Heading into Bernardus, there are a handful of players we have solid expectations for. Players like Nelly Korda, Charley Hull and Lauren Coughlin are likely to perform well. Who are the players who can swing this competition one way or the other though? We give our top five picks:
Jennifer Kupcho
Jennifer Kupcho enters the 2026 Solheim Cup in a fascinating position. She is in arguably some of the best form of anyone on the United States outside of the obvious Nelly Korda. She has a lot of experience in this competition, now playing for the fourth time and is of course, wildly talented and accomplished. The catch? She has won only one point in the last two Solheim Cups and has arguably been the worst player for the Americans in each of them. If she can overcome those struggles, she is a crucial depth piece for the Americans.
Auston Kim
Auston Kim is a Solheim Cup rookie with the chance to really establish herself this week. It sounds like she is doing exactly that. Golfweek reported that Angela Stanford has seen Kim as a real standout so far in The Netherlands and could be a crucial piece to this squad. We won’t completely know how much she is up for the moment until she hits her first, likely very long, tee shot. The super talented and powerful rookie is sitting the foursomes session Friday, which isn’t a big surprise, so we will have to wait until fourball to see her.
Yealimi Noh
It is quite easy to go back and forth on how Yealimi Noh will do here. Her form for most of 2026 has been weak, but she has shown some flashes late. She’s been good in these formats, playing well in the 2021 Solheim Cup and the 2025 International Crown, and should form a solid partnership with whoever she plays alongside as a more reserved, steady player. If she and Angel Yin could recreate some of the magic they found in Korea last year, they will each overperform their expectations and likely lead Team USA to a win.
Carlota Ciganda
Carlota Ciganda is just one of those players who you never know what you are going to get from her. If Europe wants to win this year, she will have to perform well. Ciganda went 1-3 last time out, 4-0 the time before that and 1-2 the time before that. Talk about inconsistency. She isn’t playing the first foursomes session, not a surprise as it is her weaker format, but I expect her and rookie Julia López Ramirez to go out in the afternoon for what should be an interesting and powerful pairing.
Linn Grant
Linn Grant can’t go 0-4 again this time if Europe is going to be competitive. The good news? I think Europe is off to a good start with pairing Grant with close friend Maja Stark. It is a pairing that makes more sense than how Grant was managed in 2024 and the two should be comfortable and knowledgable of each other’s games in the session one anchor match. Grant was a good player for this team in 2023, and if she can recapture that form, I think Europe will recapture the Cup.
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