year," Nordqvist said.
"It’s going to be a big change, but also I feel like we have such a good core group of girls that’s going to make the other players very comfortable and confident." Historically, Europe’s decision to include three rookies as captain’s picks—first in 2011 and again in 2021—has coincided with victories. Nordqvist hopes to complete a hat‑trick by repeating that formula this time around. Who will ultimately lift the Solheim Cup? Fans can watch Team Europe’s quest to reclaim the trophy live on Sky Sports, with all three days of action scheduled from September 11‑13.
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