9 Notable Players To Miss The Solheim Cup

The confirmation of the wildcards for the US and European Solheim Cup teams means each is now complete, allowing them to prepare for September’s match at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.

Some of the best players in the world will be competing, including World No.1 Nelly Korda and No.2 Lilia Vu for Stacy Lewis’ US team and Charley Hull and Celine Boutier for Suzann Pettersen’s Europeans.

With each team only having 12 players, though, it was inevitable many notable players would miss out, including five who took part in the match at Finca Cortesin just a year ago.

Here are 9 notable names to miss out on the 2024 Solheim Cup.

Gemma Dryburgh

The Scot was handed a Solheim Cup debut at Finca Cortesin thanks to a wildcard. That was helped by some encouraging form in the months leading up to it including victory on the LPGA Tour in the 2022 Toto Japan Classic and a T8 at the Amundi Evian Championship the next year.

However, she was used sparingly by Pettersen, with only two appearances over the three days, where she gained half a point in each.

Since then, Dryburgh has had some highlights, including successive T6 finishes at the 2023 Maybank Championship and Toto Japan Classic, but overall, her form wasn’t enough to qualify automatically or convince Pettersen to hand her another wildcard.

Alexandra Forsterling

The German is yet to make her Solheim Cup bow and she will need to wait at least another two years after missing out on the 2024 edition.

With Charley Hull and compatriot Esther Henseleit having comfortably sewn up the two automatic qualifying places via the LET's Solheim Cup points list, perhaps her best chance was to qualify thanks to her world ranking.

However, Madelene Sagstrom took the last of those places in 39th, with Forsterling a relatively distant 36 places beneath her at the cut-off.

With Georgia Hall, Albane Valenzuela and Anna Nordqvist ahead of her in the rankings, it left her chances of being named one of four wildcard picks looking doubtful.

Sure enough, Pettersen opted for the three ahead of her who missed out on automatic qualification as well as the experience of Emily Kristine Pedersen as her European Solheim Cup wildcards.

Caroline Hedwall

Swede Caroline Hedwall’s vast experience helped earn her a wildcard for the 2023 match although, like Dryburgh, she was used only twice, finishing with a 1-1-0 record.

Since then, Hedwall has had a difficult time of it on the LET, with her only top 10 coming with a T3 at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open.

That was not enough to get close to automatic qualification via either the LET Solheim Cup points list or her world ranking, meaning a fifth Solheim Cup appearance will have to wait.  

Danielle Kang

US star Kang qualified automatically for her fourth Solheim Cup appearance in 2023, where she compiled a 2-2-0 record.

However, this time round, she could only finish 21st on the US Solheim Cup points list, while her world ranking of 142nd meant she was nowhere near the standard required to take the decision out of captain Lewis’s hands this time.

With Lewis instead giving wildcards to Jennifer Kupcho, Sarah Schmelzel and Lexi Thompson, it means she won’t be in the team for the first time since 2015.

Cheyenne Knight

Cheyenne Knight earned her maiden Solheim Cup appearance for the US in 2023 after some excellent form in the build-up to the match. That included her second LPGA Tour win at the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, which helped persuade Lewis to hand her a wildcard. She continued that good form at Finca Cortesin with an excellent 2-0-1 record.

She would have been confident of making the team again after successive top-10 finishes in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and LPGA Drive On Championship that started the year, but it’s been more of a struggle for Knight since then.

She still came relatively close to qualifying automatically finishing 13th in the US Solheim Cup points list, but that was still six places beneath where she needed to be.

Nanna Koerstz Madsen

The Dane has only made one Solheim Cup appearance, finishing with a 1-1-1 record in 2021. However, she surely would have felt she was in with a chance of making the team in 2024 following an upturn in form towards the end of the qualifying period

Three top-20 finishes came for Madsen between May and June, and it got even better with a T8 at the CPKC Women’s Open followed by a T10 at the AIG Women’s Open.

Despite those heroics, she could only reach 85th in the world by the cut-off, and despite that being 18 places higher than compatriot Emily Kristine Pedersen, she did not get the nod as one of Pettersen’s wildcards.

Ryann O’Toole

It has now been 13 years since US veteran Ryann O’Toole’s one Solheim Cup appearance, where she finished with a 2-0-2 record in the defeat at Killeen Castle.

Despite notable performances in the qualifying period including runner-up at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship and T8 at the Meijer LPGA Classic, she could only finish 17th on the US Solheim Cup points list. Meanwhile, her world ranking stands 56 places beneath Alison Lee, who was the last of the Americans to qualify via that route, in 25th.

With players higher in the world rankings and more Solheim Cup experience, it would have been a big surprise had O’Toole been given a wildcard. She wasn’t, and O’Toole’s long wait for a second appearance continues.

Alexa Pano

Alexa Pano has yet to make a Solheim Cup appearance, but at the age of 20 and with expectations of a potentially big future, it seems only a matter of time before she gets her chance.

Pano picked up her first win on the LPGA Tour during the qualifying period in the 2023 ISPS Handa World Invitational, while other highlights included runner-up at the 2024 Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions and a T10 at the AIG Women’s Open.

While she still fell short of automatic qualifying, it’s likely that Pano came into Lewis’ thoughts for a potential wildcard, although in the end, it appears it was deemed a couple of years too soon for her.

Angel Yin

A runner-up at the 2023 Chevron Championship and a T6 at the AIG Women's Open helped persuade Lewis to hand Yin a wildcard for the 2023 edition, where she finished with a 2-1-0 record in her third Solheim Cup appearance.

She agonizingly missed out on automatic qualification this year. Yin finished just one place beneath the player occupying the final spot on the US Solheim Cup points list, Andrea Lee. Meanwhile, she’s only seven places lower in the world rankings than Alison Lee, who qualified via that route.

All three of Lewis’ wildcards are currently ranked beneath Yin, too, meaning she perhaps has more right than most to feel a little aggrieved at having missed out.