Brittany Altomare, Mina Harigae and Yealimi Noh were selected by United States captain Pat Hurst to round out the 12-player team for the upcoming Solheim Cup in Toledo, Ohio.
The captain’s picks come one day after World No. 1 Nelly Korda earned a spot as one of nine automatic qualifiers who will represent the United States against Team Europe for the Sept. 4-6 event.
Korda, the Olympic gold medalist, will be joined by Danielle Kang, Lexi Thompson and older sister Jessica Korda. The other qualifiers are Ally Ewing, Austin Ernst, Lizette Salas, Jennifer Kupcho and Megan Khang.
Altomare played in the 2019 Solheim Cup, while Harigae and Noah will be part of the event for the first time.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, but I’m very happy to have Brittany, Mina and Yealimi as my picks for Team USA,” Hurst said in a news release. “Brittany proved that she’s the ultimate team player in 2019 and really came through for us at Gleneagles. Mina and Yealimi have played so well over the last two years, and just because they’re Solheim Cup rookies on paper doesn’t mean they’re rookies inside the ropes. I have no doubt they’ll be great competitors at Inverness.”
Team Europe captain Catriona Matthew used six picks to round out her team on Monday, including Sweden’s Madelene Sagstrom and France’s Céline Boutier. Sagstrom was part of Team Europe in 2017 and Boutier was on the 2019 team.
“I feel super excited to represent Europe at the Solheim Cup, yet another time,” Sagstrom said in a news release. “2017 was my first time and it’s what everyone dreams about doing. The atmosphere is phenomenal and it’s playing on the world’s biggest stage. It’s an honor to be there.”
Also selected to Team Europe by Matthew were Finland’s Matilda Castren, Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Ireland’s Leona Maguire and England’s Mel Reid.
The six join qualifiers such as Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist, who landed one of six automatic spots on Team Europe by winning the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie on Sunday. The victory elevated Nordqvist from No. 54 to No. 16 in the World, giving her a spot on Team Europe for the seventh time.
Joining Nordqvist are Denmark’s Emily Kristine Pedersen, England’s Georgia Hall and Charley Hull, Germany’s Sophia Popov and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda.
The Solheim Cup is held every two years. Team USA holds a 10-6 series lead, but Team Europe prevailed 14.5 to 13.5 in the 2019 meeting in Scotland.