After watching Stacy Lewis and Suzann Pettersen battle it out over the last two Solheim Cups, it is going to be strange to potentially see two different captains leading the sides in Netherlands in 2026.
With the Solheim Cup being played in back to back years for the first time in more than two decades, with the same two captains and 19 of the same players, the 2023 and 2024 editions of the event almost felt like a play with two acts.
Suzann Pettersen and Europe kept the trophy heading into the interval as they battled back from 4-0 down after the first session to reach the 14 points which tied the match. And of course, Stacy Lewis had her revenge this past week, with USA winning at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia.
Lewis’ victory would have likely felt all the sweeter because of how close her team came at Finca Cortesin. Meanwhile, for a competitor like Pettersen, the fact that she has not captained a team which has won the Solheim Cup outright may eat away at her over the coming months.
Catriona Matthew suggests the next Solheim Cup captains
But obviously, being a captain takes so much out of the individuals who take that responsibility on. So it would be no surprise if two new faces took on the role in two years when the event returns to Europe.
Someone who knows very well what makes a good captain is Catriona Matthew, with the Scot guiding her team to victory on two occasions. And on Sky Sports (broadcast on 15/9), she was asked who she could see being the next captains of the respective teams.
“From the US perspective, you’re probably looking at maybe a Morgan Pressel, Paula Creamer, Brittany Lincicome, the vice-captains from this year,” she said.
“From our side, I think maybe Anna Nordqvist, but she might be playing, who knows? Mel [Reid], she doesn’t know if she’s going to be playing or not.”
Some business remains unfinished as thoughts turn to 2026
Neither Paula Creamer or Brittany Lincicome served as vice-captains in 2023, so it is perhaps significant that they were involved in Lewis’ backroom team this time around. Lewis herself was a vice-captain before she got the chance to stop into the number one position.
Along with Pressel, they have all featured in more than 20 matches in their Solheim Cup careers, so they certainly have a complete understanding of what the role involves.
Having said that, it would hardly be a surprise if the players were backing Lewis to stay on for at least one more event. On the scoreboard at least, Europe are yet to beat Lewis’ sides.
So while there would have been huge satisfaction as she lifted the trophy on Sunday, there may still be a sense of unfinished business on European soil as thoughts start to turn to Netherlands.
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