Solheim Cup 2023: Who has qualified for Team Europe and who still needs a captain’s pick? | Golf News

Team Europe captain Suzann Pettersen will finalise her team and name four captain’s picks on Tuesday at 4pm live on Sky Sports; Solheim Cup takes place from September 22-24 in Spain, where they will be chasing a third consecutive victory

Team Europe’s eight automatic qualifiers for the Solheim Cup have been confirmed, with captain Suzann Pettersen now having a tough decision on who to name to complete her line-up.

The qualification campaign ended after the ISPS Handa World Invitational, where the top two players on the LET European Solheim Points List and next six in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings secured their places in the biennial contest.

Evian Championship winner Celine Boutier finished top of the European standings ahead of Maja Stark, while Charley Hull, Leona Maguire, Georgia Hall, Linn Grant, Carlota Ciganda and Anna Nordqvist qualified via their world ranking.

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Speaking ahead of the AIG Women’s Open, ex-champion Anna Nordqvist says she has no concerns about being a playing vice-captain at this year’s Solheim Cup

Nordqvist will be a playing vice-captain at Finca Cortesin from September 22-24, while Pettersen will announce her four captain’s picks in a special programme live this Tuesday from 4pm on Sky Sports Golf.

“I’m very happy with my team right now for the 2023 Solheim Cup,” Pettersen said. “We have so much experience in the team and it’s great to have our rookies Maja [Stark] and Linn [Grant] representing Europe for the first time.

“We have never had such a strong group of players in terms of world ranking. The European players have been playing well this year and putting in strong performances across the board.”

How did players qualify?

Boutier topped the LET Solheim Cup Points standings with 264.57 points, largely thanks in part to her back-to-back victories at The Amundi Evian Championship and the Women’s Scottish Open, with the Frenchwoman now set for a third consecutive appearance for Team Europe.

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Highlights from day four of the Evian Championship at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France

The newly crowned major champion is joined by Sweden’s Stark, who clinched the second spot with 262.42 points after winning six times on the Ladies European Tour over the past two years.

Hull qualified via the world rankings and will make her sixth consecutive Solheim Cup appearance, having made her debut aged 17 in the 2013 contest and featuring on three winning teams.

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Highlights from the final round of the AIG Women’s Open at Walton Heath as Lilia Vu claimed her second major title of the season and Charley Hull took second

The Englishwoman – a two-time runner-up in majors this season – is joined by Maguire, who returns after 4.5 points in her rookie appearance in 2021, while former AIG Women’s Open champion Hall is also back to make her fourth start for Team Europe.

Grant will be among the debutants after winning five times on the LET and once on the LPGA Tour during the past couple of seasons, with Ciganda – who won earlier this season – getting to tee it up on home soil and make a seventh Solheim Cup appearance.

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A look back at the best of the action from a thrilling final day at the 2021 Solheim Cup, where Team Europe made it back-to-back victories against Team USA

Nordqvist will be making her eighth consecutive appearance in the competition, having won 15.5 points from the 27 matches she has played, with the Swede excited by her additional role.

“I’m very proud to be taking on vice-captaincy and playing this year,” Nordqvist said. “I don’t think it’s a secret how much I love the Solheim Cup and it brings out the best in me. It’s always my biggest goal every two years to make the team and try to help Europe win.”

Who needs a captain’s pick?

Madelene Sagstrom is the highest-ranked European who failed to qualify, with the Swede posting three worldwide top-10s this season and hoping to feature for Team Europe for a third time.

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Speaking ahead of the AIG Women’s Open, ex-champion Anna Nordqvist says she has no concerns about being a playing vice-captain at this year’s Solheim Cup

Nanna Koerstz Madsen was also part of Europe’s team in 2021 but has been unable to build on last year’s win on the LPGA Tour, meaning she would rely on a pick, with Mel Reid in a similar position if she’s to make a fifth appearance for Team Europe.

Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh is the only European player inside the world’s top 50 yet to have her place confirmed, having followed her breakthrough LPGA Tour success last season with a solid 2023, so could be a contender for a Solheim Cup debut.

Jodi Ewart Shadoff also won on the LPGA Tour last season and is an option to make a fourth Solheim Cup start, while Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela and Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow have both contended in a major this season.

Could Stephanie Meadow claim a Solheim Cup debut next month?

Should Pettersen want another Spanish option in her side then Carmen Alonso and Nuria Iturrioz have both won on the Ladies European Tour this season, while Ana Pelaez Trivino is inside the world’s top 100 after three runner-up finishes in 2023.

Olivia Cowan followed a top-10 finish at the AIG Women’s Open by finishing in the top five in Northern Ireland on Sunday, while Pettersen has plenty of other players she could utilise to complete her team.

Who will Pettersen select to complete her side? Watch the captain’s picks announcement show live on Tuesday from 4pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the LPGA Tour and more with NOW.

Sky Sports will have round-the-clock of the Solheim Cup from September 22-24, where Team Europe will be chasing a historic threepeat over Team USA, with live coverage before the first tee time until after play has finished for each of the three days!