U.S. Solheim Cup team names Megan Khang, Rose Zhang and Lindy Duncan as final picks

U.S. captain Angela Stanford has unveiled the 12-woman team that will take on Europe in The Netherlands next month in the 20th edition of the Solheim Cup.

The nine automatic qualifying spots have gone to world No 1 Nelly Korda along with Lauren Coughlin (world No 18), Auston Kim (22), Angel Yin (25), Jennifer Kupcho (31), Yealimi Noh (39), Andrea Lee (40), Allisen Corpuz (45) and Alison Lee (55).

Lindy Duncan, Megan Khang and Rose Zhang have got the nod as Stanford’s picks for the team event at Bernardus Golf, a 15-minute drive southwest of the city of Den Bosch, as the U.S. team look to win on European soil for the first time since 2015.

“We are down to 12,” Stanford said. “I feel great. I love this group. I feel really fortunate to be their captain. I love their grittiness. I love their heart. I love how the team was rounded out, and I’m excited.”

Duncan, 35, will be the oldest member of the team and will make her debut. She finished ninth on the U.S. points list, but her last top 10 at an LPGA event was in February, and she missed the cut in four of five majors this year.

“The thing that stands out is her putting, as I think two things really matter when we play in Europe: putting and chemistry,” Stanford, who won twice as a player at an away Solheim Cup and three times overall, said. “Lindy has an awareness about her that makes her fit really well in team rooms, and I’m excited to see her play over there.”

Khang, 28, will make it five consecutive Solheim appearances.

“She’s the one that makes us all run,” Stanford said. “It’s authentic and it’s genuine. She brings our energy and that’s what we need. You gotta bring your own energy on the road and she’s it. She gets everybody else going. And then her experience and her record is phenomenal. It’s an environment that she thrives in.”

Khang went 3-0-0 at the 2024 event hosted at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., and is joined by another standout player who shone that weekend, Zhang. She was 4-0-0 and could be key as the U.S. seeks to retain the cup.

The 23-year-old Zhang, once hailed as golf’s next phenom after turning pro in 2023, has faded this season, failing to finish in the top 40 at any of the five majors. A top-10 earlier this month at The Standard Portland Classic was her first since March. None of that deterred Stanford.

“Rose has been successful on every level she’s ever played on,” Stanford said. “The biggest stages of women’s golf she’s always steady and she’s just flat out good. She brings a presence to the team room that is very calming — I wasn’t gonna go over there without Rose.”

There was no spot on the team for two-time major winner Lilia Vu, who was part of past victories in 2023 and 2024. Vu, who competed at the Olympics in 2024, has slipped to 204th in the world.

Stanford’s picks also left out former world amateur No 1, Kiara Romero. The 20-year-old, who is tipped for great things, tied for sixth in the U.S. Women’s Open earlier this year and shot a 64 in her first round as a professional last week at the CPKC Women’s Open in Canada. She was in contention heading into the weekend before fading to a 23rd-place finish. Stanford said she was prepared to name Romero to the team had she won the tournament.

“What a story that would have been,” said Stanford. “There’s a crop of young players that I can’t wait to watch them in the future. I can’t wait to see Kiara play on a Solheim Cup, just like there’s handful of young American players I can not wait to see. It would have a great story. You know, being in her first professional golf tournament, she did great, and she has a really bright future.”

Stanford delivered the news in person to each athlete who made the team and also to those who failed to make the cut. One person she said she was delighted to tell was Angel Yin, who is set to make her return this week to competitive golf at the FM Championship after two months out. Yin fell ill at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in June and has not played since.

“This week will be really important for us,” said Stanford. “We’ll finally see her in Boston. She’s gonna play and then we’re just gonna reassess. Angel has made the team and I believe all of her teammates want her to be on the team. We’re gonna give her every opportunity for her to make that decision. But yeah, I mean, we’re taking it day by day.”

Stanford said she does not currently have alternates selected.

The United States has won the cup 11 times to Europe’s eight, though Europe held it from 2019-24.

As for the European team, captain Anna Nordqvist made her selection public one day after the conclusion of the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

Nordqvist, a three-time major winner from Sweden, announced the three rookies as part of her four captain’s picks on August 3.

Spain’s Julia López Ramirez, 23, France’s Nastasia Nadaud, 21, and England’s Mimi Rhodes were selected along with the Republic of Ireland’s Leona Maguire, who is set to make her fourth consecutive appearance and who has won eight and a half points from a possible 12.

“Leona has proved herself at the Solheim Cup, she has a huge passion for the European team and her record speaks for itself,” Nordqvist, a nine-time Solheim Cup appearance maker, said. “She is a player you want on your team especially in matchplay and I’m thrilled to pick her.

“Julia has really impressed me since turning professional. She has a great personality, and she is a great ball-striker, very passionate and will bring great energy to the European team.

“Nastasia is a great young player who has been getting better and better in the qualifying period. After getting her first win on the LET, she is having a solid rookie season on the LPGA and is deserving of a spot on the team.

“Since turning professional, Mimi has impressed me with her performances, winning three times on the LET last year and has played on the LPGA Tour. She is an experienced matchplay player and is a fierce competitor.”

They join the eight players who qualified via LET Solheim Cup points, including 22-year-old debutant Lottie Woad (England) who has enjoyed a stellar breakout year since earning her LPGA Tour card.