The 2026 Solheim Cup is in the books, with the United States falling to Europe 15-13. 2028 sees the Solheim Cup return to the United States at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky.
Expect a fair amount of turnover from this United States team. Europe experienced a youth movement in 2026, and the rookies on the team faired very well and look to form the future core for the blue and gold. The United States will likely do the same in 2028. These 12 players will be in order of likelihood they make the team, but really, only the top two feel like no brainer locks.
Nelly Korda
As long as Korda is still playing professional golf in 2028, she will be on the next Solheim Cup team without any doubt. Korda is by far the greatest American player of her generation, and is the center of her prime. She’s also a strong Solheim Cup performer, never having finished with a losing record across her five times playing. She is a dominant world No. 1 and probably can’t even fall far enough to be outside qualification in two years. Korda is, of course, a lock for 2028 and probably beyond.
Lauren Coughlin
The only other player I view as a lock is Lauren Coughlin, who has shown herself to be the best overall United States Solheim Cup player over the last two playings. Coughlin has gone 6-1-2 and was heavily relied upon in 2026, being the only United States player who went all five rounds. The one concern is age. Coughlin will be 35 when the next Solheim Cup is played, but that shouldn’t, and won’t, hold the next captain back from ensuring she is on the team.
Rose Zhang
Across three Solheim Cups, Rose Zhang has given just about everything. She went winless in her first appearance, undefeated in her second appearance, then 2-2 in 2026. That 2026 record feels a bit misleading though, as she went winless with Jennifer Kupcho, a pairing that just did not work, but looked far better in the final two sessions. Her placement here isn’t solely reliant on her previous performances in this event, just more a pure confidence from me that she will get back to her form from the first couple years of her career.
Allisen Corpuz
Corpuz had her first losing record across three Solheim Cup appearances, but still had some good moments. She paired well once again with Nelly Korda, even though they lost as partners for the first time in their career. Still, when there is a player that is 5-1 overall when paired with your team’s biggest star, you make sure she is back there. Corpuz also has shown some strong play recently than can get fans excited for some potentially strong seasons.
Kiara Romero
A lot of people wanted to see the young star Kiara Romero make the 2026 Solheim Cup team, and if she had another couple weeks of qualifying, she might’ve. Romero has everything she needs to be a star. She hits it long, she is a timely putter, she has good experience in team events and is still very young, she will likely be the youngest on the team even two years from now. The only issue? We really haven’t seen her play professional golf yet. It is projecting a lot, but she was a dominant No. 1 ranked amateur for a year, so she should be expected to be an essential member of this team going forward.
Alison Lee
It is very likely that Lee earned her spot on the next team with her incredible performance in 2026, where she was by far the best player in the red, white and blue. Lee went 4-0-0 for the week, pairing phenomenally with Lauren Coughlin in foursomes. In her Sunday singles match, she came back from a huge deficit to defeat Esther Henseleit. That type of performance gets you another shot. Lee, like Coughlin, will be one of the other players in the event at 33-years-old, but she still should have a spot.
Angel Yin
Obviously, health is a major factor for Yin, who missed the team in 2024 because of injury, and was severely hampered in 2026 because of illness. When healthy though, there is a strong argument to be made that she is the second best American player in the world. Yin has generally played well in past Solheim Cups, even if 2026 was a bit of a disaster. Yin should get another go, probably as an automatic qualifier, and she would be a strong candidate for a captain’s pick as well.
Megan Khang
Khang certainly didn’t help herself in 2026, breaking a long unbeaten streak in this event with a 1-2 record. While she was in better form than she has been over the past season on the LPGA Tour, her game still wasn’t elevated like in the previous Solheim Cups she played. All of that being said, it is no secret that Khang is the United States’ team leader, who Angela Stanford described as the team battery. The biggest concern is lack of versatility, where she is a fourball specialist.
Auston Kim
Kim has all the potential in the world. She is the most powerful player from the United States and has a lot of high finishes, despite no wins in her almost three years on the Tour. Kim was the big young rookie on the 2026 team, and she performed okay. She had a nice win alongside Zhang and nearly pulled off an essential comeback in Sunday singles. Kim did enough, and integrated herself into the team, well enough to earn another Solheim Cup appearance.
Yealimi Noh
Quietly, Yealimi Noh might’ve been the strongest player for the United States in 2026, which continued a trend of her performing well in team competition. Noh might not be the most consistent player on the LPGA Tour, but she probably gets the last returnee spot for me because of her play in these formats, as opposed to Jennifer Kupcho or Andrea Lee, both of whom struggled mightily in 2026.
Megha Ganne
Despite just playing half of the Epson Tour season, Ganne looks in good shape to at least earn partial status on the LPGA Tour for 2027, which would give her a year and a half to earn a spot on this team. Ganne was a star at Stanford, has great results in USGA events and has shown star power since she nearly won the U.S. Women’s Open as a high schooler. Ganne is a strong candidate to make her Solheim Cup debut in 2028.
Farah O’Keefe
Energy wise, O’Keefe should be the heir apparent to Megan Khang, but with more upside on the course. The biggest concern is when O’Keefe will make her LPGA Tour debut and if she will have enough time to really make her mark before the team is selected. It isn’t a stretch to see her qualify for the LPGA Tour through the LEAP program, which would certainly accelerate things. O’Keefe was incredible in the 2026 Curtis Cup, going undefeated across five matches and being the clear and obvious team leader. She looks like she was made for these kinds of events and she would thrive off the United States crowd.
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