American-born Alvan Valenzuela will make his Solheim Cup debut for Europe this year after being named one of four captains by Suzann Pettersen.
Eight automatic qualifiers have been confirmed after Lydia Ko won the AIG Women's Open on Sunday, with Charlie Hull and Esther Henseleit the two players who have secured spots on the LET Solheim Cup points list.
Celine Boutier, Maja Stark, Linn Grant, Leona Maguire, Carlota Ciganda and Madelene Sagstrom secured their places via the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings, all retaining their places from last year's tournament, while Pettersen confirmed her captain's selection. Live on Sky Sports – The next day.
Solheim Cup veteran Anna Nordqvist will be making her ninth consecutive appearance, Georgia Hall was named after narrowly missing out on automatic qualification, while Emily Pedersen and Valenzuela are the final two to complete a strong European line-up.
Valenzuela will be the only two rookies on the European team for the 2024 tournament, which will be held at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club from September 13-15, along with Henseleit. Pettersen will keep 10 of the players who lifted the trophy last year after a dramatic 14-14 draw against Team USA.
For a more accessible video player, please use the Chrome browser.
The best action from day three of the 2023 Solheim Cup in Finca Cortesin, Spain, as Team Europe retains the trophy in dramatic fashion.
“I'm speechless. I can't believe I'm going to play!” Valenzuela He told Sky Sports“I played in the Junior Solheim Cup a long time ago and it's always been my dream to play for a big team.
“I'm incredibly proud, honoured and excited to represent Europe. It's going to be an incredible experience. I was really surprised when Susan told me. It was a really touching moment and I couldn't be happier.”
Albane Valenzuela tied for 20th at the AIG Women's Open despite making the cut over the weekend.
Valenzuela was born in the United States to a Mexican father and French mother, but moved to Switzerland as a child and has since represented Europe, continuing her consistent summer form with a T20 finish at St. Andrews and qualifying for the Olympics.
Hall automatically qualified for Europe's last four Solheim Cup teams, with the former AIG Women's Open champion needing a captain's nod after narrowly failing to move up the world rankings past Sagstrom.
Georgia Hall made her Solheim Cup debut in 2017 and has represented Team Europe in every competition since.
“It's always a great honour to represent a European team and I hope we can win it again,” Hall said. He told Sky Sports“It's a different experience being picked, but I think I'm doing well and I think I've had some good results over the last few months.”
Pedersen will be making his fourth appearance for Europe, having made it four times into the world's top 10 in 2024. Nordqvist, who has already been named as Pedersen's vice-captain, will look to continue his record of appearing in every Solheim Cup since his debut in 2009.
For a more accessible video player, please use the Chrome browser.
Last September, the European team celebrated their Solheim Cup victory by jumping into the pool!
“I'm so honored and proud to be playing in my ninth Solheim Cup,” said Nordqvist. “This tournament means so much to me and my family that it's hard to explain. Making this team was a big goal of mine and I'm looking forward to teeing it up in two weeks.”
World No. 1 Nelly Korda tops the U.S. Solheim Cup team points standings with six wins on the LPGA Tour this season, while Lilia Bou, Lauren Coughlin, Allie Ewing, Allison Korfuz, Megan Kang and Andrea Lee also automatically qualified.
Rose Zhang and Alison Lee are set to represent the United States as the highest-ranked Americans in the world, while Stacy Lewis will reveal her three captain's picks this week ahead of the LPGA Tour's inaugural FM Championship.
Who will win the 2024 Solheim Cup? Watch Team Europe and Team USA live on Sky Sports from September 13-15. Stream the LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and more on NOW.
