Stanford Completes U.S. Solheim Cup Team with Three Picks

U.S. Solheim Cup captain Angela Stanford filled out her 12-player team with three captain's selections on Monday, choosing Megan Khang, Rose Zhang, and 35-year-old Lindy Duncan. The announcement removes the final roster uncertainty for the Americans as they prepare to defend the Cup in the Netherlands from Sept. 11-13.

Khang, 28, will be making her fifth consecutive Solheim Cup appearance and is unbeaten in singles. Zhang, 23, played on two prior U.S. teams and won all four of her matches at the 2024 Solheim Cup in Virginia, none reaching the 17th hole. Duncan, at 35, is making her Solheim Cup debut and has never won on the LPGA Tour.

Stanford, explaining her choices, emphasized both experience and a specific skill set in Duncan. "I think ultimately it came down to Lindy's a great putter," Stanford said. "From the beginning I said the make-up of this team, two of the things we needed to have are putting and chemistry. She's a rookie, but a very mature rookie, so I think she can handle it."

Duncan's Unconventional Path to the Team

Duncan's selection is notable given her recent form. She lost in a playoff at the 2025 Chevron Championship and fell from automatic qualifying this summer by finishing out of the top 30 in her last 12 tournaments and missing the cut in four of the five majors this year. Stanford also noted Duncan has 14 top-25 finishes over the last two years.

Duncan becomes the oldest American to make her Solheim Cup debut since Nancy Scranton at age 39 in 2000. She joins Auston Kim as the only rookies on the U.S. team.

Roster and Recent Winner Scarcity

The complete U.S. team includes points qualifiers Nelly Korda, Angel Yin, Jennifer Kupcho, Yealimi Noh, Auston Kim, Lauren Coughlin, and Allisen Corpuz, along with world-ranking qualifiers Andrea Lee and Alison Lee. Korda, the No. 1 player in women's golf, has two majors among her three victories this year. However, the roster features only four other players who have won on the LPGA since the last Solheim Cup: Lauren Coughlin, Yealimi Noh, Angel Yin, and Jennifer Kupcho.

Team Europe has already announced its 12-player team. The U.S. is seeking its first away Solheim Cup victory since 2015, having reclaimed the Cup on home soil in 2024.

Lexi Thompson Absent

Missing from the U.S. team for the first time since 2011 is Lexi Thompson, who said in 2024 she was stepping away from a full schedule. Thompson, who is expecting her first child early next year, played six times this year and made only two cuts. Stanford has said she didn't see Thompson play enough this year to get a full assessment.