The 18th Solheim Cup will begin Friday, Sept. 22, at Finca Cortesin in the town of Casares located in Andalucia, Spain. This course has attracted international championship play in recent years and will host top players from both the United States and Europe to compete for the glorious Solheim Cup this week. For the first time in history, Spain will host this event and proudly present their course to challenge the teams. The team match-play competition will showcase eight foursomes, eight four-ball and 12 singles matches in the exciting three-day tournament.
Lilia Vu and Nelly Korda, the first two American qualifiers, each clinched a spot on the team in July based on their total points earned for top-20 finishes at official LPGA Tour events. Allisen Corpuz and Megan Khang joined the team later in the summer while Jennifer Kupcho, Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee earned the final three roster spots from the U.S. Solheim Cup points standings following the two-year period of competitive play that ended after the CPKC Women’s Open.
Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang joined the team based on their Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings. Captain Stacy Lewis researched player performance statistics using the KPMG Performance Insights program to create a well-balanced team for the United States. She selected Ally Ewing, Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin as captain’s picks at the end of August to complete the 12-person team for this year’s Solheim Cup. Since data will tell the story, let’s look at the numbers behind the American players competing this year.
Player Experience
The American team has a combined total of 17 appearances entering the 2023 competition. Lexi Thompson has the most experience on Solheim Cup teams with this being her sixth appearance. Danielle Kang has participated in the past three Solheim Cup events with Nelly Korda, Megan Khang and Ally Ewing each making appearances in the previous two. Angel Yin competed in 2017 and 2019. The last time the Americans won the Solheim Cup was on home soil in 2017 at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa.
| Most Solheim Cup Wins | |
|---|---|
| 2023 American Players | |
| Lexi Thompson | 2 |
| Danielle Kang | 1 |
| Angel Yin | 1 |
Team Leadership
Captain Stacy Lewis won two Solheim Cups as a player in 2015 and 2017 which brings credibility to her leadership for this year’s team. The three assistant captains, Morgan Pressel, Natalie Gulbis and Angela Stanford, have also claimed at least two wins in the Solheim Cup competition. Between this year’s captain and assistant captains, they have combined for a total of 21 previous appearances with five U.S. wins in the last nine Solheim Cups. Gulbis returns to the Solheim Cup this year as an assistant captain after winning three times as a player in the 2000s. The Americans have won two of the last four times on European soil.
| 2023 American Captain and Assistant Captain Records | |
|---|---|
| Solheim Cup History | |
| Stacy Lewis | 2011 (Loss), 2013 (Loss), 2015 (Win), 2017 (Win), 2021 (Loss) |
| Morgan Pressel | 2007 (Win), 2009 (Win), 2011 (Loss), 2013 (Loss), 2015 (Win), 2019 (Loss) |
| Natalie Gulbis | 2005 (Win), 2007 (Win), 2009 (Win) |
| Angela Stanford | 2003 (Loss), 2007 (Win), 2009 (Win), 2011 (Loss), 2013 (Loss), 2015 (Win), 2021 (Loss) |
American Rookies
The U.S. Team includes at least five rookies for the fourth time. In the previous three instances with at least five rookies, the U.S. Team has won the Solheim Cup only once, in 2002. Rose Zhang is the youngest American rookie in this year’s event. The Americans have won five times with a player aged 20 or younger in Solheim Cup competition (2005, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2017) and two out of the last three times since 2015.
| Youngest American Rookies | |
|---|---|
| Solheim Cup Since 2015 | |
| Age | |
| 2017 Angel Yin | 18 |
| 2015 Alison Lee | 20 |
| 2021 Yealimi Noh | 20 |
| 2023 Rose Zhang | 20 |
Major Champions
Lilia Vu leads the U.S. Team with two major titles. She won the 2023 Chevron Championship in April and the 2023 AIG Women’s Open in August. Allisen Corpuz won the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open in July at Pebble Beach Golf Links. These players bring recent major success to this year’s competition. The Americans have won a total of seven major championships since 2014.
| Most LPGA Tour Majors | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Players | ||
| State | Major Wins | |
| Lilia Vu | California | 2 |
| Allisen Corpuz | Hawaii | 1 |
| Danielle Kang | Nevada | 1 |
| Nelly Korda | Florida | 1 |
| Jennifer Kupcho | Colorado | 1 |
| Lexi Thompson | Florida | 1 |
Performance Statistics
Four American players rank among the top 35 in average driving distance on the LPGA Tour this season. Lexi Thompson and Nelly Korda are averaging nearly 270 yards off the tee.
Allisen Corpuz leads the team in driving accuracy on the LPGA Tour this season with 83% of her tee shots landing in the fairway. Corpuz ranks sixth best in this statistic among all LPGA Tour players since 1992 with at least 125 rounds played. Andrea Lee ranks fourth best with a career driving accuracy of 82%.
Jennifer Kupcho and Megan Khang have hit 73% of greens in regulation in 2023. According to KPMG Performance Insights, Khang ranks 20th in strokes gained approach which measures a player's performance on all shots more than 50 yards from the hole.
| Megan Khang - Approach the Green Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 LPGA Tour Season | ||
| Rank | ||
| Greens in regulation | 72.59% | 8th |
| Strokes gained approach | +1.03 | 20th |
| Average proximity > 50 yards | 25.1 feet | 39th |
Under Par Scoring
Five Americans rank in the top 25 for most birdies made on Tour this season. Allisen Corpuz ranks 10th and has recorded the most birdies amongst the players with 236 in 66 rounds played, averaging 3.6 birdies per round.
| Most Birdies by an American | |
|---|---|
| 2023 LPGA Tour Season | |
| Allisen Corpuz | 236 |
| Jennifer Kupcho | 232 |
| Ally Ewing | 217 |
| Megan Khang | 216 |
| Nelly Korda | 211 |
Jennifer Kupcho has made 12 eagles this season, which leads the LPGA Tour by three over Charley Hull and Bailey Tardy. Kupcho has recorded a total of 33 eagles in her young career, averaging an eagle in 10% of her rounds played. These five players look to benefit the team this year in scoring opportunities.
Fans from around the world will be excited to see the U.S. Team competing for the spectacular Solheim Cup trophy for America.
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