Ally Ewing, Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin have been selected as Team USA captain's picks for the Solheim Cup; Team Europe chase third consecutive victory over Stacy Lewis' team from September 22-24, live on Sky Sports
Monday 28 August 2023 18:49, UK
Team USA captain Stacy Lewis has named Ally Ewing, Cheyenne Knight and Angel Yin as her captain's picks for the Solheim Cup.
The final three picks were made in a special announcement show on Monday at 5pm, live on Sky Sports Golf, as Team USA look to avoid a third consecutive Solheim Cup defeat for the first time in the tournament's history.
Two-time LPGA Tour winner Knight makes her Solheim Cup debut whilst Ewing and Yin both make their third appearance.
World No 1 Lilia Vu and No 2 Nelly Korda lead the list of nine automatic qualifiers for Team USA, who will take on Team Europe and captain Suzann Pettersen at Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, Spain, from September 22-24.
Lewis captains the squad for next month's biennial competition in Spain, which includes five others based on Solheim Cup point standings – Allisen Corpuz, Megan Khang, Jennifer Kupcho, Danielle Kang and Andrea Lee – plus Lexi Thompson and LPGA Tour rookie Rose Zhang, the two highest Americans in the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings who were not in the top seven in the US Solheim Cup standings.
"The last year has been exciting - and challenging – and to have these players locked in has me pumped for the week in Spain," Lewis said. "Even the rookies aren't true rookies in my eyes. Over the last two years, they have proven to be great competitors and I have no doubt that they won't be overwhelmed by the experience. When we add in the captain's picks, this is definitely going to be a very strong team."
This is Thompson's sixth appearance in the Solheim Cup. The only American players to compete on more Solheim Cup teams are Paula Creamer (seven), Beth Daniel (eight), Juli Inkster (nine), Rosie Jones (seven), Cristie Kerr (nine) and Meg Mallon (eight).
Kang, meanwhile, will represent the United States for the fourth time, with Khang and Korda appearing on their third teams. Kupcho will wear the Stars and Stripes for a second time, while Corpuz, Lee, Vu and Zhang will play in their first Solheim Cup.
"It's an honour to be on this team, for me to be with the best players in the world as well as be an athlete that represents her country," Zhang said. "I can't wait to go to Spain and tee it up with these amazing girls, and at the same time represent the Red, White and Blue."
The US captain confirmed her team has been set in her head for the last month and a half, with Ewing, Yin and Knight all picks she was sure were the right ones.
Lewis spoke live on Sky Sports as she revealed her picks for this year's tournament, detailing the reasons why these three players were selected.
"For each one, it was a little bit different," explained Lewis. "Ally (Ewing), you know, I really wanted a veteran voice, a calming voice and she's really solid. Tee to green, very solid, very consistent, can literally pair up with anybody. We've listed all of our pairings and she's one that could play with almost anybody on the team.
"Then you go to Angel (Yin). Obviously, her play in majors kind of caught my eye. She finished top 30 in every major this year. Her play on Bermuda grass, also caught my eye there and then her length.
"And then Cheyenne (Knight), just her overall play. Kind of like Ally, very consistent tee-to-green, she's very good around the greens. She went, I think, seven straight top 20 finishes early in the year and kind of capped it off with a win.
"So again, it's good play more than anything, but then they individually have things that have helped us fill up some spots on the team."
In 2019, Team Europe earned a 14.5-13.5 victory at Gleneagles in Scotland, a breathtaking win that saw Suzann Pettersen knock in the winning putt on the final hole of the final match. The US Team leads the European Team, 10-6, all-time in Solheim Cup competition, but Pettersen will be hoping to captain the Europeans to a third consecutive triumph.
The Norwegian announced her four captain's picks to complete Europe's Solheim Cup side in a special live show at Sky's campus on Tuesday August 22, with Scotland's Gemma Dryburgh handed a debut alongside past participants Caroline Hedwall, Emily Kristine Pedersen and Madelene Sagstrom.
The quartet join Evian Championship winner Celine Boutier and Maja Stark, who qualified via the European Points List, while Charley Hull, Leona Maguire, Georgia Hall, Linn Grant, Carlota Ciganda and Anna Nordqvist earned their spots via their World Ranking.
Who will win the 2023 Solheim Cup? Watch exclusively live this September on Sky Sports! Live coverage from the opening ceremony begins at 5pm on Thursday September 21, with live coverage of the opening day on Friday September 22 from 6.30am. Stream the Solheim Cup and more with NOW.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
