2023 Solheim Cup capsules: Meet the European team
The Europeans are looking for their first-ever Solheim Cup three-peat.
In doing so, they’ll head to Finca Cortesin in Casares, Andalusia, Spain on Sept. 18 for the 18th playing of the biennial matches.
Let’s take a closer look at the 12 European Team members, who will be captained by Suzann Pettersen. (Click here to meet the American team.)
Celine Boutier
Age: 29
Country: France
World rank: 5
LPGA wins: 5
LET wins: 5
Major titles: 1 (2023 Evian Championship)
Solheim Cup record: 5-1-1 (2019, 2021)
The Frenchwoman propelled herself into the thick of the Player of the Year conversation when she won her maiden major at the Evian Championship in her home country and then captured the Scottish Open the following week for her third victory of the year, tied for the most on tour.
Carlota Ciganda
Age: 33
Country: Spain
World rank: 28
LPGA wins: 2
LET wins: 7
Solheim Cup record: 7-8-4 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
The Spaniard fell outside the top 50 in the Rolex Rankings at the end of 2022, her lowest ranking since 2015. However, she’s steadily climbed to No. 28 with eight top-20s this season and is eighth in scoring average on tour (70.47), which would be a career-high if she keeps this pace. That has helped her notch a spot on her sixth European squad, hoping to emerge victorious in her home country.
Linn Grant
Age: 24
Country: Sweden
World rank: 15
LPGA wins: 1
LET wins: 5
Solheim Cup record: Rookie
Grant established herself as one of the world’s best players in 2022, winning four times on the LET and becoming the third Swede to capture the circuit’s Order of Merit. But from 2022 to May 2023, she was unable to play in the U.S. due to her vaccination status. In her first LPGA start stateside, she finished third and then eventually won her first LPGA title in July at the Dana Open.
Georgia Hall
Age: 27
Country: England
World rank: 16
LPGA Wins: 2
LET wins: 2
Major wins: 1 (2018 AIG Women’s Open)
Solheim Cup record: 7-5-1 (2017, 2019, 2021)
Though the Englishwoman hasn’t won on the LPGA since 2020 and on the LET since 2022, she had two runner-ups this season, including a playoff loss to Boutier at the LPGA Drive On Championship, earning her an automatic bid for her fourth straight Solheim Cup.
Charlie Hull
Age: 27
Country: England
World rank: 8
LPGA wins: 2
LET wins: 3
Solheim Cup record: 9-3-3 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Hull was 17 when she made her Solheim Cup debut, the youngest competitor in the event’s history. She stunned Paula Creamer in singles that year, beating the veteran, 5 and 4, and hasn’t had a losing record in five previous appearances, going 2-2-0 in her most recent start. She has three runner-up finishes in her last six LPGA starts, including in a couple of majors.
Leonia Maguire
Age: 28
World rank: 17
LPGA wins: 2
LET wins: 0
Solheim Cup record: 4-0-1 (2021)
After two Junior Solheim Cup appearances, the Irishwoman dazzled as a captain’s pick in her first Solheim appearance. Since then, she’s notched two LPGA wins and is one of the sport’s best all-around players, ranking inside the top 30 on tour in scoring average, greens in regulation and driving accuracy.
Anna Nordqvist
Age: 36
World rank: 39
LPGA victories: 9
LET victories: 5
Major championship titles: 3 (2021 AIG Women’s Open, 2017 Evian, 2016 U.S. Women’s Open)
Solheim Cup record: 14-10-3 (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Few are synonymous with this event as is Nordqvist. In seven straight appearances, the Swede has earned 15.5 points in 27 matches. This year, she’ll take on an elevated role as a playing vice-captain after claiming the final automatic qualifying spot via the Rolex Rankings. She’ll be hard to beat again, as this year, she’s second on the LPGA in greens in regulation percentage (74.12%).
Maja Stark
Age: 23
Country: Sweden
World ranking: 40
LPGA wins: 1
LET wins: 6
Solheim Cup record: Rookie
She may have only turned professional in 2021, but the 2020-21 Big 12 Player of the Year already has a grand resume. The former Oklahoma State star has more than a half-dozen pro wins and boasts five top-10s in 17 starts this season on the LPGA, plus a win on the LET in Morocco. Now, as the youngest competitor on the Euro squad, Stark looks to add a Solheim win to her growing list of accomplishments.
Madelene Sagstrom
Age: 30
Country: Sweden
World rank: 45
LPGA wins: 1
LET wins: 4
Solheim Cup record: 2-4-0 (2017, 2021)
Sagstrom hasn’t had the season she hoped for with only two top-10s in 17 LPGA starts, and her Solheim record isn’t what she would like it to be, either. But as one of four captain’s picks, she’ll be making her Solheim debut on European soil. And averaging 273 yards off the tee, which is fourth on tour, while hitting nearly 71% of her greens in regulation, she’ll be a threat against anyone in Spain.
Gemma Dryburgh
Age: 30
Country: Scotland
World rank: 55
LPGA wins: 1
LET wins: 0
Solheim Cup record: Rookie
Dryburgh earned her maiden LPGA win last year in Japan, and followed that this season by making 14 out of 18 cuts en route to her first Solheim Cup nod. The fact that she’s seventh on the LPGA in driving accuracy (82.14%) may have also helped her punch her ticket to Spain.
Emily Kristine Pedersen
Age: 27
Country: Denmark
World rank: 121
LPGA wins: 0
LET wins: 5
Solheim Cup record: 3-4-1 (2017, 2021)
She rebounded from a winless Solheim Cup debut by going 3-1-0 in 2021. Though she hasn’t won an individual event since 2020 and doesn’t have an LPGA top-10 this season, she’s top-12 in driving distance and greens in regulation and will look to use those skills en route to another impressive Solheim Cup showing as a captain’s pick.
Caroline Hedwall
Age: 34
Country: Sweden
World rank: 122
LPGA wins: 0
LET wins: 7
Solheim Cup record: 8-6-1 (2011, 2013, 2015, 2019)
Even though she was winless in her last Solheim appearance, Hedwall was likely awarded a captain’s pick due to her past success in the event, especially on European soil. The 2011 LET Player and Rookie of the Year spends most of her time on the European circuit and has three top-10s this year, including the Scottish Open. And her Solheim experience makes her a valued voice in the team room, especially with a bevy of Swedes on this year’s squad.