The 20th Solheim Cup is upon us as the showdown heads to the Netherlands. But some notable names will be missing from Bernadus Golf…
Team Europe face an almighty task to wrestle back the Solheim Cup as the transatlantic tussle heads to Bernadus Golf in the Netherlands in September. Angela Stanford’s United States will be heavily fancied after winning on home soil two years ago, but Anna Nordqvist will hope her European team that brings a combination of experience and youthful enthusiasm can take down the Stars and Stripes.
As always, the matches will be contested by the best players Europe and the US have to offer. But there will also be some notable omissions from this year’s showdown…
Europe
Team Europe finalized their team on August 3, with captain Anna Nordqvist selecting three rookies to complete a team spearheaded by English stars Charley Hull and Lottie Woad.
Here’s who’s missing from the European team, starting with the leader herself…
Anna Nordqvist
If anybody else was picking the four European wild cards, Nordqvist would have been a certainty. That Nordqvist ultimately opted for three rookies instead is because she did not want to juggle the consuming captaincy role with a 10th appearance as a player. But a three-time major winner who is in better form than many of her team members would have otherwise been a shoo-in.
If anyone else was making the Solheim Cup picks today, Anna Nordqvist would be a certainty on the team.
At the Women’s Open, I asked her why she’s ruled out naming herself as a playing captain… pic.twitter.com/dRjh6FrlgX
— Ben Parsons (@_benparsons) August 3, 2026
Georgia Hall
Hall welcomed her first child with her fiancee, former European Tour player Paul Dunne, in February. She returned to the LET in May and had an auspicious start with two finishes inside the top-30. But Hall missed the cut at both the Women’s Scottish Open and AIG Women’s Open. This Solheim Cup, therefore, has come too soon for a five-time European stalwart who is missing the contest for the first time since 2015.
Madelene Sagstrom
Nordqvist will miss her fellow Swede’s experience in the Netherlands. Sagstrom has featured in four Solheim Cups, but won’t make a fifth as she’s expecting her first child in September.
Emily Kristine Pedersen
Another four-time Solheim Cup player, Pedersen’s push was derailed by a broken wrist. She missed a large chunk of the season and is now ranked well outside the top 200 in the Rolex rankings.
Dewi Weber
Would Dutchwoman Weber have been selected to start in a home Solheim Cup if eligible? Perhaps we’ll never know. She was ranked ahead of three captain’s picks, but did not realize she had to be an LET member to get picked and therefore could not be selected.
United States
Nelly Korda will lead a US side brimming with firepower on away soil. The US team will not be finalized until after August 24, when qualification closes and captain Stanford names her three captain’s picks.
These are the two big American names likely to miss out at this stage…
Lexi Thompson
It would be foolish to rule out Thompson entirely, given she has played in seven consecutive Solheim Cups up to now. But will Stanford consider what is now effectively a part-timer these days? Thompson’s experience can not mask her lack of sharpness, with only five starts made in 2026.
Lilia Vu
The former world number one is now outside the top 150 in the Rolex rankings. Vu has suffered with severe back problems. failing to replicate the form that vaulted her to stardom with two major wins in 2023. She is 27th in the US Solheim Cup standings and will surely miss out on a third straight start.