The European Solheim Cup team will go in search of a third successive win at Finca Cortesin in Spain between 22 and 24 September.
In the previous match, at Inverness Club in Ohio, Catriona Matthew’s Team Europe beat Pat Hurst’s Team USA 15-13 for its seventh win overall.
With home advantage, optimism is high for more success in the build-up to this year’s match. Here are the key facts on Team Europe as anticipation builds for the 2023 edition.
Team Europe Captain
Taking over from Matthew for the 2023 Solheim Cup is Norwegian Suzann Pettersen. The 42-year-old claimed 21 professional wins, including two Majors, before retiring in 2019.
In fact, the end of Pettersen's playing career marked a moment of Solheim Cup history, as her final putt defeated Marina Alex to give Team Europe the trophy.
Could there be a more suitable candidate for the captaincy given that send-off? Certainly, there is plenty of faith in Pettersen to do a fine job in the role, as she has already been confirmed as captain for the 2024 match.
Pettersen competed in a total of nine editions of the Solheim Cup in her playing career, winning four times. Can she forge a similar reputation as captain?
Vice Captains:
- Anna Nordqvist
- Laura Davies
- Caroline Martens
Likely Team Europe Players
Celine Boutier
Celine Boutier currently tops the LET Solheim Cup standings, with the top two from that list earning automatic qualification.
Boutier claimed her maiden Major win in her homeland of France in July’s Amundi Evian Championship and followed that up the week after with victory in the Freed Group Women’s Scottish Open. Those wins followed victory in the LPGA Drive On Championship in March to make her a shoo-in for qualification.
Boutier already has two Solheim Cup appearances under her belt, in 2019 and 2021, and has an impressive 5-1-1 scoring record.
Maja Stark
The Swede is yet to represent Team Europe in the Solheim Cup, but there’s every chance she will in 2023, as she holds the second automatic qualifying position, behind Boutier, in the LET standings.
Stark has amassed six LET wins in less than two years since turning professional, and also won the tri-sanctioned ISPS Handa World Invitational in 2022 within that time period.
Stark also finished T9 in the US Women’s Open, further enhancing her reputation as one of the game’s rising stars.
Charley Hull
There was disappointment for Hull following her second Major runner-up this year at the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath.
However, once that had subsided, she would have surely looked back with satisfaction on a week where, not only did she reach the world’s top 10 for the first time in her career, but she put herself in prime position for an automatic qualifying spot as the second-highest European player in the rankings behind Boutier.
Hull already has five Solheim Cup appearances to her name, with an overall record of 11-5-3.
Leona Maguire
Maguire is another comfortably in an automatic qualifying spot courtesy of her world ranking. World No.14. Maguire has five top-10 finishes in 2023, including a win in the Meijer LPGA Classic.
Maguire broke the all-time rookie points record in either the Solheim Cup or men's equivalent the Ryder Cup in 2021 with 4.5, and she’ll be a key asset for Pettersen’s team in 2023.
Georgia Hall
Hall has three Solheim Cup appearances to draw from, with wins in 2019 and 2021 and an overall record of 7-5-1.
At 16th in the world rankings, she hasn’t any concerns over her automatic qualifying chances, despite a slightly underwhelming run in recent months.
Her 2023 overall has been solid, though, with five top-10 finishes and she will be confident of bringing her best form to a competition she has plenty of success in.
Linn Grant
Grant stands one place beneath compatriot Stark in the LET standings, and while she may have left it too late to qualify via that route, her place in the world rankings leaves her merely awaiting confirmation of her participation.
While Grant has yet to appear in the Solheim Cup, 11 wins in her relatively short time professional career to date, including one on the LPGA Tour, suggest she’ll be an important player for Team Europe.
Carlota Ciganda
With 10 top-10 finishes in Majors, and an equal number of professional wins, the 33-year-old will bring huge experience to Pettersen’s team once her automatic qualification is confirmed.
Ciganda has an enviable Solheim Cup record too, with a record of 7-8-4 in five appearances. With the 2023 edition taking place in her homeland of Spain, she’s likely to play a key role in Team Europe’s bid to retain the trophy.
Anna Nordqvist
Not only is Nordqvist a Vice Captain, she’s also in an automatic qualifying position.
The three-time Major winner made seven appearances in seven editions of the Solhiem Cup between 2009 and 2021, emerging on the winning team four times with an overall record of14-10-3.
Assuming she qualifies, the 36-year-old will be keen to bring her vast experience to Pettersen's team on as well as off the course.
Current Team Europe Standings
LET Points Standings
Players in bold would qualify automatically as things stand.
- 1. Celine Boutier
- 2. Maja Stark
- 3. Linn Grant
- 4. Charley Hull
- 5. Carlota Ciganda
- 6. Ana Pelaez Trivino
- 7. Olivia Cowan
- 8. Georgia Hall
- 9. Johanna Gustavsson
- 10. Anna Nordqvist
Women's World Golf Rankings
Players in current automatic qualifying spots based on world ranking.
- 1. Celine Boutier - World No.4
- 2. Charley Hull - World No.9
- 3. Leona Maguire - World No.14
- 4. Linn Grant - World No.19
- 5. Carlota Ciganda - World No.33
- 6. Anna Nordqvist - World No.37
When Does Qualifying End?
Qualifying for Team Europe ends with the conclusion of the ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland.
The top two from the LET standings will qualify automatically, with the next six eligible players in the Women’s World Golf Rankings joining them on the team.
When Are The Wildcards Announced?
Pettesen will name her four captain’s picks on Tuesday 22 August, exactly one month before the match begins.
