2026 Solheim Cup Check-In: USA, Europe Rosters Take Shape

Coffee golf season races on and it's the LPGA’s turn to take the baton this week with the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open on the western coast of Scotland. While last week’s Open Championship might not have been the best TV viewing, the rules controversies, stinky TIO relief, and a great finish reminded us why waking up to watch golf on the links is so remarkable. 

Dundonald Links isn't the best venue, but it’s still links golf, and fans were treated to a delightful tournament last summer when rising star Lottie Woad earned her maiden LPGA victory. The Women’s Scottish Open is the gentle handshake before the players make the trek down the M6 to Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s for next week’s main event, the AIG Women’s Open. Here are the TV times this week for interested parties:

Thursday and Friday, July 23-24‍
Golf Channel: 4:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, July 25‍
CNBC: 8 a.m. – Noon

Sunday, July 26
CNBC: 7 – 11:00 a.m.

Solheim Cup Watch

With the 2026 Solheim Cup less than two months away, players on either side are running out of time to qualify for their respective teams. The European side will be the team to watch over the next two weeks as its roster will be solidified after the AIG Women’s Open. Captain Anna Nordqvist’s team of 12 will consist of two players from the LET points list and another six from the Rolex Rankings. The last four players will be from captain's picks. 

Charley Hull has a commanding lead on the LET points list, but the second spot is where things get tight. Helen Briem trails Chiara Tamburlini by a single point. I do think regardless of what happens over the next two weeks you're likely to see both of these ladies on the European team outside of big weeks from Agathe Laisne or Cara Gainer. The players currently on the team off the Rolex Rankings — Lottie Woad, Maja Stark, Celine Boutier, Carlotta Ciganda, Linn Grant, and Esther Hensleit — include a stellar set of Solheim veterans, and I don't see that list changing too much or any of those players being left at home. Capping Briem for the first time with a captain’s pick would leave three choices for Nordqvist. 

Despite no real form of late, both Nanna Koerstz Madsen and Leona Maguire almost lend themselves to being definite picks due to their roles in past Solheim Cups. Assuming those two make the team, that leaves the likes of Laisne, Mimi Rhodes, or Julia Lopez Ramirez. It’s a hard choice, especially as the once-flashing rookie Rhodes has missed the cut in seven of her last eight solo starts. There is the wild potential of a player like Carolina Chacarra, who has the hot hand off a recent three-shot LET win in Belgium. It will be interesting to see which direction Anna goes with her picks: European Solheim Cup stalwarts, or recent form? I think we’ve seen how that has played out for team events in the past. 

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Now to the American side. Captain Angela Stanford’s squad will have a little more time with two North America events in August to help determine who makes the team, but there are a few spots up for grabs looking at the rankings and point lists. Of the seven who will make the team on points, only world No. 1 Nelly Korda has technically locked her spot. That said, I’d argue the first four on the list are essentially locks, as well, with Angel Yin, Jennifer Kupcho, and Auston Kim. The line thins between players Nos. 6 through 9, who are separated by less than 100 points. Andrea Lee and Allisen Corpuz also look like locks thanks to their Rolex rankings, leaving Lindy Duncan, Lauren Coughlin, Yealimi Noh, and Jenny Bae battling for those last few spots. 

Stanford might've shown her hand slightly for her potential picks, seeing who was on the team scouting trip in the Netherlands last week. Alison Lee, Megan Khang, Lucy Li, Rose Zhang, and Lilia Vu were all in attendance. With only three captain’s picks, the only real lock for a pick to me appears to be Lee. I don't see how you can leave her at home with her recent form and experience. Khang has been a mainstay on the U.S. side for four other Cup teams, so it's also hard to imagine her not being selected. It will be interesting to see if one of those other handful of players can rise out of middling form to make a strong case to captain Stanford for selection in September’s matches. 

It's a great game within the game to watch across these next four events to see who can find form and earn their way onto these teams.