With the completion of the CPKC Women’s Open 2023, U.S. captain Stacy Lewis learned the names of the nine players who automatically qualified and will therefore be part of the U.S. team for the 2023 Solheim Cup, to be held September 22-24 at Finca Cortesin, Costa del Sol, Andalusia.
World No. 1 Lilia Vu, a three-time winner on the LPGA Tour in 2023 with two majors included, heads the list of the seven players qualified for the team through the LPGA points standings.
She is joined (in order of ranking) by Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang, Jennifer Kupcho, Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee. The latter tied for 13th in the CPKC Women’s Open, a spot she needed to move from eighth to seventh in the point standings and secure the final automatic qualifying spot.
“I was pretty stressed down the stretch because I knew I had to finish in the top 13 so I wouldn’t have to rely on the captain’s choice,” Lee said. “I feel very grateful and honored to represent the United States. It has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. I have played on two PING Junior Solheim Cup teams and have always wanted to play on the official team. I’m very excited and can’t wait to compete under Stacy.”
In addition, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang will represent the United States as the two highest-ranked Americans in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings who are not among the top seven U.S. qualifiers for the Solheim Cup.
“It’s an honor to be a part of this team, to be with the best players in the world, as well as being an athlete representing your country,” Zhang said. “I’m looking forward to going to Spain and playing with these amazing golfers, as well as representing the United States.”
The 2023 event will be Thompson’s sixth appearance in the biennial team competition. The only U.S. players to have competed more times in the Solheim Cup are Paula Creamer (seven appearances), Beth Daniel (eight appearances), Juli Inkster (nine appearances), Rosie Jones (seven appearances), Cristie Kerr (nine appearances) and Meg Mallon (eight appearances).
Danielle Kang will represent the United States for the fourth time, while this will be the third call-up for Megan Khang and Nelly Korda. Jennifer Kupcho Kupcho will participate for the second time, while Allisen Corpuz, Andrea Lee, Lilia Vu and Rose Zhang will become the “rookies” of the U.S. Solheim Cup team this 2023.
“I am very excited to have these nine players on the team. The last year has been exciting – and challenging – and having these players has me excited for the week we will play in Spain,” Lewis said. “Even the rookies are not true rookies in my eyes. They have proven over the past two years to be great competitors and I have no doubt they won’t be overwhelmed by the experience.”
.
Ally Ewing, Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin, captain’s picks
To complete the All-Star team, the captain has selected Ally Ewing, Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin.
“These past few days have certainly been some of the toughest of my career, but I am so proud to have Ally, Cheyenne and Angel on the U.S. team for the 2023 Solheim Cup,” Lewis said.
“These three golfers have earned their place on this team, putting themselves in contention both through their play on the course and their teamwork off the course. Over the past year and a half, I have gotten to know all of the American players incredibly well and I am honored to be their captain. We are going to have an amazing week at Finca Cortesin.”
Leave a Reply