By: Max Bechtoldt
Yesterday we looked at the top nine players currently in the Solheim Cup standings. Today, I’ll highlight five players not in the qualifying slots right now who I think may be chosen for the team. There’s still a lot of time to qualify, but I would imagine that the 14 total players listed will make up the heavy majority of the team.
Alexa Pano – Alexa Pano feels like the most likely Solheim Cup rookie in 2024 for either team. She has had a good start to the season with a runner-up finish in the season opening event and will have just turned 20-years-old when the event is played. This is a golden opportunity to get a young player valuable experience.
Andrea Lee – While Andrea Lee’s Solheim Cup debut wasn’t flashy, it was solid enough to keep her in line for a captain’s pick. Lee went 1-2-1 with a critical halve in the singles round against Georgia Hall. If she plays as consistently as she did last year in 2024, I think there’s a good chance she gets a slot.
Jennifer Kupcho (Pictured) – Its been a tale of two Solheim Cups for Kupcho. Once looked at as a future Solheim star after her great performance in 2021, she was probably one of the weakest players in 2023. There seemed to be little energy brought and it showed in her 0-2-1 record. Kupcho is 0-3-1 in her Solheim career when not paired with Lizette Salas. It’ll be a case of how much trust Lewis has in her.
Lexi Thompson – Now we get to the two really interesting ones. Lewis didn’t have to make any tough choices when it comes to her most veteran players in 2023, as they both had just enough to qualify. That appears unlikely in 2024. Considering her reputation as a Solheim player, Thompson actually has a solid 9-7-7 record in the event. 2023 was arguably her best showing going 3-1-0. Considering the first 80% of 2023 was the worst of her career, she has shown sparks since. Will these sparks and her record be enough to get her in? We’ll see.
Danielle Kang – The second most experienced Solheim Cup player in the discussion has a bit less clout than Thompson. She is 7-9-0 in her career but, like Thompson had a good showing in 2023 going 2-2. Kang is the most fiery competitor on the team and with a generally more reserved American roster, that could be valuable. Kang has slowly moved lower and lower in the world rankings list over the last four years, so she’ll have to show Lewis some stronger play if she wants to make the team.
