This year features both a Solheim Cup and a Ryder Cup, both on European soil and in back-to-back weeks. The first of the two will take place in Spain, Sept. 22-24, with the European women having won the last two matches against their American counterparts.
And its that Euro squad that will be the first officially finalized among the two cup matches.
This week’s ISPS Handa World Invitational is the final qualifying tournament for European Solheim Cup points. Next Tuesday, Aug. 22, captain Suzann Pettersen will then announce her four wildcard selections (live at 11 a.m. ET on Golf Channel).
Of the eight automatic qualifiers, two will come via a Ladies European Tour points list and six will be courtesy the Rolex Rankings.
Celine Boutier of France and Sweden’s Maja Stark currently hold the two spots on the points list. The top 6 in the world rankings looks like this:
- 9. Charley Hull (England)
- 14. Leona Maguire (Ireland)
- 16. Georgia Hall (England)
- 19. Linn Grant (Sweden)
- 33. Carlota Ciganda (Spain)
- 37. Anna Nordqvist (Sweden)
The ISPS Handa event is co-sanctioned by the LPGA, LET and DP World tours, with men and women playing concurrently in Northern Ireland. Maguire and Hall are the only players who is currently inside the cut line who is competing this week.
Swede Madelene Sagstrom (world No. 42), Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh (No. 50) and England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff (No. 51) are the next highest-ranked Solheim-eligible players, but none are in the field.
Also outside the current automatic qualifying positions are: world No. 68 Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland (in the field this week), No. 74 Nanna Koerstz Madsen of Denmark (out), No. 87 Perrine Delacour of France (out), No. 92 Stephanie Meadow of Ireland (in) and No. 94 Ana Pelaez Trivino of Spain (in).
U.S. Solheim Cup team qualifying runs through next week’s CPKC Women’s Open with captain Stacy Lewis making her picks on Aug. 28.
