Solheim Cup 2019 USA Team: A look at the players
Sep 13th 2019
The United States looks for their third consecutive Solheim Cup and third straight on European soil as the matches head to Gleneagles PGA Centenary Course, September 13-15. Since the matches began in 1990, the United States holds a commanding 10-5 lead in the event.
Under team captain Juli Inkster, who also lead the team in 2015 and 2017, the United States has a balanced squad. While four Solheim Cup rookies are on the team, Inkster used her captain’s picks to add veterans Stacy Lewis and Morgan Pressel, who have a combined 35 Solheim Cup matches under their belts.
The complete Solheim Cup 2019 US Team:
Marina Alex
The 29-year old Alex, currently ranked 32nd in the world is making her first Solheim Cup appearance. Turned professional in 2012, Alex played on the Symetra Tour until 2014 and the LPGA ever since. Her lone LPGA Tour victory came on September 2, 2018 at the Cambia Portland Classic. Alex has four top ten finishes in 19 events this season.
Brittany Altomare
Another rookie in Solheim Cup play, the 28-year old Altomare began her professional career on the Symetra Tour in 2014, earning a victory in 2016. She narrowly missed her first LPGA Tour win, losing in a playoff at the 2017 Evian Championship. Ranked 33rd in the world, Altomare has had a very solid season, earning three top-ten finishes in 20 events.
Danielle Kang
The 26-year-old Kang has had plenty of success in match play, having won the US Amateur in both 2010 and 2011. She was also 3-1 during the 2017 Solheim Cup. Kang is a two-time winner on tour, taking the 2017 Women’s PGA Championship and the Bick LPGA Shanghai in October 2018. Currently ranked 17th in the world, Kang had an impressive 2019 campaign with seven top-ten finishes in 17 events.
Megan Khang
Although a rookie in Solheim Cup play on the professional level, Khang played on the winning 2015 junior Solheim Cup team. An LPGA Tour member since 2016, Khang is still looking for the breakthrough first victory. Her best finish was a tie for third at the 2017 Blue Bay LPGA. Ranked 45th in the world, Khang has had an inconsistent season, having five top-ten finishes, but also four missed cuts in 18 tournaments.
Jessica Korda
Already a nine-year LPGA Tour veteran at age 26, Korda has five tour wins under her belt. In her only Solheim Cup appearance in 2013, Korda went 1-2-1, but has performed well in big events, having seven top-ten finishes in majors. Ranked 18th in the world, Korda played a relatively light schedule in 2019, with four top-tens and three missed cuts in 14 events.
Nelly Korda
The younger of the Korda sisters by five years, Nelly made her professional debut in 2016 and LPGA debut in 2017. A rookie in Solheim Cup competition, the 21-year-old is ranked 10th in the world and earned her second tour win at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in February of this year. Entering the competition as one of the hottest players on the team, with nine top-ten finishes this season.
Stacy Lewis
One of two captain’s picks, the 34-year old Lewis brings a veteran presence to the team, having a 5-10-1 mark in four Solheim Cup appearances. An 11-year veteran on tour, Lewis has 12 LPGA wins and two majors, but only one victory since the end of the 2014 season. Struggling to find her game, Lewis is ranked 81st in the world and has missed eight cuts this season.
Annie Park
Park began her professional career in 2015 and has played on the LPGA Tour since 2016. Making her first appearance in a Solheim Cup this season, the 24-year old Park has four professional victories, her long LPGA victory at the 2018 ShopRite LPGA Classic. Khang rebounded from a tough stretch in the middle of this year when she missed four cuts over a five week period. She finished the season with three top-tens and is ranked 42nd in the world.
Morgan Pressel
Entering with the most Solheim Cup experience on the team, the 31-year old Pressel is 10-7-2 in five previous appearances. An LPGA Tour member since 2006, Pressel won a major in 2008 at the Kraft Nabisco, but has been stuck on two wins since her triumph at the 2008 Kapalua LPGA Classic. Despite ranked 55th in the world and struggling with nine missed cuts this season, Pressel adds another veteran presence and stability to this relatively young team.
Lizette Salas
Coming off two top-three finishes in her last two starts, including this year’s Women’s British Open, Salas enters as the hottest member of the team. Overall, the eight-year LPGA veteran has one tour win, but had four top-ten finishes this season. At 30 years of age, Salas is also one of the most experienced players in Solheim Cup play, posting a 4-4-2 record in three previous appearances.
Lexi Thompson
The highest ranked player on the team at third in the world, the 24-year old Thompson has three Solheim Cup appearances and a 5-2-4 record on her resume. A 14-time winner as a pro and 11 times on the LPGA tour, Thompson’s long major came at the 2014 ANA Inspiration. In 18 events this season, Thompson has a victory and seven top-ten finishes.
Angel Yin
The youngest member of the team at just 20-years old, Kang was a member of the 2015 junior Solheim Cup and is 1-1-1 in her lone professional Solheim Cup in 2017. Yin has one European Tour win and performed well in majors, finishing 4th at the Women’s PGA Championship in 2018 and 2nd in this year’s US Open. Yin has two top-tens this season and is ranked 31st in the world.
Who will you be rooting for this weekend?
Follow along with the team this week!
