The 2024 Solheim Cup is underway, with the 19th edition of the match coming just a year after Europe retained the trophy at Spain’s Finca Cortesin with a 14-14 tie.
Despite the relatively short time between the two editions of the contest, which is traditionally held biennially and reverts to that schedule from the 2024 match, five players who competed last year failed to make it to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
Here are the players who were on one of the two 12-player teams last year but who didn’t make it to Virginia.
Danielle Kang (Team USA)
Kang was one of the automatic qualifiers for the 2023 US Solheim Cup team, and she achieved two wins from her four matches in Spain.
She didn’t really get close to taking the decision out of captain Stacy Lewis’s hands this time round, though, with very few bright spots since, leaving her 21st on the US Solheim Cup Points List and well short of the world ranking needed to secure her place.
Without a top-10 finish in 2024, it’s little wonder Lewis ultimately overlooked her, instead turning to Jennifer Kupcho, Sarah Schmelzel and Lexi Thompson as her three captain’s picks.
Cheyenne Knight (Team USA)
After being named one of Lewis’ wildcards for the 2023 edition, Knight grabbed her maiden Solheim Cup chance with both hands to finish with an impressive record of 2-0-1 from her three matches.
Despite some decent form during the qualifying period, which included successive top-10 finishes in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions and LPGA Drive On Championship at the beginning of 2024, she missed out on automatic qualification and wasn’t one of the three captain’s picks announced by Lewis.
Angel Yin (Team USA)
Yin was a wildcard for the 2023 edition, where she repaid Lewis’ faith in her with a 2-1-0 record in her third Solheim Cup appearance.
She had been poised to qualify automatically this year, but narrowly missed out by just one place on the US Solheim Cup Points List, with Andrea Lee taking the final place and Alison Lee also qualifying automatically after finishing seven places above Yin in the world rankings.
Gemma Dryburgh (Team Europe)
Dryburgh made her Solheim Cup bow in 2023 after being handed a wildcard by Team Europe captain Suzann Pettersen, which she earned following a good run of form that included victory on the LPGA Tour in the 2022 Toto Japan Classic and a T8 at the Amundi Evian Championship the next year.
Despite those achievements, the Scot struggled to make an impact at the event, where she only played in two sessions, gaining half a point in each.
High points during the qualifying period for 2024 included T6 finishes at the 2023 Maybank Championship and Toto Japan Classic, but Dryburgh couldn’t secure her second Solheim Cup appearance via automatic qualifying, and she was overlooked by Pettersen for a wildcard.
Caroline Hedwall (Team Europe)
Hedwall made her fifth Team Europe appearance in 2023 via a wildcard, and she claimed her ninth career point at the match against Ally Ewing in the Sunday singles. However, that was only her second session in Spain after she and fellow Swede Anna Nordqvist lost their Saturday afternoon four-ball against Yin and Knight.
If that didn’t convince Pettersen she was worth a sixth appearance in 2024, her form since can’t have helped, with just one top-10 finish, T3 at the LET’s Tipsport Czech Ladies Open.
The Five Who Have Replaced Them…
Five players with just one Solheim Cup appearance between them have taken their places for the 2024 edition. Here are the three US and two European players battling to help their respective teams secure the title at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
Lauren Coughlin (Team USA)
Coughlin booked her maiden appearance at the match in style after victories at the CPKC Women’s Open and ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open saw her qualify via the LPGA Solheim Cup Points List.
She looked at home immediately, too, perhaps partly because the match takes place in her home state. She took some of her LPGA Tour form into her first-ever session as she and Rose Zhang claimed a convincing 3&2 win over Celine Boutier and Albane Valenzuela in the Friday morning foursomes.
Alison Lee (Team USA)
Lee is making her first Solheim Cup appearance since helping the US to victory in the 2015 edition - the match where she was involved in the controversial ‘gimmegate.’
She’ll be hoping for a similar result this time around, albeit without the controversy, after qualifying via her world ranking. That was helped by a tremendous run during the qualifying period that included successive T2s at the Annika Driven By Gainbridge and the CME Group Tour Championship.
Sarah Schmelzel (Team USA)
Another US rookie is Schmelzel, who proved impossible to overlook for Lewis thanks to six top-10 finishes this season.
Justifying her decision to hand her a wildcard, Lewis said: “Sarah’s just super solid and doesn’t beat herself up. She’s a player who can play both formats with a lot of different people. She’s somebody that we’ve been watching for a long time and so we’re excited for her to be playing her first Solheim Cup and teeing it up in Virginia.”
Like Coughlin, Schmelzel soon experienced the winning feeling as she and Lilia Vu beat Linn Grant and Carlota Ciganda 3&2 in the Friday morning foursomes.
Esther Henseleit (Team Europe)
The German made it to her first Solheim Cup via the LET Points List after quietly but assuredly compiling an impressive season with four top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour. However, if she flew under the radar to some degree over the majority of the qualifying period, she was firmly thrust into the spotlight with a silver medal at The Olympics at Le Golf National.
In the end, it was no surprise that she made the team, although she got off to a rocky start with defeat alongside Charley Hull in the Friday morning foursomes against Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz.
Albane Valenzuela (Team Europe)
After giving the Swiss star a wildcard for her maiden Solheim Cup appearance, Pettersen said: “It’s fantastic to bring Albane into the team, she has played some solid golf over the last two years and especially this year has proven she’s worthy of a spot on this team. She is a great ball striker and brings a lot of good energy to the team room.”
That decision followed a qualifying period that included two top-10 results on the LPGA Tour this season, while she finished T20 at The Olympics.
The rookie had a baptism of fire at the match, though, with a 3&2 defeat by Rose Zhang and Lauren Coughlin in the Friday morning foursomes, while she was rested for the afternoon four-ball session.
