By: Max Bechtoldt
The Solheim Cup returns in 2024 for a rare back-to-back playing as the best players from the United States take on the best from Europe. Here, I’ll take a look at the current nine qualifying players. Here is a very early look at what the potential Solheim Cup team might look like:
Lilia Vu – While Vu had a less than ideal debut in the Solheim Cup, going 1-3, but I would expect a better showing for the No. 1 player in the world. Vu obviously won four events last year with two majors and is mathematically probably locked in.
Nelly Korda – I think expectations have been Korda’s biggest weakness in the Solheim Cup, as she has a good record of 7-4-1 in her career. In her three appearances she has never been a part of a winning team, and as arguably the face of American women’s golf, that team record ads to perception even if it isn’t reality.
Allisen Corpuz – Corpuz had a good first Solheim appearance, going 2-1-1 and pairing quite nicely with Korda in foursomes going 2-0 in that format. I think Corpuz could be a modern Solheim Cup star for the United States.
Megan Khang – While Khang doesn’t have the greatest overall Solheim Cup record, her 2023 performance gives a lot of reason for United States excitement. Khang is 4-3-3 in her career at the event, but was the team MVP in Spain last year finishing 3-0-1.
Angel Yin – This is a spot that could change depending on the severity of Angel Yin’s leg injury that kept her out of the first two events of the year. If she is healthy and in good form come August though, she should be a lock. Yin played well in 2023 and has a total Solheim record of 5-3-1.
Ally Ewing – Ally Ewing is a player that likely needs to play her way into the event as an automatic qualifier. While she has played on the last three Solheim Cups, she has a career 3-8-1 record. This US team is going to be deeper than ever before, and the overall record of Ewing might scare off captain Stacy Lewis.
Cheyenne Knight – Knight had a terrific first appearance in the 2023 Solheim Cup and probably played her way into a guaranteed spot even if it is through a captain’s selection. Knight went 2-0-1 and had a terrific battle with Gemma Dryburgh in the singles round that ended in a halve.
Alison Lee (pictured) – Alison Lee is the one player currently within the qualifying group who did not play in 2023. Lee actually hasn’t played in the Solheim Cup since 2015 when she was 20-years-old. Lee has had a really strong last couple of years despite not having a win yet. In 2023 Lee had three second-place finishes, when she only had one in her first seven full years on tour. Lee was likely the first player left off the team last year, I don’t see that happening again.
Rose Zhang – It wasn’t a particularly strong 2023 Solheim Cup for Zhang, who came in with an extreme amount of hype and went 0-2-1. Zhang being a young superstar at her level probably has a locked spot on the roster in 2024, but the United States will be looking for a much stronger performance out of her.
The 2024 Solheim Cup will be held Sept. 13-15 at The Robert Trent Jones Golf Club near Washington D.C.
