The United States will enter the 2026 Solheim Cup as reigning champions for the first time since 2017 as the American side was able to beat Europe 15.5-12.5 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club this past September. After playing under the guidance of Stacy Lewis in 2023 and 2024, the U.S. team will have a new captain for 2026 at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands as Angela Stanford will lead the Americans in their quest for back-to-back victories.
Stanford, who appeared in the Solheim Cup six times as a player and three times as an assistant captain, called her selection as U.S. captain the “pinnacle” of her career.
“I’m extremely grateful to be named the next American captain for the Solheim Cup and join a list of my heroes in the game. I’ve always believed that I represent more than myself on the LPGA Tour, and there is no greater honor than representing your country,” Stanford said in a release.
“I consider this the pinnacle of my career, and I’m looking forward to leading our players to the Netherlands in 2026. ”
The seven-time LPGA Tour winner participated in the 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2015 Solheim Cups, earning the Cup-winning point in 2015 with a 2 & 1 win over Suzann Pettersen. That 2015 win was the last time the Americans won on European soil, and Stanford will have to get the U.S. side ready for a hostile environment in the Netherlands where they will face a European team led by captain Anna Nordqvist.
