Solheim Cup player profiles: Introducing Suzann Pettersen’s Team Europe and their past records

Celine Boutier topped the European standings ahead of Maja Stark; Charley Hull, Leona Maguire, Georgia Hall, Linn Grant, Carlota Ciganda and Anna Nordqvist qualified via their world ranking; Gemma Dryburgh, Caroline Hedwall, Emily Pedersen and Madelene Sagstrom given captain’s picks

Take a closer look at Team Europe’s eight automatic qualifiers and Suzann Pettersen’s four captain’s picks for this year’s Solheim Cup

We take a look at who features in Suzann Pettersen’s Team Europe side at the 2023 Solheim Cup, being held at Finca Cortesin in Spain this September.

Celine Boutier (France)

Age 29. Caps 2. Majors 1

Solheim Cup record: 5-1-1

Singles: 2-0-0. Foursomes: 2-0-1. Fourballs: 1-1-0

About as in-form as you can get heading into the Solheim Cup, Boutier won the Evian Championship in front of her home fans in France before following that up with a second success in as many weeks at the Scottish Open.

She couldn’t complete the hat-trick, and claim a second major title, at the Women’s Open at Walton Heath, only just making the cut on her way to a tied-16th finish, but she is still one to be feared on Team Europe’s roster – especially considering her impressive Solheim Cup record from her previous two appearances.

Highlights from day four of the Evian Championship at the Evian Resort Golf Club in France

Boutier was particularly dominant in 2019 at Gleneagles, winning four from four, forging a formidable partnership with Georgia Hall. Two years ago in the US was a bit more of a mixed bag, though she did again claim her singles matchup, beating Mina Harigae handily 5&4.

Carlota Ciganda (Spain)

Age 33. Caps 5. Majors 0

Solheim Cup record: 7-8-4

Singles: 3-1-1. Foursomes: 1-2-1. Fourball: 3-5-2

The Spaniard was a winner on the Ladies European Tour at the Aramco Team Series in May, Ciganda is however repeatedly the subject of criticism for perceived slow play, even seeing herself disqualified from the Evian Championship after refusing to add a two-shot slow play penalty during her second round.

Carlota Ciganda will be looking to impress on home soil at Finca Cortesin

Speaking on the matter at the subsequent Women’s Open in which she failed to make the cut, Ciganda criticised the “subjective” rules in place to speed up the sport and took fire at the LPGA Tour rules officials for a “very poor performance”.

As for her Solheim Cup history, Ciganda burst onto the scene with three wins out of three as a rookie in 2013 but has found the going much tougher since, with just four victories (from 16 matches) spanning her four subsequent appearances.

Gemma Dryburgh (Scotland)

Age 30. Caps 0. Majors 0

Solheim Cup record: N/A

Dryburgh is the one true wildcard among the four captain’s picks, as the only one of the group to have not yet experienced a Solheim Cup.

The 30-year-old is richly deserving of the call-up, however, having stormed into the world’s top 100 off the back of a first LPGA Tour win at the Toto Japan Classic in November of last year, and kicking on since to a career-high mark of 48 as she has maintained a remarkable level of consistency, missing only two cuts all year.

Highlights from the 2022 Toto Japan Classic, where Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh claimed a breakthrough LPGA Tour title

Can the Scot produce some rookie magic for Team Europe in Spain in September?

Linn Grant (Sweden)

Age 24. Caps 0. Majors 0

Solheim Cup record: N/A

Grant is another of the Solheim Cup debutants, along with her compatriot Maja Stark – and there is much expected of the two super-talented young Swedes.

Grant’s place was secured via the world rankings, currently sitting 19th in the standings off the back of five wins on the Ladies European Tour and one on the LPGA – a maiden success at the Dana Open in July – over the past two years.

Major success has, as of yet, alluded her but there are signs pointing to her contending soon, the 24-year-old putting in strong showings at the Evian Championship and Women’s Open, finishing in the top 20 in each of the last two years – with a best of tied-eighth at the former in 2022.

Georgia Hall (England)

Age 27. Caps 3. Majors 1

Solheim Cup record: 7-5-1

Singles: 1-2-0. Foursomes: 4-1-1. Fourball: 2-2-0

The year promised so much for the English star when, ahead of the first major of the season – the Chevron Championship – Hall bagged herself two second-placed finishes on the LPGA Tour, finding herself just edged out by Boutier in a play-off for the LPGA Drive On Championship.

Highlights from the last day of the LPGA Drive On Championship, as England’s Georgia Hall came agonisingly close to claiming the title

Her form couldn’t secure her a second major title to pair with her 2018 Women’s Open triumph, though, as she ultimately finished tied-12th at the Texas tournament, and her game deserted her completely when failing to make the cut at the Women’s PGA Championship and for the fourth year in five at the US Women’s Open.

There were signs Hall was back approaching her best at the Evian Championship and Women’s Open, however, and she is a consistent points-scorer for Europe in the Solheim Cup, winning four matches out of four for the team in their 2019 triumph at Gleneagles.

Caroline Hedwall (Sweden)

Age 34. Caps 4. Majors 0

Solheim Cup record: 8-6-1

Singles: 1-2-1. Foursomes: 3-1-0. Fourball: 4-3-0

Hedwall missed out on Europe’s Solheim success two years ago, but she is a veteran of four Cups, going back to 2011 – 2017 was the only other instance in which the Swede didn’t make the cut.

A captain’s pick, Hedwall’s crowning moment came in 2013 when also one of the wildcard additions to the Liselotte Neumann’s squad on that occasion. Hedwall became the first player in Solheim history to win all five of her matches, helping lead Europe to a surprising 18-10 triumph and their first win on American soil.

Caroline Hedwall made history in 2013 by winning all five of her matches

Hedwall’s career has faltered somewhat since, though she did register a seventh Ladies European Tour win – albeit a first in four years – at the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open last November. Ranked 120th in the world, is Hedwall capable of rolling back the years and repeating her heroics from a decade ago with her return to Team Europe?

Charley Hull (England)

Age 27. Caps 5. Majors 0

Solheim Cup record: 11-5-3

Singles: 2-2-1. Foursomes: 5-1-1. Fourball: 4-2-1

Hull is firmly in form heading to Spain for the Solheim Cup, fresh from the second of two runners-up finishes in majors this season at the Women’s Open.

As hugely impressive as Hull was that week, she is sadly developing a bit of a reputation as a nearly woman at the game’s biggest tournaments. That’s nine top-10 finishes at majors now (four of those top-three) for the English star without having got her hands on one – though the world No 9 defiantly stated that 2024 will be her year following her latest near miss at Walton Heath.

Charley Hull and Georgia Hall return to feature for Team Europe this September

In terms of her Solheim Cup track record, there aren’t many better or more experienced than Hull, having made her debut at the age of 17 in 2013, coming out victorious on three of her four appearances – with her 2015 showing her best yet, bagging four wins from her five match-ups.

Leona Maguire (Ireland)

Age 28. Caps 1. Majors 0

Solheim Cup record: 4-0-1

Singles: 1-0-0. Foursomes: 2-0-0. Fourballs: 1-0-1

Maguire took Boutier’s mantle as the relentless young rookie two years ago, winning four of her five match-ups to claim the all-time record points tally for a Solheim Cup or Ryder Cup debutant of 4.5.

Leona Maguire (left) and Georgia Hall are both likely to play key roles for Team Europe

Paired with Mel Reid three times out of four, their only slight blip came when halving their fourballs clash with Jennifer Kupcho and Lizette Salas on the second afternoon. Maguire would get her revenge over Kupcho in the singles, however, winning 5&4.

A two-time winner on the LPGA Tour but yet to win a major, you feel Maguire is getting closer, consistently placing herself in contention. It has been over three years, for example, since she last missed the cut at a major.

The Irishwoman’s tied-fourth finish at the 2022 Women’s Open is her best return so far, while her score of 61 on the final day of the 2021 Evian Championship is the record low mark for the last round of any major championship (men or women), and the joint-lowest in any round of a major.

Anna Nordqvist (Sweden – also a vice-captain)

Age 36. Caps 7. Majors 3

Solheim Cup record: 14-10-3

Singles: 2-2-3. Foursomes: 7-6-0. Fourball: 5-2-0

One of Europe’s most decorated golfers ever, Nordqvist has three major wins to her name – the 2009 Women’s PGA, the 2017 Evian Championship and, most recently, the 2021 Women’s Open at Carnoustie.

Speaking ahead of the AIG Women’s Open, ex-champion Anna Nordqvist said she was relishing the prospect of serving as a playing vice-captain

The Solheim Cup veteran (and, no doubt, future captain) will be a playing vice-captain in Spain after having secured the final automatic qualifying spot for 2023 via the world rankings, with this her eighth career appearance.

Her best performance came in 2017, when the Swede went unbeaten across her four matches despite Europe losing 16.5-11.5 in the States. The only match-up Nordqvist didn’t win that year was her singles tie with Lexi Thompson when leading Europe out already trailing by five.

Emily Kristine Pedersen (Denmark)

Age 27. Caps 2. Majors 0

Solheim Cup record: 3-4-0

Singles: 1-1-0. Foursomes: 1-2-0. Fourball: 1-1-0

A four-time winner on the Ladies European Tour in 2020, Pedersen stormed her way back into the Solheim Cup team in 2021 after a disastrous rookie effort four years prior in which she lost all three of her match-ups.

Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this Privacy Options

Pedersen more than made amends in Ohio two years ago. Teaming up with Charley Hull, the pair won their opening foursomes clash against Lexi Thompson and Brittany Altomare before being defeated by the same duo on day two. They’d close out the day with a fourball victory over Danielle Kang and Austin Ernst, however, and Pedersen would ultimately go on to hole Europe’s winning putt against Kang in the singles.

Pedersen’s form has sadly since deserted her, dropping out of the world’s top 100, but she hinted at being back to near her best in the Women’s Open earlier in August, leading briefly on day one on her way to a tied-30th finish at Walton Heath.

Madelene Sagstrom (Sweden)

Age 30. Caps 2. Majors 0

Solheim Cup record: 2-4-0

Singles: 2-0-0. Foursomes: 0-1-0. Fourball: 0-3-0

This is Sagstrom’s third Solheim Cup, and with all of them coming as a captain’s pick, showing the high regard the Swede is held in by her playing peers.

Sagstrom won her singles matchup as a rookie in 2017 but lost her two fourball matchups that year. Picked again in 2021, the results were near identical as she triumphed over Ally Ewing on the final day but lost in fourball and foursomes this time, albeit she got to celebrate a Team Europe victory this time out.

Sagstrom’s appearance this year will be her first Solheim Cup in Europe and owes in large part to a terrific 2022 in which she recorded four consecutive top-10 finishes to rise into the top-30 of the world rankings for the first time before a steady season this year has her now sitting 42nd.

Maja Stark (Sweden)

Age 23. Caps 0. Majors 0

Solheim Cup record: N/A

At 23 years old, Stark is the youngest of the bunch in Team Europe and one of three Solheim Cup debutants, although she did feature in the junior competition in 2017 alongside fellow Swede and now team-mate Linn Grant.

Sweden’s Maja Stark made a hole-in-one during the Women’s Scottish Open earlier this season

Stark secured her spot by finishing in the top two of the European standings this year, behind Celine Boutier, following a remarkable couple of years on the Ladies European Tour which has seen her win six tournaments.

For good measure, Stark also secured her first top-10 finish in a major championship this season when ending up tied for ninth at the Women’s US Open at Pebble Beach.

Sky Sports will have round-the-clock of the Solheim Cup from September 22-24, where Team Europe will be chasing a historic threepeat over Team USA, with live coverage before the first tee time until after play has finished for each of the three days! Stream the Solheim Cup and more with NOW.

Source