U.S. Solheim Cup captain Stacey Lewis has selected her final three for next month's match against Europe, announcing Tuesday morning that Jennifer Kupcho, Sarah Schmelzel and Lexi Thompson will be selected as captains to complete the 12-player roster.
The U.S. is in a prime position to end its longest winless streak in history, having not won in three consecutive matches against Europe. Last year, when the two teams met in Spain, Europe defended their title with a draw. This year's U.S. team is experienced, with only two players, Lauren Coughlin and Schmelzel, making their first appearance at Solheim, Sept. 13-15 at Robert Trent Jones Jr. Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Last time out, there were five U.S. rookies.
“In my opinion, we left Spain with unfinished business and a pretty great opportunity for Suzann (Pettersen, Europe captain) and me and we're going to settle here,” Lewis said. “She probably feels differently but I think it's great for our players to be able to keep them so close and keep it fresh in their minds. I don't think anybody has forgotten what happened in Spain.”
The Solheim Cup will be held for the second consecutive year as the tournament is now held in even-numbered years.
Lewis pointed out that Kupcho's rise in rating was due to her best performance of the season in the two-person team Dow Championship, where she and fellow American Allie Ewing were runners-up in a preview of a possible pairing. The pair have been on the Solheim roster for the past two times but have yet to play together in a team session. Lewis suggested that might change this time. Kupcho, 27, a three-time LPGA winner, was tied for the team's top points scorer in Inverness in 2021 and could be key to the Americans' victory after going 2-1-1 the last time the Solheim Cup was held in the United States.
Schmelzel was selected after a solid season, with Lewis calling her one of the most consistent players on Tour. She has six top 10 finishes, tied with Ewing for third-most, and eight behind dominant Nelly Korda and Lauren Coughlin, who each have seven. The stats-driven Lewis noted that Schmelzel's ranking in the top 10 on the LPGA in bogey avoidance percentage earned the 30-year-old a spot on the team.
“Experience” was Lewis' first stated reason for selecting Thompson. The veteran, a six-time Solheim winner, received the captain's pick for the first time as a Cup contender. The 29-year-old, soon to be semi-retired after Thompson announced she would retire from full-time play at the end of 2024, bounced back from a tough 2023 season in which she failed to score any Solheim points to have a season that lived up to expectations for the 11-time winner. Thompson lost a playoff at the Major LPGA Classic in June for her first win in six years, but she has four top 10s this year.
This will be back-to-back Cups, but the U.S. only has two players with Solheim experience: Allison Lee won in 2015 in her only appearance, and Thompson won in 2015 and 2017.
Angel Ying is likely the first female player not to be listed on the roster. The two-time veteran struggled in August, finishing second at the Portland Classic and tied for 10th at the AIG Women's Open. An ankle injury early in the season kept her out of action until April and she missed the cut in five of eight appearances by August. Danielle Kang and Cheyenne Knight are also not returning from the 2023 roster.