The Solheim Cup teams are all set with the finalization of the American team. Leading into the competition, we will rank all 24 players in the Solheim Cup for both teams, continuing with Lottie Woad
After a couple of years in a row of struggling, with a retain and loss in the last two Solheim Cups, the European team needed a shot in the arm. The team was getting older and often had to settle on the last couple players on the team. This was reflected in captain Suzann Pettersen having an extreme inbalance with how much she played each member.
That shot in the arm is here in the form of Lottie Woad, inarguably one of the best players in the world right now, and almost definitely the best European in the world. If this was based purely on recent form, she would be without a doubt a top two player.
Judging Solheim Cup players though, of course, cannot just be in a vacuum. This will be her first time playing in this event, so there are some question marks. Who does she pair well with? How will she handle the pressure? What does she bring to the team room? These are all fair questions.
That being said, to have all of those questions lingering, it is a testament to Woad’s game that she is this high.
Woad is ranked No. 7 in the Rolex Rankings and CME Standings. In her LPGA career, which accounts to just a bit over a year, she has two wins, 10 top-10 finishes and five top-three finishes. She’s an elite ball striker, but does struggle with putting. Still, despite losing strokes on the green, she is No. 14 on the Tour in strokes gained total.
While we don’t really know how she will perform this week, there are some hints that are positive. She plays well in big pressure situations, with a win at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She also won on the LET as an amateur and won her first LPGA Tour event. She will likely pair at least for a round or two with her countrywoman Charley Hull, which should be powerhouse. And she played on the 2024 Curtis Cup team, providing 2.5 points for GB&I despite a loss in singles to Asterisk Talley.
Woad is a star for the future of this European team at just 22-years-old, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be a star right off the bat. She is the player many will be watching the closest in this event.
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