How Do Players Qualify For The 2023 Solheim Cup?

A look at the qualification criteria for Team USA and Europe to see how the 12 players make it onto their Solheim Cup teams

An image of the Solheim Cup at the Inverness Club in 2021
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The 2023 Solheim Cup will be held at Finca Cortesin in Spain on September 18-24, but how will the 24 players from Team USA and Europe qualify for the showpiece team event in women’s golf?

It will run in back-to-back years with events in 2023 and 2024 to get it back to even years following Covid-19 disruption to the men’s event.

Europe won in 2021 in Ohio, USA, thanks to a thrilling 15-13 victory, and Suzann Pettersen will captain Team Europe in Spain as they look to defend the title and make it three wins in a row.

Stacy Lewis will captain Team USA and take charge of the visiting Americans as they look to claim back the Solheim Cup as the best 12 players from the LET and LPGA do battle once again, but how do they qualify?

2023 Solheim Cup qualification criteria

Team USA

The American selection period started at the 2021 Portland Classic and will come to an end after the conclusion of the 2023 CP Women’s Open on August 27, 2023.

The top seven players in the US Solheim Cup points list at the conclusion of the qualifying period will make the team automatically, along with the top two players in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings who have not already qualified.

American Solheim Cup captain Stacy Lewis will then make three wildcard picks to complete her team of 12 players to take on the Europeans.

Points are awarded for top 20 finishes at each event, with points doubled at the five Majors – with all points increasing by 50% in a Solheim Cup year.

In the event of a tie in the Solheim Cup points standings, the player with the higher ranking on the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings will be selected.

Suzann Pettersen with the Solheim Cup trophy

Suzann Pettersen with the Solheim Cup trophy

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Europe

For Europe, only the top two players in the LET Solheim Cup Points ranking will qualify automatically for the 12-strong team, and again if there’s a tie it’ll be settled by world ranking.

To reflect the size and importance of the LPGA Tour, Europe will select the top six players in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings who have not already qualified to make the team automatically.

European captain Suzann Pettersen will then have four wildcard picks to make to finish off her team to tackle the Americans in Spain.

Again all qualification points are doubled in a Solheim Cup year, while co-sanctioned events with the LPGA Tour earning double those on a regular LET event and Majors worth even more.

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Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.