Paris (AFP) – Sweden’s three-time major winner Anna Nordqvist will be Europe’s Solheim Cup captain as they bid to regain the trophy in next year’s edition, it was announced on Monday. The 37-year-old, who has been a member of five winning Solheim Cup sides in her nine appearances, said she was honoured to have been appointed for the biennial match with the United States. The 2026 renewal takes place at Bernardus Golf, in Cromvoirt, near Eindhoven and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, in the Netherlands from September 11-13.
“I am so honoured to be appointed as the 2026 European Solheim Cup Captain,” said Nordqvist in a statement on the Solheim Cup website. “Whether we were winning or losing, the Solheim Cup has played such a huge part in my career ever since I made my debut in 2009 in Chicago. The friendships I have made, and the memories created during the nine matches I’ve played, make it so incredibly special to be given the opportunity to be European captain at my tenth Solheim Cup!”
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Alexandra Armas, Chief Executive Officer of the Ladies European Tour, said Nordqvist, who has won 17 of her 35 Solheim Cup matches and halved three, would be a “very popular” choice amongst the players. “She has been such an important member of the European team over the years – both on and off the course – and she was excellent in the role of playing vice-captain last year,” said Armas.
Nordqvist will bid to regain the cup after the USA won it in 2024, the first time since 2017 they had got their hands on the trophy. She said that the Bernardus club, which hosted the men’s European Tour Dutch Open from 2021-23, would be an ideal stage for the match. “I feel especially fortunate to be the captain at Bernardus Golf,” said Nordqvist, whose last triumph in a major came in the 2021 British Open. “It’s a superb course for match play with fantastic facilities and a stunning clubhouse so we couldn’t ask for a better stage for the 20th edition of the Solheim Cup.”
© 2024 AFP
