9 Big Names Missing From The Solheim Cup

The 20th edition of the Solheim Cup is set for an epic battle, as 12 of the best European players take on their US counterparts at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands.

In the 19 previous editions of the match, the Europeans have won seven times, with the US claiming 11 wins. The one tie so far came the last time the match was held in Europe, when the hosts retained the trophy in thrilling fashion at Finca Cortesin in Spain.

Even with the US’s stronger overall record, recent history suggests another tight affair is in prospect.

Indeed, Team Europe hasn’t lost on home soil since 2015 and, even then, it was an incredibly close call, with the Americans edging home 14.5-13.5.

The US travels to Europe as current holders, having won 15.5-12.5 two years ago at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.

At the match, huge names including Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz and Megan Khang will take on a European team boasting the likes of Charley Hull, Lottie Woad and Carlota Ciganda.

While there is no shortage of world-class players preparing for the match, some big names won’t be playing.

Here are nine of the most notable names to miss out.

Lexi Thompson

A Solheim Cup without Lexi Thompson will feel strange, with her having played in every edition since 2013, but there is a big reason she was overlooked by US captain Angela Stanford for a captain’s pick.

That is her lack of competitive golf, with Thompson nowadays operating on a scaled-back schedule on the LPGA Tour following her decision to step back from full-time professional golf two years ago.

Also, in her few starts in 2026, she hasn’t found her best form, missing five cuts in seven events.

Ultimately, Thompson, who is pregnant with her first child, just didn’t quite do enough to convince Stanford to pick her, with the captain saying of a recent conversation with Thompson: “We agreed that we just didn’t see enough of her."

Georgia Hall

Georgia Hall’s chances of playing in the Solheim Cup were a long shot all year, with the Englishwoman only returning to action at the AIG Women’s Open having given birth in February.

Still, like Thompson, it will seem a little odd not to find her competing in the 2026 edition.

Hall has played in the last five editions of the match, with an overall record of 10-9-2, but that wasn’t enough to convince Team Europe captain Anna Nordqvist to name her as a wildcard.

Lilia Vu

Just three years ago, Lilia Vu stormed to the top of the world rankings during a run that included four titles, two of which were Majors.

The handed her automatic qualification for the 2024 Solheim Cup, but she misses out this year.

A back injury sustained before her second Solheim Cup appearance stalled her progress, and, since returning from injury, she has struggled to produce anything close to the form that made her women’s golf’s top player three years ago.

Without an automatic qualifying spot for the US team, she needed a captain’s pick, but having finished the CPKC Women’s Open with her ninth consecutive missed cut, that was a forlorn hope.

Danielle Kang

Danielle Kang missed out on place on the US Solheim Cup team for the first time in five editions two years ago, and she will miss her second consecutive match in 2026.

The 2017 Women’s PGA Champion, who has a 7-9-0 Solheim Cup record, has suffered a prolonged slump in form.

That continued into the lead-up to Stanford’s captain’s picks. Realistically, Kang would have needed some big finishes to persuade the captain to give her a place.

Instead she missed four consecutive cuts, including the final event Stanford locked in her choices, the CPKC Women’s Open.

Emily Kristine Pedersen

Danish star Pederson was a captain’s pick in 2023 and 2024, but she wasn't named as one for the 2026 Solheim Cup, meaning she won’t be making her fifth appearance for at least another two more years.

Pederson’s overall record of 7-9-1 for Team Europe would have stood her in good stead, while she won matches in each of her last three appearances.

However, a broken wrist meant she made just five starts in 2026 before Nordqvist confirmed her captain’s picks, among them four missed cuts. As a result, she didn’t do enough to make the team.

Ally Ewing

Ally Ewing has played in each of the last four Solheim Cups, but she won’t make that five in 2026 – nor at any other point in the future.

That’s because, soon after her most recent appearance in the match, the US player announced her retirement, saying in a video posted on social media: “It is with a heavy but grateful heart that I want to announce that I will be retiring from professional golf at the end of this year."

During the announcement, she also described playing in the Solheim Cup as “the highest honor of my career.”

Madelene Sagstrom

While Hall’s role as a new mother limited her chances of playing on the Solheim Cup, for Madelene Sagstrom, the timing of her pregnancy counted her out of consideration back when she announced the news in March.

The Swede is due to give birth the same month as the Solheim Cup, meaning she won’t be making her fifth appearance for Team Europen in 2026.

Not that she was ready to walk away from competitive golf until she absolutely had to, Sagstrom even played as recently as June’s US Open when she was seven months pregnant!

Jenny Bae

Three-time Epson Tour winner Bae is yet to make her Solheim Cup debut, but she can count herself a little unlucky to miss out for the US in 2026.

The top two players on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings not already exempt were handed an automatic qualifying slot for the US team.

However, Bae was the next on the list, with Alison Lee taking the final place via that route.

Dewi Weber

The wait for Weber’s maiden Solheim Cup appearance for Team Europe continues, despite an eye-catching finish of T3 at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

In total, six not otherwise exempt players made Nordqvist’s team automatically via the world rankings.

However, the unlucky Weber was the seventh eligible player on the list.

Without a captain’s pick, it also means the Dutch star misses out on dream Solheim Cup debut in her homeland.