The first eight, automatic qualifying spots, for the European Solheim Cup team have been locked in post-AIG Women’s Open. Anna Nordqvist will be locking in her four captain’s selections Monday morning.
It isn’t an enviable task, especially for this year’s European team. There’s a lot of directions these picks could go. She could go for experience, she could go for current form or try to bring in some younger players and get them experience. There’s probably seven players that have a realistic chance at getting the call.
Here is who I would personally take if I was in Anna Nordqvist’s position:
LEONA MAGUIRE
Maguire is the lone obvious choice here for Nordqvist. While the last Solheim Cup was a mess for the Irishwoman, she is 8-3-1 across her three appearances in the event, an absurd record. Even when she was benched for reasons still not publicly known in 2024, she still went 1-1 and got a point on Sunday. Maguire has paired with Nordqvist in the past (and assistant captain Mel Reid) in the Solheim Cup, and I wouldn’t imagine there being major issues here. No need to overthink this one, even with her mediocre form, Maguire should be one of the best players on the team.
JULIA LOPEZ RAMIREZ
This team’s age isn’t concerning, but it could certainly use some youth. Of the automatic qualifiers, only Lottie Woad is younger than 26. Four of them (plus Maguire) are in their 30s and this could very reasonably be the last time playing for a few members of the team. This is a great chance to give Lopez Ramirez, an incredible raw talent, some experience. Lopez Ramirez is 23-years-old from Spain and has shown some more consistency in her second year on Tour. She has six top-25 finishes in 2026 and has made 12/16 cuts. While her form dipped a bit lately, she had a really nice week at the Scottish Open that should give Nordqvist some confidence.
HELEN BRIEM
Like Lopez Ramirez, the potential here is salivating for Briem. While Briem has been, frankly, not good in her first year on the LPGA Tour, she still is providing solid results on the LET, including a win in France a couple months ago. Briem has made just five cuts this year, but she hits the ball unbelievably long and is only 20-years-old. I don’t know if Briem can realistically compete right now with some of the best players on the United States, but it is a great chance to get her in that team room for future years.
MIMI RHODES
The margins on this final spot are razor-thin. Really for the final two spots. Rhodes’ has shown enough flashes though to have her ahead of Nastasia Nadaud and Chiara Tamburlini, both of whom will be in discussion. Georgia Hall coming off her pregnancy and Emily Pedersen coming off injury can’t be totally ignored either. Dewi Weber being eligible would make this decision a lot easier. Rhodes got off to a great start on the LPGA Tour, with two early top-10 finishes. The 24-year-old from England seems like a safe bet to make future teams as well.
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